Longest Contract

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 11:13pm

What is the longest someone has ever been in a certain show?

[TheatreNut]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 11:18pm

I'm not sure about the longest. That would take some research. But Howard McGillin did have a LONG phantom run. I think 1200 performances to be in the ball park.

[chasing_rainbows43]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 11:23pm

There are about....4 people in Chicago right now who are ORC. So that'd be....creeping up on either 7 or 8 years if I'm not mistaken.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 11:25pm

Craig Schulman (ValJean) had 6 Bd'w contracts over a 10 yr. period for a total of over 2,000 performances with Les Miz.

That may not be the longest consecutive contract...but that's a whole lotta 24601 -ing.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 11:29pm

wait...almost forgot...Jeff Keller, POTO has to be in the ballpark as one of the longest runs/contracts. He is still with the Bd'w production and an original cast member since 1989(?), playing Firmin, Andre and Phantom(understudy).

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 11:43pm

Well, many chorus contracts are open-ended but they allow for an 'out' if a person gets another gig or wants to leave.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 8/3/03 at 11:58pm

Marlene Danielle (sp?) was an understudy in CATS when it opened. After about a year she took over as Bombalurina and stayed with the show til it closed. I believe when it closed and they were striking the set they gave her the giant tire as a sort of "thank you" present for staying with the show so long.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 12:07am

Yep, BC/EFA presented her with the tire. I can't remember what she said she was going to do with it. I THINK she said something about displaying it on her property that she bought with the money she earned on CATS or something.

[Phantess]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 12:23am

Yup Jeff Keller, Richard Warren Pugh, Ken Waller, Mary Leigh Stahl, George Lee Andrews and Lori MacPherson.

All from POTO have been with the cast for the past 16 years. Of course some have takena vacation here and there but still 16 years, who wouldn't.

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Phantom on Broadway..home to the largest archive of the broadway cast of POTO
Phantom on Broadway

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 12:30am

The longest contract you can possibly have is a run of show contract, where you basically are stuck in the show until it ends. I forget which show gives those...but I remember discussing with a friend about actors who have a run of show contract.

[GottaGimmick]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 3:37am

Someone in CATS was there for 18 years straight...

[Amneris]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 1:22pm

I always thought that if you are in the chorus of a bway show, you can stay as long as you want... up to the end of the show.. but if you get cast in another show and get just chorus you cant leave... someone at mamma mia said you could only leave if you get a lead role or featured role in another show...not go from chorus to chorus.

[GottaGimmick]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 1:32pm

I don't believe that's true.... You can switch to whatever show you like but you have to wait for your contract to run out... Which can be from 6 months to a few years...

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 5:11pm

I believe that Bonnie Simmons played the entire "Cats" run on Broadway.

I think that Marian Seldes played the entire "Deathtrap" run without ever taking a vacation. I think she is in the Guiness Book of World Records as the longest continuous performer.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 8/4/03 at 5:14pm

Andrew Lloyd Webber shows must attract people who like to stay awhile.

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 8/5/03 at 8:22pm

there are, believe it or not, 2 people in phanton that are original cast....15 1/2 years...insane!

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/5/03 at 8:53pm

It wasn't CONTINUOUS, but TGC played over 5,000 performances in TWHM. Yul Brynner did about the same in various productions of THE KING AND I.