Who has the most Broadway credits?- Page 2

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 9:25pm

Well, Orbach's numbers still wouldn't begin to compare to stars like Merman (with over a dozen hit shows that she stayed in for their entire runs) or Verdon (about a half dozen hits) or probably Nathan Lane or Alfred Drake or especially some of the ensemble members of CATS and LES MIS who stayed with those shows for most of their 15+ year runs.

Heck, Marian Seldes did the entire run of Deathtrap (nearly 1800 performances) plus another two dozen Broadway shows.

Updated On: 1/1/07 at 09:25 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 9:28pm

Margo, I was thinking about Marlene Daniele, who was with the company of "Cats" for its entire 16-year run.

That's sixteen SOLID CONTINUOUS YEARS on Broadway.

I doubt if anyone else has beat that number.

[Broadwayboy2631]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 9:32pm

Me!!! One day...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 9:34pm

I think that must be one of the forms of punishment in purgatory -- doing 8 shows a week of CATS for 16 years.

Daniele is probably assured of a place in heaven (or at least in the heavyside lair).

Updated On: 1/1/07 at 09:34 PM

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 9:39pm

Margo, I was thinking about Marlene Daniele, who was with the company of "Cats" for its entire 16-year run.

16 solid years of Cats? I'd be shocked if she can even walk anymore...

[Trekkie2]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 9:54pm

CATS for a decade and a half? I would become physically ill.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 10:00pm

Really, Trekkie? I bet she retired young and is living quite comfortably now.

Many people spend lots more years working at much less desirable jobs.

[myManCape]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 10:00pm

I may be wrong, but wasn't there a cast member or two who had been with the company of Phantom its entire run. And since it has now surpassed Cats, wouldn't their runs be longer?

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/1/07 at 10:01pm

I'm not sure that Merman's total number of Broadway performances beats Orbach's. I think it probably does, as it's more than 4,000, but I'm not sure. For one thing, I'm not sure how long he stayed in 42nd Street. I think it was at least two or three years, but it might have been longer. And there was at least one show—Anything Goes—that Merman left before it closed. I think she may have left Du Barry Was a Lady before it closed, too, but I'm not sure about that one.

If you throw in Orbach's time in Threepenny Opera, which I wouldn't but ibdb does, that ups his total a good deal as I think he was in it for several years.

Even ithout Threepenny, Orbach definitely played a greater number of Broadway performances than Drake did and I'm pretty sure more than Lane has. Neither of them stayed in shows on Broadway for the kinds of long periods of time that Orbach did.

I'm guessing that whoever said that Orbach had played the greatest number of Broadway performances meant people in principal roles. I do think that Merman probably does beat him, especially if you don't count Threepenny Opera, but Orbach is pretty up there, though someone like George Lee Andrews must be up there too, just because of Phantom.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/2/07 at 12:26am

Two corrections: I spelled her name wrong. It's Marlene Danielle (two "L"s).

And she was with the show for the entire run, yes... just under EIGHTEEN YEARS, not 16.

Oy!

As far as Phantom of the Opera, George Lee Andrews is pretty close, but I think I remember that he left the show and then came back. He has been in it for most of its 18-19 year run as well, though. So he's right up there.

[myManCape]

Posted: 1/2/07 at 12:56am

thanks best12bars.

[BobPopa]

Posted: 1/3/07 at 2:32am

If you want to go OLD OLD SCHOOL then Edwin Booth would be up near the top of Broadway Credits

I remember an article in Equity News when Phantom became the longest running show and there were at least 3 originals then. One I know has since retired she was with the show the whole run minus about 6 months when she had a heart attack.

[Dover]

Posted: 1/3/07 at 8:40pm

I remember an article in Equity News when Phantom became the longest running show and there were at least 3 originals then. One I know has since retired she was with the show the whole run minus about 6 months when she had a heart attack.

Mary Leigh Stahl is who you're thinking of. She left the show in August, and was the only original cast member still in her original role. Aside from George, who is the only one still remaining, the third at the time of the gala was Richard Warren Pugh, who unfortunately passed away over the summer.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 1/3/07 at 10:16pm

Scott Wise has a bunch. Not as many a Chita though.

[Josephine2]

Posted: 1/3/07 at 10:22pm

This is a great thread! Wow...to be able to say that you've had that much time on Broadway, whether in years or number of shows...what an amazing feeling that must be. Okay, I will stop drooling now.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 2:47am

I got interested in this question of who has logged the greatest number of Broadway performances. It does seem that Cats dancer and those Phantom people do beat Merman and Orbach. If we're looking for actors playing principal roles, then George Lee Andrews has to be to up there just because of Phantom.

The approximate total for Merman appears to be somewhere between 5,600 and 5,900 performances. It's hard for me to get more precise because there are a couple of shows where I'm not positive if she played the entire Broadway run.

For Orbach, the total is approximately 4,350.

As I noted earlier, Drake and Lane don't come close, and Verdon wouldn't either. I haven't counted, but estimating in my head I think that Mary Martin is probably close to Orbach. And I would bet that Helen Hayes and Lunt and Fontanne probably had pretty high totals. If I were really ambitious I'd try to figure out totals for Martin, Hayes, Lunt, and Fontanne, but I'm not.

[pants2]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 12:58pm

theres someone who just left the chorus of phantom tht was in it from the very beginning

[myManCape]

Posted: 1/7/07 at 1:08pm

^^ Read the entire thread before posting. W