Wicked Surpasses Les Misérables as Fifth-Longest-Running Show in Broadway History

The blockbuster hit musical Wicked will defy more than gravity tonight as it becomes the fifth-longest-running production in Broadway history, surpassing the original production of Les Misérables. Wicked began previews at the Gershwin Theatre on October 8, 2003 and opened on October 30 of that year.

Wicked has since been performed in more than 100 cities in 15 countries around the world and has been translated into six languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese. The musical has amassed more than $5 billion in global sales and has been seen by more than 60 million people worldwide.

The current principal cast of Wicked includes Hannah Corneau as Elphaba, Ginna Claire Mason as Glinda, Nancy Opel as Madame Morrible, Michael McCormick as The Wizard, Jake Boyd as Fiyero, Riley Costello as Boq, Jamie Jackson as Doctor Dillamond and Gizel Jiménez as Nessarose.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked features a book by Winnie Holzman, a score by Stephen Schwartz, direction by Joe Mantello, choreography by Wayne Cilento and musical direction by Stephen Oremus.

With Wicked now the fifth-longest-running production in Broadway history, the shows ahead of it are Cats (4), The Lion King (3), Chicago (2) and The Phantom of the Opera (1).