Broadway - Longest Running Broadway Shows (2024)

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Broadway - Longest Running Broadway Shows? ›

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1. “The Phantom of the Opera” A worldwide phenomenon and Broadway's longest running show in history, “The Phantom of the Opera” opened in 1988 to rave reviews and multiple awards. The epic Andrew Lloyd Webber masterpiece was performed 13,981 times at Broadway's Majestic Theatre, wowing audiences for over three decades.

The Fantasticks originally opened at New York's Sullivan Street Playhouse on May 3, 1960, and played 17,162 performances before closing January 13, 2002, making it the world's longest-running musical.

The Lion King sits at the top, with a Broadway gross of $1.9 billion. Dates refer to original Broadway productions, with notes added for future productions that outran the Broadway run. † Background shading indicates shows running in the week commencing 10 May 2024 in Broadway theatres.

The musical adaptation of Carrie is perhaps the most infamous failure in Broadway history. The show was such a failure that books have been written about just how terrible Carrie was. The musical was adapted from Steven King's hom*onymous novel, and the classic horror film that followed.

1. The Lion King: The Highest-Grossing Show On Broadway.

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The most famous example is George Lee Andrews, who is the world record holder for most performances in a single Broadway show. He was part of the original cast of PHANTOM and played 9382 performances over 23 years.

“The Mousetrap” is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest running play in the world.

As of 2022, Cats remains the fifth-longest-running Broadway show and the seventh-longest-running West End show. 11 May 1981: New London Theatre, London, England, U.K. Lloyd Webber began setting Eliot's poems to music in 1977, and the compositions were first presented as a song cycle in 1980.

The Phantom of the Opera

The longest-running show in Broadway history officially opened on January 26, 1988 and is still playing at the Majestic The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical won 7 1988 Tony Awards® including Best Musical.

The list includes The Mousetrap at the St Martin's Theatre – the world's longest running show ever, and naturally the longest-running play; and Les Miserables (pictured), the longest-running musical of all time.

The most famous example is George Lee Andrews, who is the world record holder for most performances in a single Broadway show. He was part of the original cast of PHANTOM and played 9382 performances over 23 years.

The first original theatre piece in English that conforms to the modern conception of a musical, adding dance and original music that helped to tell the story, is generally considered The Black Crook, which premiered in New York on September 12, 1866.