The world of theatre and performance captures many people’s interests when thinking about art and entertainment. There is not a place within the United States where theatre culture thrives more than New York City’s Broadway.
From box office achievements, to glowing critical responses, and decades of time on stage, the plays and musicals, both old and new, that touch the Broadway stages often find themselves soaring to new heights of success.
To honour the city’s vibrant theatre scene, here are five record-breaking achievements on Broadway. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 opera musical, The Phantom of the Opera, first debuted on London’s West End, ran for a record-breaking to 16 April 2023, when the show was discontinued on Broadway. These 35 years cultivated in a spectacular 13,981 performances.
The show was seen by over 20 million people and was a massive box office success, grossing an estimated $1.3 billion during its time on Broadway. The show was also a critical success, winning seven Tony Awards in 1988, including the coveted Best Musical award, even beating out Into the Woods and Dreamgirls. Of the show’s allure, Hal Prince, the director, said during the show’s 25th year: “I think the enduring appeal is because it’s so romantic and because audiences escape into it.
“It has a world of its own. And whatever problems they have out on the street and in their daily lives, they come in here and it’s like a little kid tripping on a fairy tale or something.” Although The Phantom of the Opera was a box-office success, Disney’s hit 1991 movie-turned-musical, The Lion King takes the cake for the highest grossing Broadway show. With popular songs like “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata”, grand sets, and impressive choreography, the show is perfect for the whole family and attracts a large crowd. This interest led to a total gross of over $1.8 billion (£1.5 billion) as of 5 March 2023.
Music featuring within the stage version of The Lion King was created by singer-songwriter Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice. The stage-show first debut in October 1997 and has been performed over 8500 times.
