End of an Era: “The Phantom of the Opera” leaves Broadway after 35 years

the famous musical The Phantom of the Operathe longest-running show in Broadway history, with 35 years on that stage, will close its doors next February as it failed to recover from the collateral hit of the pandemic

The show was the victim of the crisis of American theaters, overwhelmed by the confinements of 2020-2021 and finding it very difficult to attract the public after Covid-19.

After 35 years of presentations, the most successful work of the king of musicals, Andrew Lloyd Webber, prepares to lower the curtain when winter arrives in New York, Saturday 18 February 2023. Tickets for the past four weeks have not yet gone on sale.

It was first presented in 1998

The musical accumulates more than 13500 representations, more than any other in Broadway history. Its first was in 1988 and it only had a suspension of functions during the Covid-19 pandemic (from 12 March 2020 to 22 October 2021) and has never fully recovered from the blow this meant for the lockdown of the theaters.

“The audience has not returned to theaters as before and The Phantom of the Opera It’s a very expensive show that isn’t profitable with a half-full hall, “its producers said.

Directed by theater legend Harold Prince, the musical goes to The Majestic Theater (245 West 44th Street), the home of the musical in New York since its inception. It became an emblematic production of the city of New York, almost like the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. It has also been a major tourist attraction for decades.

The show is based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, which tells the story of a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious musical genius who lives hidden in an underground labyrinth under the Opera House . of Paris and wears a mask to hide a physical deformity.

A perfect triangle of love, jealousy and passion for music

The manufacturer speaks

“As a British producer who has been fortunate enough to produce in New York for over 40 consecutive years, it has been an unrivaled honor to present the longest-running musical in Broadway history, The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber. That this legendary show has been wowing New York for nearly 35 phenomenal years is pretty amazing to me, “said producer Cameron Mackintosh.

From the same creator of Cats, avoid Y Jesus Christ Superstar, the show premiered in London in 1986where it continues to be represented with a low-cost version.

The musical has been performed in more than 40 countries. In Argentina it was presented for the first time in March 2009, and will certainly continue to be represented around the world. The Chinese version will be re-released next year and Spanish actor and producer Antonio Banderas recently announced an alliance with Lloyd Webber that includes a new Spanish version.

the ranking

If you only count its Broadway earnings, it is the third highest-grossing musical in history, with over a billion dollars in revenuebehind The Lion King Y evilboth still on the poster

When it stops being on stage, it will take over as a more permanent musical Chicagopremiered in November 1996, accumulating approximately 10,100 performances, e The Lion King, which began being staged in November 1997 and amasses around 9,700 shows. They are the only two musicals premiered in the last century that are still on the bill in New York.

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