1972
66 shows opened on Broadway and in the West End in 1972.
Broadway's shows didn't last in 1972: half of the year's openings closed within 17.5 performances, one of the shortest medians of any year in this catalogue. Gease, by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, broke that pattern, running 3,388 performances, 193.6 times the median.
Gease, by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, opened February 14, 1972 at Eden Theatre and ran 3,388 performances.
Circle in the Square Theatre opened.
George Gershwin Theatre opened.
Phoenix Theatre closed.
Opened in 1972
UndatedJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Undated: 3 openings
| Babes in Toyland and annually OffBroadway | ||
| Company Her Majesty's TheatreLondon | ||
| Gone Theatre Royal, Drury LaneLondon |
January: 6 openings
| January 2, 1972 | Fun City Morosco TheatreBroadway | 9 perf. |
| January 3, 1972 | There's One in Every Marriage Royale TheatreBroadway | 16 perf. |
| January 6, 1972 | Narrow Road to the Deep North Vivian Beaumont TheaterBroadway | 44 perf. |
| January 20, 1972 | Vivat! Vivat Regina! Broadhurst TheatreBroadway | 116 perf. |
| January 26, 1972 | The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window Longacre TheatreBroadway | 5 perf. |
| January 27, 1972 | Wise Child Helen Hayes TheatreBroadway | 4 perf. |
February: 5 openings
| February 9, 1972 | The Love Suicide at Schofield Barracks Anta PlayhouseBroadway | 5 perf. |
| February 14, 1972 | Gease Eden TheatreBroadway | 3,388 perf. |
| February 14, 1972 | Grease Eden TheatreBroadway | 3,388 perf. |
| February 21, 1972 | Moonchildren Royale TheatreBroadway | 16 perf. |
| February 28, 1972 | Night Watch Morosco TheatreBroadway | 121 perf. |
March: 7 openings
| March 1, 1972 | Sticks and Bones John Golden TheatreBroadway | 246 perf. |
| March 2, 1972 | Twelfth Night Vivian Beaumont TheaterBroadway | 44 perf. |
| March 7, 1972 | Children! Children! Ritz TheatreBroadway | 1 perf. |
| March 15, 1972 | The Country Girl Billy Rose TheatreBroadway | 61 perf. |
| March 22, 1972 | The Selling of the President Shubert TheatreBroadway | 5 perf. |
| March 26, 1972 | A Celebration of Richard Rodgers Imperial TheatreBroadway | 1 perf. |
| March 30, 1972 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Lunt Fontanne TheatreBroadway | 156 perf. |
April: 13 openings
| April 3, 1972 | Voices Ethel Barrymore TheatreBroadway | 8 perf. |
| April 5, 1972 | Elizabeth I Lyceum TheatreBroadway | 5 perf. |
| April 9, 1972 | Sugar Majestic TheatreBroadway | 505 perf. |
| April 14, 1972 | That’s Entertainment Edison TheatreBroadway | 4 perf. |
| April 16, 1972 | Promenade, All! Alvin TheatreBroadway | 48 perf. |
| April 17, 1972 | Captain Brassbound's Conversion Ethel Barrymore TheatreBroadway | 16 perf. |
| April 18, 1972 | Lost in the Stars Imperial TheatreBroadway | 39 perf. |
| April 19, 1972 | Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope Playhouse TheatreBroadway | 1,065 perf. |
| April 20, 1972 | All the Girls Came Out to Play Cort TheatreBroadway | 4 perf. |
| April 25, 1972 | The Little Black Book Helen Hayes TheatreBroadway | 7 perf. |
| April 27, 1972 | The Crucible Vivian Beaumont TheaterBroadway | 44 perf. |
| April 29, 1972 | Ring Round the Bathtub Martin Beck TheatreBroadway | 1 perf. |
| April 30, 1972 | An Evening With Richard Nixon and... Shubert TheatreBroadway | 16 perf. |
May: 5 openings
| May 1, 1972 | Different Times Anta PlayhouseBroadway | 24 perf. |
| May 4, 1972 | Tough to Get Help Royale TheatreBroadway | 1 perf. |
| May 15, 1972 | Hard Job Being God Edison TheatreBroadway | 6 perf. |
| May 16, 1972 | Don't Play Us Cheap! Ethel Barrymore TheatreBroadway | 164 perf. |
| May 21, 1972 | Heathen! Billy Rose TheatreBroadway | 1 perf. |
