| Show | Verified run figure | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| The Phantom of the Opera | 13,981 performances; January 26, 1988 to April 16, 2023 | Treat as the all-time benchmark and quote both dates alongside the count. |
| Cats | 7,485 performances; October 7, 1982 to September 10, 2000 | Use as an earlier long-run comparison when explaining how large Phantom’s total is. |
| Chicago | 11,711 performances (October 2026); opened November 14, 1996 | Cite as the leader among current shows, with the month attached because the count keeps rising. |
| The Lion King | 11,347 performances (October 2026); opened November 13, 1997 | Cite as second on the current list, and use a different measure when you mean revenue. |
| Wicked | 8,873 performances (October 2026); opened October 30, 2003 | Cite as third on the current list when you need the next tier of long runs. |
Figures come from Ticketmaster’s longest-running shows roundup (March 2024) and the Broadway Scorecard list (updated October 2026).
The longest running musical on Broadway is The Phantom of the Opera, which played at the Majestic Theatre from January 26, 1988 to April 16, 2023, for 13,981 performances. Chicago now leads the current list.
Anyone planning a stage project can read these numbers as a yardstick. Readers who want the practical side of staging a show at a smaller scale can pair them with our guide on how to produce a community theater show.
What the record means in practice
Phantom’s total is a ceiling that no show now running has reached. On the Broadway Scorecard list, updated in October 2026, Chicago leads with 11,711 performances, still below Phantom’s 13,981 from Ticketmaster’s roundup. So “longest-running” has two honest meanings. One is the all-time record, which is closed and fixed. The other is the longest run among shows still playing, which changes as the weeks pass.
Quote counts with a date
A performance count is a snapshot unless a show has closed. A Playbill list dated January 7, 2017 ranked Phantom first with 13,370 performances. Ticketmaster’s figure of 13,981 reflects the run through its April 2023 closing. Neither number is wrong; they describe different days.
The same applies to open runs. Ticketmaster’s March 2024 roundup gave Chicago 10,697 performances, while the Scorecard’s October 2026 list shows 11,711. If you are writing a program note, a school report or a pitch, attach the month and year to any open-run figure, and use the closing-date total for Phantom.
Choose the right ranking claim
Different superlatives belong to different shows, and mixing them is the quickest way to misstate the record. Match the claim to the measure:
- All-time longest run: The Phantom of the Opera, with 13,981 performances between January 26, 1988 and April 16, 2023, according to Ticketmaster.
- Longest run among current shows: Chicago. Ticketmaster describes it as the current longest-running show after Phantom closed, and the Scorecard list agrees on the top position.
- Highest earnings: The Lion King, which Ticketmaster describes as the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time, with more than $1.8 billion grossed as of March 2024. That is a revenue claim, not a longevity claim.
- Second-longest, historically: Chicago, which became the second-longest running musical on Broadway in November 2014, according to a 2017 New York Theater overview. “Second” in that context meant behind Phantom.
The choice depends on your audience. A general reader wants the all-time record. A ticket buyer comparing shows playing now wants the current leader. A business-minded reader should look at grosses rather than performances. With the claims separated, the next question is what Phantom’s own run looked like.
The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre
Phantom opened on January 26, 1988 and closed on April 16, 2023, and the opening date is consistent across Ticketmaster and New York Theater. Ticketmaster ties the 13,981 performances to the Majestic Theatre, so the full record accumulated in a single Broadway house.
That stability is the notable feature of this run. Cats, the earlier long-run benchmark, also stayed put: Ticketmaster lists its 7,485 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre, between October 7, 1982 and September 10, 2000. Phantom’s total is the larger by a wide margin.
One practical caution applies to location details. The two sources above print the Majestic’s street address differently, with Ticketmaster giving 245 W 44th St and New York Theater giving 247 West 44th Street. If you are printing directions or captions, confirm the address on the theater’s own listing rather than copying either roundup.
Timeline of the record
Putting the openings, closings and list snapshots in order shows how the record was set and then challenged. Dates and counts below come from the roundups linked in each entry.
- October 7, 1982: Cats opens at the Winter Garden Theatre, according to Ticketmaster.
