Who has had the most 1000 show runs on Broadway?

I’ve had 5, but I’m only a lowly dance arranger.

leefowler said: "I’ve had 5, but I’m only a lowly dance arranger."

So cool when actual Broadway people are on here

I hope you know that I don't at all mean to undermine contributions of other creatives, and you're very important too! It's a collaborative thing. Writing a show that runs a long time is just different because being repeatedly successful as a writer is indicative specifically of being able to structure shows in a marketable and sustainable way, which is a very interesting thing to consider for the authors of shows. Dancing is very important too, of course. And music arrangement. I bet Seth Rudetsky has played in the pit of like 14 thousand+ shows

starlightexpress2 said: "Maybe Richard Rodgers? Oklahoma, Sound of Music, South Pacific, King and I?"

That one is very probable. Bravo! I can't believe I didn't think of that. I wonder if any individual show has had multiple 1000+ runs? I bet, if any have, it's a Richard Rodgers show.

Neil Simon has to be up there. They're Playing Our Song, Promises Promises, Plaza Suite, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Barefoot in the Park. If you wanted to include his doctoring of A Chorus Line that would make 6.

If you were including Directors and Choreographers it would probably be Fosse who arguably has 7 shows where his work was represented.

Boublil and Schönberg, Michael Bennett, Lin Manuel Miranda (maybe not the most, but each with 2 of the most notable.....)

Jerry Herman

Alan Menken

Elton John

Updated On: 4/4/24 at 09:14 AM

Broadway61004 said: "Would we count shows that included music by certain composers? For instance, Schwartz has Pippin, Magic Show and Wicked but then also had some of his music included in Fosse. So technically you could say he has 4 1000-performance shows."

By including that, surely Kander & Ebb would rightfully qualify as well --- Cabaret (2 different productions, each playing 1000+ perfs on Broadway), Chicago, and Fosse

Updated On: 4/4/24 at 12:15 PM

Abe Burrows has Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed, Cactus Flower, and the 1992 Guys and Dolls revival. Add in that Can Can was only a couple months short of a thousand - not too terrible.

Peter Schaffer has 2, Equus and Amadeus, on the list. His twin brother Anthony has Sleuth. A pretty impressive heritage of writing long running plays.

Can we also give special mention "Sing Sing Sing" which made it into Contact, Dancin, and Fosse which all ran over a thousand?

The first composers that came to mind were Rodgers and Hammerstein. Rodgers worked alone as well as with Lorenz Hart. Hammerstein worked with Jerome Kern. I would imagine lumping all those combined would easily top the chart. Also, I'm not sure how many shows he wrote and were produced but Cole Porter might be a contender.

Updated On: 4/4/24 at 03:51 PM

Jarethan said: "Penna2 said: "The first composers that came to mind were Rodgers and Hammerstein. Rodgers worked alone as well as with Lorenz Hart. Hammerstein worked with Jerome Kern. I would imagine lumping all those combined would easily top the chart. Also, I'm not sure how many shows he wrote and were produced but Cole Porter might be a contender."

Musicals didn’t run that long in Porter’s heyday. KISS Me Kate is it.

Yeah, I did wonder about Porter - was thinking of KMK and Anything Goes.

I don't know about 1000 show runs, but I did a little research and for shows in general Rodgers wrote 6 alone, 11 major shows with Hammerstein, and 21 with Hart (I'm guessing most of these were short runs, although Pal Joey has been reborn a number of times).

This would give Hammerstein 12 major shows since he wrote Showboat with Jerome Kern.

Updated On: 4/4/24 at 07:17 PM

The8re phan said: "Penna2 said: "I don't know about 1000 show runs, but I did a little research and for shows in general Rodgers wrote 6 alone, 15 with Hammerstein, and 21 with Hart."

and 1 with Sondheim, thou it didn't run anywhere near 1000 performances either, LOL!"

I was just impressed with the sheer volume of his work when I looked into it - even shows that didn't meet the 1000 performance mark. Music just flowed through him. I don't think a day goes by when I'm not singing or humming one of his songs just for my own pleasure.

I'm very pleased with all of these people here discussing this! I think the reason I immediately thought of ALW and Harvey is because they are very famously great at marketing shows to wide audiences, and everybody know that even when they don't like them

I think that what we forget as Broadway people is that some of the creatives we all consider the best just kind of don't have a lot of very successful and mainstream shows. But Rodgers and Hammerstein definitely do. Shame on me for not considering them. Shows didn't run nearly as long back in their prime, though.