New York City’s theater industry has a long and colorful history. The Theater District, which includes Broadway, a 13-mile street that runs through Manhattan and the Bronx, has been an integral component of the cultural fabric of New York City since the mid-1800s. Today, there are 41 Broadway venues (theaters with at least 500 seats) in the Theater District, some of which, including the Hudson and New Amsterdam, were built in the early 1900s. These theaters have housed some of the most iconic plays and musicals in American history.
Here’s a quick look at the history of Broadway theater by some record-breaking numbers.
$1.9 Billion – Highest Grossing Production
The Lion King, the third-longest running production in Broadway history, is the highest-grossing production of all time with a total of $1.9 billion in box office revenue since opening in November 1997. It has had more than 10,400 performances and has been playing at its current venue, the Minskoff Theatre, since 2006. The Lion King, one of many films turned into successful Broadway productions, is also the longest-running production directed by a woman (Julie Taymor).
Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, The Lion King features music and lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice, respectively. It won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. It has toured North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Broadway production, meanwhile, is as popular as ever; it earned the highest weekly gross ($4.3 million) in Broadway history for the week ending December 31, 2023.
13,981 – Most Performances for a Show
The Lion King needs more than 3,000 additional performances to catch The Phantom of the Opera for the most performances among Broadway shows all-time. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart and based on the novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, the musical premiered at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, England, before debuting on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre in January 1988. The Phantom of the Opera, which won seven Tony Awards, ran for 13,981 performances before closing on April 16, 2023.
“I think the enduring appeal is because it’s so romantic and because audiences escape into it,” said late director Hal Prince on the 25th anniversary of Phantom, as quoted by NPR. He commented that the musical offers audiences a sort of respite from the problems of daily life—an escape into childlike enjoyment of a romantic fairy tale, albeit one with darker themes.
Phantom grossed $1.3 billion, but was losing money in its final few years, hence the decision to finally close the show. More than 20 million people watched the show, which employed roughly 6,500 people, including more than 400 actors. It is still playing on London’s West End, where it is the third-longest running production behind Les Misérables and The Mousetrap.
21 – Most Tonys for Any Individual in Multiple Categories
Prince, the late director of The Phantom of the Opera, is arguably one of the most successful individuals in the history of theater in New York City. He won his first of 21 Tony Awards for directing The Pajama Game, which won Best Musical in 1955. He also won Best Musical awards for Damn Yankees (1956), Fiddler on the Roof (1965), Cabaret (1967), and Sweeney Todd (1979), among others. Prince won eight Tonys for directing, eight for producing, two as producer of the Best Musical, and three special Tony Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He died at 91 years old in 2019.
Roger Berlind, with 25 Tony Awards, is the only individual with more trophies than Prince. Berlind won all of his awards for producing.
16 – Most Tony Nominations for a Production
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton holds the record for the most Tony Award nominations with 16. It won 11 awards, including Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Leslie Odom Jr.), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Renée Elise Goldsberry), and Best Original Score (Miranda). Hamilton opened on Broadway in August 2015 and is still playing at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. With more than 3,000 performances, it is the 21st-longest running show in Broadway history.
Despite holding the record for most nominations, Hamilton‘s 11 awards is one shy of the all-time record held by Mel Brooks’ The Producers, which won 12 awards, including Best Musical.
4 – Tony Awards Ceremony Hosts Who Won While Hosting
There have been many notable Tony Awards hosts, including five-time host Angela Lansbury and four-time hosts Hugh Jackman and Neil Patrick Harris. However, only four hosts have had the pleasure of winning an award in the same year they hosted the show. Jackman won Best Actor in a Musical for The Boy from Oz when he hosted in 2004. Before that, Nathan Lane won awards when he hosted in 2001 and 1996. Glenn Close also won an award twice as host, while Robert Preston was the first to accomplish the feat in 1967.