- January 26, 1988: Phantom opens at the Majestic Theatre, the date confirmed by New York Theater.
- November 14, 1996: Chicago’s revival opens, as Ticketmaster records it.
- November 13, 1997: The Lion King opens, per the same Ticketmaster roundup.
- September 10, 2000: Cats closes after 7,485 performances.
- October 30, 2003: Wicked opens, according to the Broadway Scorecard.
- November 2014: Chicago becomes the second-longest running Broadway musical, as noted in New York Theater’s 2017 overview.
- January 7, 2017: A Playbill list shows Phantom first with 13,370 performances.
- April 16, 2023: Phantom closes with 13,981 performances.
- March 2024: Ticketmaster calls Chicago the current longest-running show, with 10,697 performances.
- October 2026: The Scorecard list puts Chicago first with 11,711 performances.
Read in sequence, the entries show the record being set in one house, held for decades and then inherited by a show that opened in 1996. That handover is the subject of the next section.
The ranking after Phantom closed
Chicago took the top position among shows still playing once Phantom closed. Ticketmaster’s roundup describes it as the current longest-running show, and the October 2026 Broadway Scorecard list of 28 shows puts it first with 11,711 performances.
The current top six
The Scorecard list orders the leaders by performance count: Chicago with 11,711, The Lion King with 11,347, Wicked with 8,873, The Book of Mormon with 5,701, Aladdin with 4,495 and Hamilton with 3,940. The top two are close to each other, and the rest fall away steadily. For readers choosing which show to name as “the new record holder”, the answer is Chicago for current runs and Phantom for all time.
The Lion King has been close behind for some time. In Ticketmaster’s March 2024 roundup it stood at 10,316 performances against Chicago’s 10,697, so the order has not changed between the two snapshots. Its revenue claim is separate, since Ticketmaster describes it as the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time, at more than $1.8 billion grossed.
A revival at the top
Chicago’s count belongs to its 1996 revival. The Scorecard labels the entry a musical revival, and Ticketmaster describes the production as having reopened in 1996. Treat it as a different kind of record from an original production’s single continuous run. A fair statement is “the longest-running show currently on Broadway”, which is accurate whatever the show’s earlier history.
What the pattern shows about long runs
The supplied figures support three practical readings, and nothing beyond them. First, a run that stays in one house can reach very large totals, as Phantom did at the Majestic. Second, a show can also build a high count across moves, since Chicago’s run has not been tied to a single building. Third, later openings can climb the ranking: The Lion King opened in November 1997 and Wicked in October 2003, and both sit in the top three of the October 2026 list.
The numbers do not explain why audiences kept buying tickets, and it would be a mistake to invent a reason from a performance count. What they do offer is a sound basis for comparison. Broadway itself is described by the New York Film Academy as a 13 mile strip in Manhattan, the most famous theatre district in the world. The longest runs are the ones that stayed commercially viable inside that crowded district for the longest time.
Using the record in your own planning
These figures are useful as context rather than as targets. A performance count is a result of nightly demand sustained over years, so it should not be mistaken for a plan. For people working on productions or auditions, two related guides pick up where the history stops:
- Preparing to perform: musical-theater auditions reward a considered choice of material, which is covered in Best Audition Songs: How To Pick Standout Tracks That Get You Called Back (2026 Edition).
- Reading the stage: staging notes are easier to follow once the notation is familiar, as explained in Stage Directions Diagram: How To Read, Create, And Use One (Practical 2026 Guide).
Frequently asked questions
Which Broadway show has the longest run among those still playing?
Chicago. The Broadway Scorecard list updated in October 2026 places it first at 11,711 performances.
Which Broadway production has earned the most?
Ticketmaster’s March 2024 roundup credits The Lion King with more than $1.8 billion in receipts, placing it at the top of Broadway’s grossing history.
Where has Chicago played?
Its 1996 revival reopened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, then moved to the Shubert Theatre, according to Ticketmaster. It now plays at the Ambassador Theater, 219 West 49th Street.
How many shows does the current ranking cover?
The Scorecard’s longest-running list covers 28 shows and was last updated in October 2026.
