Spectrum #59: Order these Broadway shows by total performances — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from October 12, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, fewest to most, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these Broadway shows by total performances, fewest at the top and most at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Les Miserables
- Cats
- A Chorus Line
- Beauty and the Beast
- Oh! Calcutta!
Nothing was in its place; The Phantom of the Opera opened 5 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Beauty and the Beast is the fewest of the six at 5,461 shows and The Phantom of the Opera the most at 13,981 shows. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Cats (7,485 shows) and The Phantom of the Opera (13,981 shows) — 6,496 shows apart. Everything above that line belongs on the fewest side and everything below it on the most side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Oh! Calcutta! (5,959 shows) and A Chorus Line (6,137 shows) are only 178 shows apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Fewest to Most | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beauty and the Beast | 5,461 shows |
| 2 | Oh! Calcutta! | 5,959 shows |
| 3 | A Chorus Line | 6,137 shows |
| 4 | Les Miserables | 6,680 shows |
| 5 | Cats | 7,485 shows |
| 6 | The Phantom of the Opera | 13,981 shows |
Previous: Spectrum #58 (Sun, Oct 11)
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.