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| The Lightning Thief opens this fall |
Well, as you likely know, a number of shows recently announced fall openings. And with those announcements, Broadway fans once again began the ritual of armchair quarterbacking. "Fall shows don't stand a chance.""That show will never survive winter.""Everyone knows you have to open in the spring to get any awards - Tony voters forget fall shows." Blah, blah, blah. Okay, so maybe newer shows seem to have a better shot at award nominations. But is it really true? Let's take a look at the history of long-running shows.
In all of Broadway history, 121 productions have run 1,000 performances or more. Of those:
- 32 opened in September, October or November
- 4 of those are in the top 10 of longest-running shows
- Combined, they have accumulated 106 Tony Awards including 12 Best Musicals, 3 Best Plays, 1 Best Musical Revival, and four of them opened before the Tony Awards existed!
- 2 of those shows were awarded Pulitzer Prizes
- 9 of these shows also won Grammy Awards for Best Musical Show Album
November 27, 1962
118. Never Too Late - 1,007 performances
November 12, 1989
115. Grand Hotel: The Musical- 1,017 performances - 5 Tony Awards
October 15, 1953
112. The Teahouse of the August Moon- 1,027 performances - 3 Tony Awards including Best Play - Pulitzer Prize
November 27, 1937
102. Pins and Needles- 1,108 performances
October 21, 1969
100. Butterflies Are Free- 1,128 performances - 1 Tony Award
November 20, 1952
97. The Seven Year Itch - 1,141 performances - 1 Tony Award
October 19, 2009
92. (tie) Memphis- 1,165 performances - 4 Tony Awards including Best Musical
November 20, 1966
92. (tie) Cabaret (original production) - 1,165 performances - 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical - Grammy Award
November 24, 1950
88. Guys and Dolls(original production)- 1,200 performances - 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical
October 8, 1979
87. Sugar Babies- 1,208 performances
October 24, 1974
86. Equus - 1,209 performances - 2 Tony Awards including Best Play
November 12, 1970
83. Sleuth- 1,222 performances - Tony Award for Best Play
October 24, 2002
76. Movin' Out- 1,303 performances - 2 Tony Awards
November 13, 2008
74. Billy Elliot: The Musical- 1,312 performances - 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical
September 22, 1938
68. Hellzapoppin- 1,404 performances
October 14, 1961
67. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying(original production)- 1,417 performances - 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical - Pulitzer Prize - Grammy Award
November 16, 1959
65. The Sound of Music- 1,443 performances - 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical - Grammy Award
October 23, 1963
58. Barefoot in the Park- 1,530 performances - 1 Tony Award
September 25, 1979
54. Evita- 1,567 performances - 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical - Grammy Award
November 1, 1944
42. Harvey- 1,775 performances
October 23, 1972
36. Pippin (original production) - 1,944 performances - 5 Tony Awards
November 22, 1965
30. Man of La Mancha(original production) - 2,328 performances - 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical
November 16, 2006
23. Mary Poppins- 2,619 performances - 1 Tony Award
November 8, 1939
18. Life With Father - 3,224 performances - Broadway's longest running play
September 22, 1964
17. Fiddler on the Roof (original production)- 3,242 performances - 9 Tony Awards including Best Musical
November 6, 2005
12. Jersey Boys- 4,642 performances - 4 Tony Awards including Best Musical- Grammy Award
October 18, 2001
9. Mamma Mia!- 5,758 performances
September 24, 1976
8. Oh! Calcutta!(revival)- 5,959 performances
October 30, 2003
6. Wicked - 6,600 performances* - 3 Tony Awards - Grammy Award
October 7, 1982
4. Cats- 7,485 performances - 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical - Grammy Award
November 13, 1997
3. The Lion King- 9,066 performances* - 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical - Grammy Award
November 14, 1996
2. Chicago (revival)- 9,458 performances* - 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival - Grammy Award
I think it is clear that a fall opening isn't necessarily a death sentence, and more than a summer opening is. The bottom line is: if the show is good, and people want to see it, it will run no matter when it opens.
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