WICKED to Overtake BEAUTY AND THE BEAST as the Ninth Longest-Running Show of All Time

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/26/16 at 11:35am

If my calculations aren't completely off, I believe Wicked is set to hit its 5,462nd performance this upcoming week—effectively overtaking Beauty and the Beast as the ninth longest-running Broadway show of all time. Exciting!

Once this happens, the list of longest-running shows will look as follows:

1. The Phantom of the Opera
2. Chicago
3. The Lion King
4. Cats
5. Les Misérables
6. A Chorus Line
7. Oh! Calcutta!
8. Mamma Mia!
9. Wicked
10. Beauty and the Beast
11. Rent
12. Jersey Boys
etc.

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 11/26/16 at 2:09pm

how far up the list do we think wicked will get?
4th place?

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 11/26/16 at 2:15pm

Possibly 3rd if Chicago ever closes

[Jarethan]

Posted: 11/26/16 at 2:38pm

I'd bet that Wicked will eventually make it to #3, but would hedge a big bet based on 2 facts: (1) Chicago still has about 6 years on Wicked and is doing pretty much the same business it was doing 5 years ago.  Assuming there is enough cushion remaining -- I assume the weekly nut has gone up considerably in the past 5 years -- it could presumably continue indefinitely (especially if the creators have not already cut / eliminated their royalties in order to continue the performance gap in Broadway history books), and assuming there is not a sudden change to historic viewing patterns.  I'll bet every performance adds to John Kander's delight, as it widens the gap between it and A Chorus Line's run (I admit that I always thought that Chicago was a much more entertaining show back in 1975, and couldn't believe how it got lost in the ACL thunder).  (2) I also assume Wicked's nut is astronomical.  Will there be a point in which the nut is just too high?  That is a long way off, but there is that 6 year gap and an eventual movie which may hurt, help, or have no impact on the long-run.  Look how much Chicago's run was helped by the movie.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 11/26/16 at 8:27pm

Congrats to Wicked. Joe Mantello, Lisa Leguillou, and the SM team have kept the show in great shape all this time. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 12:37am

Agreed, neon, the condition of the production now over 13 years later is quite remarkable. 

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 1:15am

i could absolutely see WICKED moving to a smaller theater before it would outright close

[EvanK]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 4:23am

BroadwayConcierge said: "Agreed, neon, the condition of the production now over 13 years later is quite remarkable. 

 

"

 

Speaking of condition of show, I know Wicked has made several updates to lighting and scenery over the years. How is Phantom doing? I know they did a big sound upgrade a few years back, have they ever touched the lighting? Made changes to the design, modern fixtures like most shows have now? Or is it very much the same lighting package since opening?

[trpguyy]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 10:21am

^^ Phantom boasts to be the only Broadway musical without a single moving light, and several fixtures are still original to the production, with their yokes and shutters welded into place.

Call_me_jorge said: "Possibly 3rd if Chicago ever closes"

It won't. 

Updated On: 11/27/16 at 10:21 AM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 1:50pm

I think I read that Phantom has NOT upgraded to computer controlled lights yet.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 1:58pm

Phantom's set is very old. I cannot stand that production's state on Broadway - the run down status of the theater actually ruins the opulence I'm supposed to feel. The carpets and tapestries are visibly dust-filled, made worse by the fact that they keep the lights really dim in the lobby. The painted set pieces are fading in color; and costumes, while amazing, are not complemented by lightning design. The touring production is actually in a much better shape. I think the magic is somewhat lost over the years, which is not even remotely the case with Wicked - which still feels crisp and modern. The theater is crazy well maintained, and I'm able to immerse myself much better in the show because I'm not worried about a potential rat infestation.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 2:36pm

Phantom should close, but I doubt it ever will. I wonder which show closes first: Chicago, Lion King or Wicked.

It'll take Wicked 5 years to get to #4. Assuming all four are still around, the totals should be approx:

1. Phantom - 14,100
2. Chicago - 10,400
3. The Lion King - 10,010
4. Wicked - 7,530
Updated On: 11/27/16 at 02:36 PM

[South Florida]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 2:51pm

Is Wicked now the longest running to not win best musical?

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 2:53pm

Mamma Mia! didn't win Best Musical, South Florida.

