The longest curtain call

I went to Tokyo to see the Japanese version of A Gentlemen's Guide earlier this year. It stars their theatre legend Masachika Ichimura as the D'Ysquiths. The show was good. Now it's time to take the bow. It was the usual smaller roles first, Masachika last, we clapped and then they left. People kept clapping after the actors left the stage. Sure enough we saw Mr. Ichimura running back on stage, taking a second bow, and all the actors came back as well. Then they left. I was ready to leave. But people are still in their seats. A few seconds later, the actors came back to the stage for a third bow. It did not end there! My memory could be inaccurate, but I think they did this for 8 times! I was shocked. It's not the first time I've seen this. Last year when I saw La Cage aux Folles, also starring Mr. Ichimura, they came back like 8 times too! That was the first time I saw this happening, I thought oh maybe it was some special occasion I wasn't aware of. But now I realize this is a thing! It got me thinking what's the longest curtain call you have seen? What's the most times actors come back to stage to take bows in a show?
(Pardon my English, I'm not a native speaker.)

lachri5 said: "I went to Tokyo to see the Japanese version of A Gentlemen's Guide earlier this year. It stars their theatre legend Masachika Ichimura as the D'Ysquiths. The show was good. Now it's time to take the bow. It was the usual smaller roles first, Masachika last, we clapped and then they left. People kept clapping after the actors left the stage. Sure enough we saw Mr. Ichimura running back on stage, taking a second bow, and all the actors came back as well. Then they left. I was ready to leave. But people are still in their seats. A few seconds later, the actors came back to the stage for a third bow. It did not end there! My memory could be inaccurate, but I think they did this for 8 times! I was shocked. It's not the first time I've seen this. Last year when I saw La Cage aux Folles, also starring Mr. Ichimura, they came back like 8 times too! That was the first time I saw this happening, I thought oh maybe it was some special occasion I wasn't aware of. But now I realize this is a thing! It got me thinking what's the longest curtain call you have seen? What's the most times actors come back to stage to take bows in a show?
(Pardon my English, I'm not a native speaker.)



"

Was it the senshuraku (last performance) of A Gentleman's Guide? Did any of the actors give speeches? I've seen those go on for quite a while.

My impression is that a lot of Japanese musical productions are (comparatively) more focused on the stars than Broadway fare.* It's rare to see advertising or a poster that *doesn't* have the cast on it.

(I say this from the perspective of a Takarazuka fan, where everything is *very* star centric. Even when I see non-Takarazuka productions in Japan, it's usually to see former Takarazuka stars. The advertising seems to cater to that. Less so Shiki productions, which I believe have the rights to Wicked, Lion King, etc.)

Anyway, just my two cents on why the long curtain calls, but now I want to ask around about whether this really is a thing!

Applause is frequent in Opera, unless it's by a German composer.

The longest curtain call I'm aware of was at the Met in 1994 for German soprano Hildegard Behrens in Elektra. It lasted around an hour, we are told.