This is a selected list of the longest-runningmusical theatre productions in history divided into two sections. The first section lists allBroadway andWest End productions of musicals that have exceeded 2,500 performances, in order of greatest number of performances in either market. The second section lists, in alphabetical order, musicals that have broken historical long run records for musical theatre on Broadway, in the West End orOff-Broadway, since 1866, in alphabetical order.

Legend:

m = music,l = lyrics,b = book

(Noteworthy trivia appear in parentheses)

(5,678) = number of performances (in original Broadway production if not specified)

> denotes shows that are still in production. The number of Broadway performances is updated per Playbill.com as of November 2025. The number of West End performances is updated per officiallondontheatre.com as of January 2025, and sporadically as information becomes available.

"Tony Award winner" denotes winner of Tony for Best Musical

"Olivier Award winner" denotes winner of award for Best New Musical

The following is a list ofmusical theatre productions that have exceeded 2,500 performances in a single run in a Broadway or West End theatre.

The following is an annotated alphabetical list of other musicals that set records for long runs.

• Annie Get Your Gun, 1946 Broadway, 1947 London,mlIrving Berlin,bHerbert andDorothy Fields (1,147: 1,304 in London) (Berlin wrote the songs whenJerome Kern died suddenly)
• The Belle of New York 1898,mGustave Kerker,lbHugh Morton (697 in London) (After New York run, transferred to London in 1898, where it ran for an almost unprecedented 697 performances and became the first American musical to run for over a year in London.
• The Black Crook, 1866,m George Bickwell and others,l by Theodore Kennick and others, andb by Charles M. Barras (474). This piece is often cited as the first long-running "musical", in that an original book was combined with songs and dancing. Its 474 performances were a record for the day.
• The Boy Friend, 1953 London, 1954 Broadway,mlbSandy Wilson (2,078 in London; briefly the third longest-running musical in history, afterChu Chin Chow andOklahoma!, until demoted bySalad Days) (Julie Andrews' American debut)
• Carousel, 1945 Broadway, 1950 London,mRichard Rodgers,bOscar Hammerstein II (899) (the authors' favorite of their musicals) (one of the longest-running Broadway shows up to that time)
• The Chimes of Normandy (adapted from the FrenchLes Cloches de Corneville), 1878,mRobert Planquette,lbH. B. Farnie and R. Reece (705) (the longest-running piece of musical theatre in history untilDorothy broke its record in 1886)
• A Chinese Honeymoon, 1901,mHoward Talbot andIvan Caryll,lHarry Greenbank, andlbGeorge Dance (1,075) (The first musical to run for more than 1,000 performances)
• Chu Chin Chow, 1916,mFrederic Norton,bOscar Asche (2,238 in London) (longest-running musical in history from 1916 untilSalad Days in 1954, and one of theWorld War I smash hits that defined the music of the era. See alsoThe Maid of the Mountains).
• Dorothy, 1886,mAlfred Cellier,lbB. C. Stephenson (931) (one of the first "modern" musicals, and the longest-running piece of musical theatre in history untilA Chinese Honeymoon in 1901.
• The Fantasticks, 1960,mHarvey Schmidt,lTom Jones (17,162) Longest-running musical in history.
• Florodora, 1899,mLeslie Stuart andPaul Rubens,l Edward Boyd-Jones and Rubens,bOwen Hall (552) (second longest-running Broadway musical (afterA Trip to Chinatown) untilIrene in 1919 pushed it down to third; it was first very successful in London (455 performances) and achieved international success in Europe and elsewhere, including Broadway in 1900. It was the first instance of a British production achieving such a long initial Broadway run.)
• Forbidden Broadway, 1982,m arranged in part and written in part byGerard Alessandrini,lbGerard Alessandrini (2,332) (briefly the third longest-running off-broadway production; this spoof of current musicals ran almost continuously from 1982 to 2010 in various versions)
• The Geisha, 1896,mSidney Jones andLionel Monckton,lHarry Greenbank,bOwen Hall (760 in London) (The second longest-running piece of musical theatre (afterDorothy) until it was edged out bySan Toy in 1899. It was one of a series of highly successful musicals atDaly's Theatre in London.)
• Hellzapoppin (revue), 1938,mlSammy Fain andCharles Tobias,bJohn "Ole" Olsen andHarold "Chic" Johnson (1,404, the longest-running Broadway musical, until beaten byOklahoma! Its opening scene wasHitler speaking in aYiddish accent, and it included audience participation.)
