The Phantom of the Opera played 13,981 performances on Broadway between 1988 and 2023, a record that stands more than 2,200 performances clear of anything else. It is the only show in Broadway history to run for 35 years.
Chicago is the closest challenger and is still playing, which makes this one of the few all-time records that could realistically fall. Here are the 12 longest-running Broadway shows, ranked by total performances.
Longest-Running Broadway Shows at a Glance
| Rank | Show | Performances | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Phantom of the Opera | 13,981 | 1988 | Closed 2023 |
| 2 | Chicago (1996 revival) | 11,712 | 1996 | Still running |
| 3 | The Lion King | 11,337 | 1997 | Still running |
| 4 | Wicked | 8,875 | 2003 | Still running |
| 5 | Cats | 7,485 | 1982 | Closed 2000 |
| 6 | Les Misérables | 6,680 | 1987 | Closed 2003 |
| 7 | A Chorus Line | 6,137 | 1975 | Closed 1990 |
| 8 | Oh! Calcutta! (1976 revival) | 5,959 | 1976 | Closed 1989 |
| 9 | Mamma Mia! | 5,758 | 2001 | Closed 2015 |
| 10 | The Book of Mormon | 5,699 | 2011 | Still running |
| 11 | Beauty and the Beast | 5,462 | 1994 | Closed 2007 |
| 12 | Rent | 5,123 | 1996 | Closed 2008 |
The Longest Runs in Broadway History
1. The Phantom of the Opera: 13,981 Performances
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom opened at the Majestic Theatre in January 1988 and did not close until April 2023, a run of 35 years in a single house. In February 2012 it became the first Broadway musical to pass 10,000 performances.
Its Broadway run outlasted its own London original by 62 performances. The closure was driven by rising running costs after the pandemic rather than empty houses, and it remains the benchmark against which every long run is measured.
2. Chicago: 11,712 Performances
The 1996 revival of Chicago is the longest-running show currently on Broadway, the longest-running musical revival in history, and the longest-running American musical ever staged there. It passed Cats in November 2014 at its 7,486th performance.
Its endurance owes much to economics. The production uses a spare set, a small onstage orchestra, and minimal costuming, so its weekly running costs are far below those of a spectacle musical. That lean model let it survive downturns that closed more lavish shows.
3. The Lion King: 11,337 Performances
The Lion King opened in 1997 and is still playing, now approaching three decades. Julie Taymor’s puppetry and mask design won her the Tony for direction and made the staging itself the attraction.
It is the highest-grossing production in Broadway history by total box office, and its worldwide gross across all productions exceeds that of any single film. It sits just 375 performances behind Chicago and is closing that gap.
4. Wicked: 8,875 Performances
Wicked opened in 2003 and remains one of the strongest sellers on Broadway more than 20 years later. Its reimagining of the witches of Oz turned a modest novel into a global franchise.
The 2024 film adaptation renewed demand rather than cannibalizing it, a pattern that has held for several stage-to-screen transfers. It is the newest show in the top four by a six-year margin.
5. Cats: 7,485 Performances
Cats held the record as Broadway’s longest-running show until Phantom passed it, closing in 2000 after 18 years. Its marketing line, “now and forever,” became one of the most recognized taglines in theatre.
It was the show that established the 1980s British megamusical on Broadway, built on spectacle, a sung-through score, and international touring rather than star casting.
6. Les Misérables: 6,680 Performances
Les Misérables ran for 16 years from 1987, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical and becoming the defining example of the sung-through epic. Almost no spoken dialogue appears in the entire show.
It has returned to Broadway in multiple revivals since, and its international touring life has been longer still. The original run alone places it sixth on this list.
The Rest of the Top 12
A Chorus Line ran 6,137 performances from 1975, held the all-time record before Cats took it, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama alongside nine Tony Awards. The 1976 revival of Oh! Calcutta! follows at 5,959, by far the least remembered show on this list, notorious in its day for nudity and sustained by tourist traffic rather than critical support.
