'Wicked' to become fourth-longest-running show in Broadway history

On April 11, the Wizard of Oz-inspired musical, which has been playing the Gershwin Theatre since 2003, will surpass Cats in number of Broadway performances.

It's defying gravity — and records! On Tuesday, April 11, Wicked will become the fourth-longest-running musical in Broadway history after playing nearly 20 years at the Gershwin Theatre.

The April 11 show will mark Wicked's 7,486th Broadway performance, officially surpassing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats. That show's world-premiere production ran for the 7,485 performances between 1982 and 2000.

When Wicked takes fourth place, all four of the longest-running Broadway shows will be currently running shows. In third is The Lion King, which opened in 1997; in second is the 1996 revival of Chicago; and first is Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, which closes April 16 after a 35-year Broadway run.

Wicked celebrates this milestone as it also prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The show's first performance was on October 8, 2003, ahead of an official October 30 opening.

Composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book writer Winnie Holzman adapted the Wicked musical from Gregory Maguire's same-named novel. The story, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, follows the unlikely friendship of Glinda and Elphaba, who are torn apart when one is called the Good Witch and the other, the Wicked Witch of the West.

The current Wicked Broadway cast includes Alyssa Fox as Elphaba, McKenzie Kurtz as Glinda, Michele Pawk as Madame Morrible, John Dossett as The Wizard, James D. Gish as Fiyero, Kimber Elayne Sprawl as Nessarose, Michael Wartella as Boq, and original cast member William Youmans as Dr. Dillamond.

Get Wicked tickets now.

Photo credit: Alyssa Fox as Elphaba in Wicked. (Photo by Joan Marcus)