We all know the Broadway shows that run for years and years, like The Phantom of the Opera or Chicago, but sometimes Broadway shows are more short-lived—sometimes they don’t even make it to opening night. As any theatre super-fan can tell you, some of Broadway’s shortest runs remain fans’ favorite shows, and catching a legendary production during a brief run can lead to major bragging rights in theatre circles.
Flip through these 16 of those shorter-lived Broadway shows, all of which closed before reaching opening night:
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain in Breakfast at Tiffany's
The Freaking Out of Stephanie Blake
Jean Arthur in The Freaking Out of Stephanie Blake
Rachael Lily Rosenbloom and Don't You Ever Forget It!
Ellen Greene in Rachael Lily Rosenbloom and Don't You Ever Forget It
Friedman-Abeles/New York Public Library
Truckload
Sherry Mathis and Louis St. Louis in Truckload
One Night Stand
William Morrison and Charles Kimbrough in One Night Stand
The Little Prince and the Aviator
Michael York and Anthony Rapp in The Little Prince and the Aviator
Senator Joe
Face Value
Mark Linn-Baker and Jane Krakowski in Face Value
Bobbi Boland
Me Jack, You Jill
Sylvia Sidney, Barbara Baxley, and Russ Thacker in Me Jack, You Jill
Let My People Come
Cast of Let My People Come
Lou Jacobi and Estelle Parsons in A Way of Life
Bob Dishy, Melinda Dillon, and Lou Jacobi in A Way of Life
James Earl Jones in Infidel Caesar
Rafael Campos, John Ireland, and James Earl Jones in Infidel Caesar
Joan Darling, Michael J. Pollard, Fred Stewart, and Severn Dardern in Leda Had a Little Swan
Elaine May and Jack Weston in The Office
Doris Roberts, Jack Weston, and Elaine May in The Office
George Robertson, Lois Kibbee, and Michael Baseleon in Venus Is
