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- What’s the longest-running musical of all time?
We’ll give you a clue – this musical has been running for 76 years and is based in the deep south, says reporter Victoria Galligan.
Research from online ticket software company TicketSource called for a round of applause for the musical theatre productions that have stood the test of time.
And using a unique scoring system, the study has revealed which shows are the most Instagrammed, plus the Top 5 places searching for musical information.
Oklahoma! tops the list as the longest running show, debuting on Broadway in 1943, it is continually revived and performed today in theatres across the world.
Among Instagram users, Beauty and the Beast tops the list, scoring over 5 million mentions, followed by family favourites Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Matilda, both with more than 1.8m mentions.
Meanwhile, using Google Search trends, the research revealed which UK places can’t get enough of musicals. And who knew Brentford was all singing and dancing?
10 productions with longest runs
- Oklahoma! - 76 Years
- My Fair Lady - 63 Years
- The Sound of Music - 57 Years
- Hello, Dolly! - 52 Years
- Fiddler on the Roof - 51 Years
- Cabaret - 50 Years
- Jesus Christ Superstar - 49 Years
- Grease - 48 Years
- The Rocky Horror Show - 46 Years
- Chicago - 44 Years
The 10 most Instagrammed musicals
- Beauty and the Beast (5,863,073)
- Chicago (4,119,665)
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1,881,325)
- Matilda (1,835,711)
- Miss Saigon (1,598,188)
- Hairspray (1,450,343)
- Grease (1,183,372)
- Cabaret (1,182,487)
- Aladdin (1,034,670)
- Mama Mia (1,000,406)
Top 5 UK places searching for musical info
- Brentford
- Brighton
- London
- Watford
- Croydon
For more information and to booktickets to your next musical, see: ticketsource.co.uk
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FAQs
Final answer:
What is the longest running musical of all time? ›
Is Les Mis the longest running musical in the world? ›
The list includes The Mousetrap at the St Martin's Theatre – the world's longest running show ever, and naturally the longest-running play; and Les Miserables (pictured), the longest-running musical of all time.
Is Cats the longest running Broadway show? ›
As of 2024, Cats remains the fifth-longest-running Broadway show and the seventh-longest-running West End show. 11 May 1981: New London Theatre, London, England, U.K. Lloyd Webber began setting Eliot's poems to music in 1977, and the compositions were first presented as a song cycle in 1980.
What is the oldest running opera? ›
A later work by Peri, Euridice, dating from 1600, is the first opera score to have survived until the present day. However, the honour of being the first opera still to be regularly performed goes to Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, composed for the court of Mantua in 1607.
What is the longest running play in the world? ›
“The Mousetrap” is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest running play in the world.
What is the longest running music show? ›
The longer answer is that ACL is the longest-running music program in television history, the only television show to have been awarded the National Medal of the Arts, and was recently recognized by Time magazine as one of the 10 most influential music programs of all time.
What is the #1 Broadway show? ›
What is the shortest running Broadway show? ›
List
| No. | Title | Closing date |
|---|
| 1. | Play Me a Country Song | June 27, 1982 |
| 1. | Rainbow Jones | February 13, 1974 |
| 1. | Ring Around the Bathtub | April 29, 1972 |
| 1. | The Ritz (1983 revival) | May 2, 1983 |
63 more rowsThe longest-running Broadway plays of all time
- Life With Father. Nov. 8 1939 - July 12, 1947, 3,224 performances. ...
- Tobacco Road. Dec. 4, 1933 - May 31, 1941, 3,182 performances. ...
- Abie's Irish Rose. May 23, 1922 - Oct. ...
- Gemini. May 21, 1977 - Sept. ...
- Deathtrap. Feb. ...
- Harvey. Nov. ...
- Born Yesterday. Feb. ...
- Mary, Mary. March 8, 1961 - Dec.
Coming in at number one, The Marriage of Figaro is a true masterpiece of operatic comedy.
When was opera banned? ›
The Catholic Church essentially banned opera during the first decade of the 18th Century in Rome, leading to the rise of the Italian oratorio.
What is the most played opera of all time? ›
Verdi - LA TRAVIATA
The most played opera in the world with 871 performances in the analyzed period.
What is the longest performing musical? ›
The Phantom of the Opera
The longest-running show in Broadway history officially opened on January 26, 1988 and is still playing at the Majestic The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical won 7 1988 Tony Awards® including Best Musical.
What is the most successful musical ever? ›
The Lion King sits at the top, with a Broadway gross of $1.9 billion. Dates refer to original Broadway productions, with notes added for future productions that outran the Broadway run.
What is considered the Best Musical of all time? ›
West Side Story (1957) by Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim. A modern take on Romeo & Juliet, West Side Story might well be the greatest musical of all time. A shoo-in, then, for our list of best stage musicals. It's got it all: thrilling choreography, a scintillating score, memorable songs and a heartbreaking story ...
What is the longest-running off Broadway musical? ›
The Fantasticks originally opened at New York's Sullivan Street Playhouse on May 3, 1960, and played 17,162 performances before closing January 13, 2002, making it the world's longest-running musical.