Mamma Mia! reached 5,758 performances on the strength of the ABBA catalogue and effectively created the modern jukebox musical template, a reminder of how far a back catalogue can carry a show, as our ranking of the best-selling music artists reflects. The Book of Mormon, at 5,699 and still running, is the newest show anywhere in the top 12 and the only one to open in the 2010s.
Beauty and the Beast closed in 2007 after 5,462 performances, and its 1994 opening marked Disney’s arrival as a Broadway producer, a strategy that produced The Lion King three years later. Rent completes the list at 5,123, running 12 years from 1996 and winning both the Pulitzer and the Tony for Best Musical.
Four of the Twelve Are Still Running
Chicago, The Lion King, Wicked, and The Book of Mormon are all still playing, meaning a third of this list is actively adding performances. Their positions will keep moving.
That is unusual for an all-time ranking. Most records of this kind are settled history, but Broadway longevity charts are live documents, and any of these four could climb several places over the next few years without anything remarkable happening.
Can Chicago Catch Phantom?
The arithmetic is straightforward. Chicago trails by 2,269 performances, and a standard Broadway schedule is eight performances a week, so closing the gap would take roughly 284 weeks of uninterrupted playing, or about five and a half years.
That is a real possibility rather than a fantasy, given the show has already run for 30 years and carries unusually low weekly costs. It is not a certainty either, since holiday schedules, cast changes, and any interruption stretch the timeline. The Lion King faces the same math from 375 performances further back, but has the stronger box office of the two.
Every Show on the List Is a Musical
Not one straight play appears in the top 12, and the pattern holds well beyond it. Musicals attract tourists who buy tickets without knowing the material, they support merchandising and cast recordings, and their appeal survives complete cast turnover in a way that star-driven plays do not.
Plays typically run in limited engagements of a few months, often built around a name performer whose availability sets the closing date. The economics point in opposite directions: a musical is an asset that can run for decades, while a play is usually a season. Live entertainment rewards repeatable spectacle, the same force visible in our ranking of the highest-grossing concert tours.
The 1990s Produced the Most Long Runs
Four of these 12 shows opened in the 1990s: Beauty and the Beast in 1994, Chicago and Rent in 1996, and The Lion King in 1997. The 1980s produced three, the 1970s and 2000s two each, and the 2010s just one.
That late-1990s cluster reflects a particular moment. Times Square had been redeveloped, tourism to New York was climbing sharply, and Disney’s arrival as a producer brought family audiences who had not previously bought Broadway tickets. Three of the four shows that opened in that decade are still playing today.
The more striking figure is at the other end. The newest show anywhere in this top 12 opened in 2011, meaning 15 years have passed without a new production accumulating enough performances to break in. Ticket prices have risen faster than attendance, running costs are higher, and recent hits have tended to play to capacity for a few years rather than settling into the decades-long runs that built this list.
How We Counted Performances
Shows are ranked by total performances of a single continuous Broadway production, which is the standard industry measure. Previews are excluded and only official performances count.
Revivals are counted as separate productions from their originals, which is why Chicago’s 1996 revival appears rather than the 1975 original, and why Oh! Calcutta! is listed by its 1976 revival. Touring productions, off-Broadway runs, and West End performances are excluded entirely. Figures for the four running shows are current as of August 2026 and increase every week.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the longest-running Broadway show of all time?
The Phantom of the Opera, with 13,981 performances between January 1988 and April 2023. It was the first Broadway musical to pass 10,000 performances.
What is the longest-running show currently on Broadway?
Chicago, the 1996 revival, at 11,712 performances and counting. It is also the longest-running American musical and the longest-running revival in Broadway history.
Will Chicago overtake The Phantom of the Opera?
It would need 2,269 more performances, about five and a half years at the standard eight shows per week. It is plausible given the show’s low running costs, but not guaranteed.
Are any plays among the longest-running Broadway shows?
No. All 12 are musicals or musical revues. Plays generally run in limited engagements rather than open-ended runs, so they do not accumulate comparable performance counts.
Which is the newest show on the list?
The Book of Mormon, which opened in 2011 and is the only entry from the 2010s. It is still running at 5,699 performances.