Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical “The Phantom of the Opera” premiered in 1986 on London’s West End and moved to Broadway just two years later. Ever since, Webber’s story of forbidden love has had a chokehold over the musical theater community. However, on April 16, 2023, after over 35 years, the show closed its doors on Broadway. 

After being the first Broadway musical to surpass 10,000 performances, “The Phantom of the Opera” would be retired as the longest running Broadway musical in history. This gave way to two new contenders for one of the largest achievements in the performing arts, 1996’s revival of “Chicago” and Disney’s “The Lion King.”

Of these two challengers, both of them stand a serious chance at passing the Phantom’s 13,981 performances. If I were to vote though, “The Lion King” has to be the best choice for Broadway’s next longest running musical. The undying popularity of Disney’s classic animations and their following musicals will carry Broadway’s highest grossing show across the finish line. 

In no way am I saying that “Chicago” has no chance. The continuing popularity of Broadway’s newest shows, such as “Hadestown,” “Come From Away,” and “Dear Evan Hansen” beating out its classics is what gives “Chicago” its disadvantage. There is also the pattern of revivals closing prematurely, with, “Chicago” having almost double the performances of the second longest running revival show makes it an exception. 

Both of these shows have more than eight years worth of performances before they even want to dream of reaching the Phantom’s 13,981. At the end of the day, both of these shows have had huge relevance, not only on Broadway, but in pop culture in general, introducing potential audiences to musical theater every day. That’s what makes me believe that both of these shows stand a real chance at dethroning Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece.