According to a January 30, 1989 TheatreWeek, at one point, Mandy Patinkin was sought for the title role, however he was only willing to commit to three months.
In September 2022, the closing was announced for February 2023. Ticket sales spiked and producer Cameron Mackintosh extended the run to April 16.
At the time of its opening, it had the largest advance sale of any Broadway production in history.