The longest-running Broadway musicals

Coming up first is the 1988 classic, The Phantom of the Opera. The music is by Andrew Lloyd Webber and tells the story of a masked musical legend’s obsession with a beautiful woman. In February 2012, it became Broadway’s longest-running show in history after completing 10,000 performances. The show closed on April 16, 2023, after nearly 14,000 performances.   

The original production of Chicago opened on Broadway in June 1975 until it closed in 1977 after 936 performances. In 1996, a revival of the show opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre and eventually moved to the Ambassador Theatre in 2003. Since then, the revival has become Broadway's longest-running current show. 

The Lion King has been one of Broadway’s most prized possessions since its opening in 1997. It’s Disney’s longest-running theatrical production, with just over 10,000 performances. 

Wicked is beloved by many, and its impressive run since October 2003 proves that. It’s played over 7,500 shows and has won Tony, Drama Desk, and Grammy Awards. 

Cats is another masterpiece by Andrew Lloyd Weber that opened on Broadway in 1982. It ran for 18 years and completed 7,485 performances. It closed in September 2000 and won seven Tonys, 3 Drama Desk, and one Grammy Award. 

Like Cats, Les Misérables is another sung-through musical that opened in 1987. After 16 years and 6,680 performances, the show closed on May 18, 2003. Following some others on this list, the Broadway production won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Show in 1988 and 1991.

A Chorus Line is about seventeen Broadway dancers trying to land a spot on a chorus line. The musical opened in the summer of 1975 and became a smash hit. The production won nine Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize in 1976. After 6,137 performances, the original Broadway production closed in 1990. A revival opened in 2006 and ran for 759 performances.

Mamma Mia! isn’t your traditional show. It’s a jukebox musical that features music from popular songs rather than being comprised of original music. It ran for 14 years and closed in 2015 after 5,758 performances. 

Not only did Belle capture the heart of an arrogant young prince, but their story garnered the praise of audiences everywhere. After completing 5,461 performances, Beauty and the Beast closed on July 29, 2007, after 13 years. The show won a Tony Award in 1994 for Best Costume Design. 

Rent tells the story of young, struggling creatives in the East Village and has been a fan-favorite for many years. The musical has won several Tony and Drama Desk Awards. There have been a handful of adaptations, including a film and a live television production in 2019. The Broadway production closed in 2008 after 12 years and 5,123 performances. 

This 2011 musical that initially starred Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad is another super hit that has so far grossed over $700 million at the box office across 4,421 performances. It received 14 Tony nominations in 2011, nine of which they won, and snagged the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2012. The show is still running and is the 12th longest-running musical in Broadway history.

Grease is another popular musical that certainly made its mark on pop culture. It opened in 1972, ran for 3,388 performances, and closed in 1980. There were revivals in 1994 and 2007, and a film franchise was released in 1978 and 1982. A live television production of the show aired on Fox and starred Julianne Hough, Aaron Tveit, and Vanessa Hudgens.

After opening in 1964, Fiddler on the Roof completed 3,242 performances before closing in 1972. In 1965, the original production won nine Tony Awards and a special award in 1972 for becoming Broadway’s longest-running musical at the time. Since then, there have been five Broadway revivals, with the most recent closing in 2016. 

Aladdin is one of Disney’s newest theatrical productions at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York. It opened in 2014 and has since completed over 3,100 performances. It’s one of Broadway’s highest-grossing productions, cashing in over $570 million in revenue. 

Not only did the cast of Hello, Dolly! set a record by winning 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, but the original cast snatched the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 in 1964. The musical ran from 1964 to 1970 after nearly 2,900 performances. The show revivals were in 1975, 1978, 1995, and 2017. 

This Broadway classic ran from August 2002 to January 2009, completed 2,642 performances, and won several prestigious awards, including Tonys, Drama Desks, and a Grammy Award. 

After Hamilton's Broadway debut in 2015, it became a worldwide phenomenon. It was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also has credits in the popular Disney films Moana and Encanto. Due to the show’s nontraditional format, the sung-through musical with rap and hip-hop influences garnered the attention and praise of many, including the Obamas. The production won 11 Tony Awards in 2016. Since then, the show has surpassed 2,600 performances and is still counting. 

Like the 1964 classic, Mary Poppins was also a massive hit on Broadway from 2006 to 2013. It grossed nearly $300 million over 2,619 performances. There have been national tours in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.

Avenue Q is the perfect coming-of-age musical. It follows Princeton, a young college grad eager to find his way. He moves to New York City with some cash and big hopes. Even though his new crib on Avenue Q isn’t the nicest place, he meets a rocking group of neighbors. The music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx must’ve been a hit among critics since they won the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2004. The show closed in 2009 after completing 2,534 performances. 

Cyndi Lauper’s Kinky Boots explores themes of patience and tolerance and showcases the importance of friendship. Broadway icon, Billy Porter, originated the role of Lola and received a Tony, Grammy, and Outer Critics Circle Award for his work. After grossing $218 million and 2,505 performances, the original production closed on April 7, 2019.