CHICAGO BECOMES LONGEST RUNNING BROADWAY MUSICAL

Posted on 19 August 2011

The production of the world famous hit musical Chicago will next week become the longest running American musical in Broadway history.

The matinee performance on August 27th will be its 6,138th performance bringing it past A Chorus Line to the fourth place in the longevity list and making it the longest running American musical in Broadway history. The top three shows on the list are all British shows, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Les Miserables.

The current production of Chicago opened on Broadway on November 14, 1996 and has played at three different theatres to date. It has run more than six times longer than the original Broadway production of 936 performances.

“What a momentous occasion this is,” said Chicago producer Barry Weissler. “Of course we’re thrilled to take the number four position in the list of long-runners, but to also celebrate the fact that Chicago is now the longest-running American musical in Broadway history makes it all the more spectacular.

As the Broadway production of Chicago celebrates this exciting milestone, London's Chicago is due to close on the 27th August at the Cambridge Theatre after calling it home for 13 years. However this is not all bad news, the show is very likely to transfer to a neighbouring theatre but the new venue is yet to be confirmed. It will hopefully be a fresh new start for another 13 years to come.