Best of 2000: Best Longest-Running Show

Forever Plaid

On August 1, 2000, the longest-running show in San Diego history had performed 1537 times -- almost twice as long as the old record, held by the San Diego Rep's Six Women with Brain Death -- to over 400,000 people. It opened in November 1996 at the Theatre in Old Town. Come this November it will be the only production ever to play continuously for five years in San Diego. During that time, doing eight shows a week, there has been only one canceled performance: it happened last year, when all the Plaid pianists were either out-of-town or too ill to perform. Thirty-one actors have done the show. The longest tenure: Steve Gunderson played Sparky for three years. The Plaids have sung an estimated 500,512 notes since the show opened; they have taken 9,984,000 choreographed steps and completed 3,827,200 hand gestures.