What is the longest-running Broadway show?
The Phantom of the Opera is the longest-running show in Broadway history. It opened in January 1988 and closed in April 2023 after 13,981 performances.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical tells the story of a masked, disfigured genius who haunts the Paris Opera House and becomes obsessed with a young soprano named Christine. It is based on a 1910 French novel by Gaston Leroux. Songs such as The Music of the Night became famous around the world.
The Broadway production ran for more than 35 years at the Majestic Theatre. It was seen by about 20 million people and earned more than 1.3 billion dollars on Broadway alone. The original London production, which opened in 1986, is still running in the West End.
Still running
Among shows still playing, the revival of Chicago, which opened in 1996, is the longest-running, followed by The Lion King, which opened in 1997. The Lion King is also the highest-grossing Broadway show of all time. Wicked, which opened in 2003, is another of the longest-running productions.
Did You Know?
The famous falling chandelier in The Phantom of the Opera weighs about a ton and drops toward the audience at the end of the first act.