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 4:47pm

I think wicked makes it to number two all time behind Phantom, driven by broader demographic the show appeals to than either chicago or lion king. the gershwin is a HUGE theatre, so its possible Wicked could downsize in the next 10 years to a smaller theatre.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 5:29pm

Chicago didn't either get best musical.

Wicked could be round for a long time, as another poster said it could move to another theatre such as the Neil Simon when it needs to. Also so they could stunt cast the 2 female leading roles. You can see that the Hamilton effect has slightly hit the box office, will the box office get hit again once Frozen opens.

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 5:37pm

This production of Chicago was not eligible for Best Musical since it was a revival. It did win Best Revival.

As someone who sees Phantom 6 to 8 times a year, every year, I am puzzled by the comments earlier about the visible dust and fading paint. Set pieces, props, and costumes do get replaced. Phantom's producers do quite a good job of keeping the show 1988-fresh. I really think so many of us walk into the Majestic already convinced that the place is falling apart and just insist on perceiving things that way. Perception is reality in that case. 

If you want to see a show that's not taken care of, try and catch some of the Hamilton bootlegs with the original cast that keep popping up on youtube. Messy messy messy smh. 

Updated On: 11/27/16 at 05:37 PM

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 6:28pm

Mr. Nowack said: "I think I read that Phantom has NOT upgraded to computer controlled lights yet."

 

Phantom's light board is absolutely running by computer/disk (albeit a probably very out of date one). By the time that opened no show on Broadway, especially one as complex and expensive as Phantom, was using a manual board anymore (Tharon Musser was the first to use a computer controlled light board on Broadway with the original production of A Chorus Line back in 1975). 

 

It is true, as others have said, that they have not updated any of the fixtures to moving lights or LEDs.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 11:58am

Is there any remote chance that Phantom might ever revamp its technical system? I revisited the show recently and while I wasn't disappointed by the production value, I couldn't help but imagine how much more fabulous it would be with just slight modern enhancements.

Updated On: 11/28/16 at 11:58 AM

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/30/16 at 3:14pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/For-Good-WICKED-Will-Become-9th-Longest-Running-Show-in-Broadway-History-20161130

[ukpuppetboy]

Posted: 11/30/16 at 4:22pm

"Is there any remote chance that Phantom might ever revamp its technical system? I revisited the show recently and while I wasn't disappointed by the production value, I couldn't help but imagine how much more fabulous it would be with just slight modern enhancements."

I'm intrigued as to what 'modern enhancements' you think would be required that would serve the overall aesthetic and design of the show Broadway Concierge given that both Hal Prince and Gillian Lynne are regular visitors to the London/NewYork productions and both are passionate about maintaining the original. Personally I love that Andrew Bridge's design remains LED/moving light free given the classic look so integral to Maria Björnson's period designs and the subject matter as a whole. The effects of modernising (and hence shrinking) the lighting rig being equivalent to cutting down on the lavish size of the orchestra - entirely possible but not without forsaking some of opulence that makes the show what it is.

If I were to welcome any changes to the production it would probably be to the illusions - and in one of those cases to restore the Phantoms' vanishing 'from within' his Red Death costume cut in the tech rehearsals in London in 1986 (referenced in his disappearance at the end of the show in the newly staged UK/US tour).

 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 11/30/16 at 4:33pm

"If I were to welcome any changes to the production it would probably be to the illusions "

 

I second that notion. I've only seen Phantom on Broadway once, but it was within the last five years, and I thought the special effects were rather subpar. That could be upgraded without ruining the aesthetic or anything.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/30/16 at 4:38pm

Yes, that's precisely it, ukpuppetboy and neon—the illusions.

I also think remains problematic how the Phantom is revealed at the top of "All I Ask of You (Reprise)"—because the angel head is suspended by what I presume to be cable wires, it easily rotates around and moves as the Phantom moves his body slightly and takes away from its spectacle. Also, the fire bolts from the Phantom's scepter in the cemetery seem extremely dated and pedestrian for what's technologically possible in 2016. These are just a few examples off the top of my head. By no means am I asking for a huge production overhaul—Phantom is one of my very favorite shows ever. I just definitely think there is room for upgrading here and there as we move further away from 1988.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 11/30/16 at 4:47pm

I'm fairly certain I audibly laughed at the fire bolts. They really are that bad.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 11/30/16 at 8:28pm

I think when all is said and done years and years from now,

 

Wicked will end up at Number 1, with Book of Mormon at Number 2, and Hamilton at Number 3.