• H.M.S. Pinafore, 1878,mArthur Sullivan,lbW. S. Gilbert (571 in London) (first G&S smash hit and second longest-running piece of musical theatre in history until it was edged out byGilbert and Sullivan'sPatience in 1881. One of the most frequently produced pieces of musical theatre in the world)
• I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, 1996,mJimmy Roberts,lbJoe DiPietro (5003) (2nd longest-runningOff Broadway musical in history)
• Irene, 1919,mHarry Tierney,lJoseph McCarthy (lyricist),b James Montgomery (670) (longest-running Broadway show up to that time (though London had already had many longer-running shows[1]) untilHellzapoppin in 1938)
• Little Shop of Horrors, 1982,mAlan Menken,lbHoward Ashman (2,209) (the highest-grossing production in off-Broadway history; revived successfully on Broadway)
• The Maid of the Mountains, 1917,mHarold Fraser-Simson,lHarry Graham,bFrederick Lonsdale ((1,352 in London) (second longest-running musical (seeChu Chin Chow) and one of theWorld War I smash hits that defined the music of the era)
• The Mikado, 1885,mArthur Sullivan,lbW. S. Gilbert (672 in London) (longest-running G&S piece and second longest-running piece of musical theatre in history untilDorothy in 1886. Probably the most frequently produced piece of musical theatre in the world)
• No, No, Nanette, 1925,mVincent Youmans,lIrving Caesar,lbOtto Harbach,bFrank Mandel (665 London; 321 Broadway, one of the longest-running interwar shows with international success)
• Nunsense, 1985,mlbDan Goggin (3,672) (2nd longest-runningOff-Broadway musical until surpassed byI Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change)
• Oklahoma!, 1943 Broadway, 1947 London,mRichard Rodgers,lbOscar Hammerstein II, (2,212, the longest-running Broadway show in history, untilMy Fair Lady)
• Salad Days, 1954,mlbJulian Slade,lDorothy Reynolds (2,283 in London, finally breaking the long-held record ofChu Chin Chow for longest-running musical. It held the record untilMy Fair Lady)
• San Toy, 1899,mSidney Jones,lHarry Greenbank andAdrian Ross,bEdward Morton (768 in London) (It edged outThe Geisha as the second longest-running piece of musical theatre (afterDorothy) and held that record until it was thrashed byA Chinese Honeymoon in 1901. It was one of a series of highly successful musicals atDaly's Theatre in London.)
• The Shop Girl, 1894,mIvan Caryll andLionel Monckton,lAdrian Ross,lb H. J. W. Dam (546 in London) (one of the first of the innovativeGaiety Theatre, London musicals produced byGeorge Edwardes in the 1890s)
• The Sound of Music, 1959 Broadway, 1961 London,mRichard Rodgers,lOscar Hammerstein II,bHoward Lindsay andRussel Crouse (2,385 in London, the second-longest-running musical in West End history at that time, afterOliver!; 1,442 on Broadway) (1960 Tony Award winner) (1965 film became one of the most popular movie musicals)
• South Pacific, 1949 Broadway, 1951 London,mRichard Rodgers,lbOscar Hammerstein II,bJoshua Logan (1,925, the second longest-running Broadway musical up to that time) (1950 Tony Award winner)
• The Threepenny Opera, 1954,mKurt WeilllbMarc Blitzstein (from the German ofBertolt Brecht) (2,707) (longest-running off-Broadway musical untilThe Fantasticks)
• A Trip to Chinatown, 1891,m Percy Gaunt,lbCharles H. Hoyt (657) (first Broadway musical to exceed 500 performances, although London had already had a few longer-running musical theatre pieces. It held the Broadway record untilIrene in 1919)

• Lists of musicals
• List of the longest-running Broadway shows
• List of the longest-running West End shows
• Long runs on the London stage, 1700–2020
• List of Tony Award and Olivier Award winning musicals
• AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals

• Longest-running plays in London and worldwide
• Longest Running Shows in the West End
• List of longest-running Broadway productions from Playbill.com
• List of longest-running plays in London and New York, 1875 to 1920
• "Musical Stage & Screen Chronologies" at Musicals101.com

• Ganzl, Kurt.The Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre (3 Volumes). New York: Schirmer Books, 2001.
• The Broadway Musical Home
• The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film

• Musical theatre
• Musicals
• Theatre-related lists of superlatives
• Lists of musicals
• Lists of longest-duration things

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