June: 1 opening
| June 22, 1972 | Man of La Mancha Vivian Beaumont TheaterBroadway | 140 perf. |
September: 2 openings
| September 14, 1972 | That Championship Season Booth TheatreBroadway | 700 perf. |
| September 15, 1972 | Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris Royale TheatreBroadway | 51 perf. |
October: 10 openings
| October 2, 1972 | From Israel With Love Palace TheatreBroadway | 8 perf. |
| October 5, 1972 | Neil Diamond: One Man Show Winter Garden TheatreBroadway | |
| October 9, 1972 | Dude Broadway TheatreBroadway | 16 perf. |
| October 12, 1972 | Hurry, Harry Ritz TheatreBroadway | 2 perf. |
| October 16, 1972 | Pacific Paradise Palace TheatreBroadway | 5 perf. |
| October 17, 1972 | 6 Rms Riv Vu Helen Hayes TheatreBroadway | 247 perf. |
| October 19, 1972 | Mother Earth Belasco TheatreBroadway | 12 perf. |
| October 23, 1972 | Pippin Imperial TheatreBroadway | 1,944 perf. |
| October 30, 1972 | The Lincoln Mask Plymouth TheatreBroadway | 8 perf. |
| October 31, 1972 | Butley Morosco TheatreBroadway | 135 perf. |
November: 9 openings
| November 9, 1972 | Enemies Vivian Beaumont TheaterBroadway | 44 perf. |
| November 11, 1972 | Much Ado About Nothing Winter Garden TheatreBroadway | 136 perf. |
| November 13, 1972 | Lysistrata Brooks Atkinson TheatreBroadway | 8 perf. |
| November 14, 1972 | The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild Ambassador TheatreBroadway | 23 perf. |
| November 15, 1972 | Mourning Becomes Electra Circle In The Square TheatreBroadway | 55 perf. |
| November 16, 1972 | Dear Oscar Playhouse TheatreBroadway | 5 perf. |
| November 19, 1972 | Ambassador Lunt-Fontanne TheatreBroadway | 9 perf. |
| November 28, 1972 | Via Galactica UrisBroadway | 7 perf. |
| November 30, 1972 | The Creation of the World and Other Business Shubert TheatreBroadway | 20 perf. |
December: 5 openings
| December 10, 1972 | The Great God Brown Lyceum TheatreBroadway | 19 perf. |
| December 11, 1972 | Don Juan Lyceum TheatreBroadway | 22 perf. |
| December 12, 1972 | The Last of Mrs. Lincoln Anta PlayhouseBroadway | 63 perf. |
| December 20, 1972 | The Sunshine Boys Broadhurst TheatreBroadway | 538 perf. |
| December 27, 1972 | Purlie Billy Rose TheatreBroadway | 14 perf. |
Closed in 1972
| January 1, 1972 | Company Alvin Theatre, opened 1970 | 705 run |
| January 1, 1972 | On the Town Imperial Theatre, opened 1971 | 73 run |
| January 1, 1972 | Promises, Promises Shubert Theatre, opened 1968 | 1,281 run |
| January 1, 1972 | The Rothschilds Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, opened 1970 | 507 run |
| January 9, 1972 | Murderous Angels Playhouse Theatre, opened 1971 | 24 run |
| February 26, 1972 | Old Times Billy Rose Theatre, opened 1971 | 120 run |
| March 11, 1972 | Inner City Ethel Barrymore Theatre, opened 1971 | 97 run |
| March 19, 1972 | To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter Helen Hayes Theatre, opened 1971 | 173 run |
| March 26, 1972 | Only Fools Are Sad Edison Theatre, opened 1971 | 144 run |
| May 27, 1972 | Applause Palace Theatre, opened 1970 | 896 run |
| June 24, 1972 | Lenny Brooks Atkinson Theatre, opened 1971 | 453 run |
| July 1, 1972 | Follies Winter Garden Theatre, opened 1971 | 522 run |
| July 1, 1972 | Hair Biltmore Theatre, opened 1968 | 1,750 run |
| July 2, 1972 | Butterflies Are Free Booth Theatre, opened 1969 | 1,128 run |
| July 2, 1972 | Fiddler on the Roof Imperial Theatre, opened 1964 | 3,242 run |
| July 23, 1972 | Twigs Broadhurst Theatre, opened 1971 | 289 run |
| July 30, 1972 | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death Ethel Barrymore Theatre, opened 1971 | 325 run |
| August 12, 1972 | Oh! Calcutta! Eden Theatre, opened 1969 | 1,314 run |