“Phantom of Opera”; will bid farewell to Broadway after running for 35 years

The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest-running show, is set to end in February 2023. It will be the biggest show to close because theatre attendance in New York has dropped since the pandemic.

A spokesperson told The Associated Press on Friday that the musical will play its last show on Broadway on February 18. It has been there since 1988, through recessions, war, and cultural changes (September 16). Less than a month after its 35th anniversary, it will close. It will end after a mind-blowing 13,925 show.

The Phantom of the Opera will bid farewell in 2023 after running for 35 years

It costs a lot to put on this musical, with fancy sets and costumes and a big cast and orchestra. Since “The Phantom of the Opera” show came back after the pandemic, ticket sales have decreased. They have been as high as over $1 million a week and as low as around $850,000. It hit $867,997 last week, and the producers may have seen what was coming.

The story of Phantom is based on a novel by Gaston Leroux. It is about a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House and falls in love with an innocent young soprano named Christine. “Masquerade,” “Angel of Music,” “All I Ask of You,” and “The Music of the Night” are all great songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

When did “The Phantom of the Opera” start?

“As a producer, you hope a show will go on for as long as possible. “Now and Forever” was the proud title of my production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” for decades. But “The Phantom of the Opera” has done better than that show’s amazing Broadway run. “But all shows end at some point,” said Cameron Mackintosh, the show’s producer, in a statement.

The first show opened in London in 1986. Since then, more than 145 million people have seen the show in 183 cities and 17 languages over 70,000 times. The musical has been seen by more than 19 million people at The Majestic Theatre, where it has been played more than 13,500 times.

If The Phantom of the Oprera closed, Chicago, which opened in 1996, would become the show that has been running the longest. The Lion King is up next. It has been on stage since 1997.

Came to halt During covid

During the pandemic, Broadway was struck. Some of the most popular shows, like Hamilton, The Lion King, and Wicked, have done well in getting back on their feet, but other shows have had a hard time. Breaking even usually requires a steady flow of tourists, especially for The Phantom of the Opera, and the number of people visiting the city has also seen a dip.