Longest Running Musical Theatre Of All Time
As the saying goes, if it isn’t broken don’t fix it. That’s certainly the case when it comes to musical theatre, with many of the most popular shows having run for decades. Some of the shows listed here have been refined over the years, but for the most part are exactly as they were when first launching. Not surprisingly, many of the shows listed also happen to be genre defining masterpieces.
Phantom Of The Opera
You knew it was going to be here, and here it is. The Phantom of The Opera is one of the longest running musical shows of all time, and is the longest running if considering that this masterpiece has never taken a break. The show is still running to this day at The Majestic and sells out regularly, which pretty much says it all.
The Phantom of The Opera launched in 1988 and won 7 Tony Awards. It is worth noting that the show has never had a revival, meaning that it is essentially unchanged from the original release date.
Chicago
Chicago is an incredibly popular musical that originally launched in 1975. It saw some initial success, but did eventually close in 1977. Most thought it was gone for good, only for a smash hit revival to hit stages in 1996. Chicago Revival won 6 Tony Awards, and has been going strong ever since.
The most notable aspect of Chicago is that it combines a number of musical styles, including jazz and light rock.
The Lion King
The Lion King is a musical theatre phenomenon, having truly taken the world by storm. Originally launching in 1997, the show has now been seen by a staggering 60 million people around the world. Again, this show has never seen a revival, demonstrating just how far a truly exceptional musical show can go.
The Lion King won 6 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Cats
Cats, sadly, is the only show on this list that is not currently running on Broadway. It did have an incredible run between 1983 and 2000. Though, even with the show closed the soundtrack is still incredibly popular, courtesy of the legend that is Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Cats was translated into 20 languages and is based on a book called Old Possum’s Book For Practical Cats. If you want to see it live, maybe just enjoy some tennis betting while you wait. Chances are a revival is on the horizon.
Les Misérables
Les Misérables has had an incredibly long and very complicated run on Broadway, having died and been revived on multiple occasions. As most know, the story is about a French peasant who served an unbearably long time in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. It was a controversial story when the show first opened in 1987, and it remains controversial to this day.
Les Misérables finished its first run on Broadway in 2003, earning 8 Tony Awards in the process. The show then died and was revived twice, with the most recent version running since 2014.