Phantom of the Opera – Broadway’s longest running show – to CLOSE after 35 years as it becomes victim of post-pandemic drop in visitors to NY
- Broadway’s longest-running show Phantom of the Opera is set to close on February 18
- The show will celebrate 35 years on January 26, 2023, just a few weeks before it shutters
- The iconic show will be shutting its doors due to a drop in visitors since the pandemic and is reportedly losing about $1million a month
- The cast and crew were reportedly told of the decision on Friday
- Since its debut in 1988, the various casts over the years have performed the show more than 13,700 times
Broadway’s longest-running show Phantom of the Opera is set to close after 35 years due to the drop in visitors during the pandemic.
The final performance will take place on February 18, just shortly after its 35th anniversary coming up in January. Phantom has become another victim of lower audience turnout since the pandemic shut down the Theater District back in 2020.
Despite a strong rebound last Fall, audience numbers have not risen back to its pre-pandemic levels, leaving the production unable to keep up with the high cost of running the show, The New York Times reported.
Phantom has reportedly been losing around $1 million a month, according to the New York Post.
Broadway’s longest-running show Phantom of the Opera is set to close on February 18 after a 35-year run. The show has been affected by lower audience turnout on Broadway since the pandemic shut down the Great White Way
The cast and crew were reportedly told of the decision on Friday
The show has reportedly been losing around $1million a month
The show reportedly made $867,997 last week, but it’s not enough to sustain the large cast and crew – who were reportedly told of the decision on Friday, according to the New York Post,
Since its January 26, 1988 debut, the production – which was adapted for the stage by Broadway powerhouse Andrew Lloyd Webber – has been performed more than 13,700 times.
American Buffalo
Debuted: April 14, 2022
Closed: June 10, 2022 (scheduled)
Original Debut: 1977
Macbeth
Debuted: April 28, 2022
Closed: June 25, 2022 (scheduled)
Plaza Suite
Debuted: March 24, 2022
Closed: July 10, 2022 (scheduled)
The Minutes
Debuted: November 9, 2017
Closed: July 24, 2022
Company
Debuted: April 26, 1970
Closed: July 31, 2022
POTUS
Debuted: April 27, 2022
Closed: August 14, 2022 (scheduled)
Tina
Debuted: November 7, 2019
Closed: August 14, 2022
Dear Evan Hansen
Debuted: December 4, 2016
Closing: September 18, 2022
Come From Away
Debuted: February 18, 2017
Closing: October 2, 2022
It has been performed in more than 180 cities and by more than 145million people since it’s debut in London 1986.
Phantom has been seen by nearly 20million people on Broadway alone, and was adapted into a movie musical in 2004 that garnered multiple awards.
The London production – which came before New York’s – also closed in 2020, before returning with a smaller orchestra and other reconfigurations, the Times reported.
An Australia production opened its doors for the first time last month, and a Mandarin version is set to start in China next year. A Spanish version is also reportedly in the works.
The New York crew is reportedly gearing up for a big bash for the 35th anniversary, much like it did in 2018 for its 30th.
The shows creators – Webber, Hal Prince, and Cameron Mackintosh – put on a light show on the Empire State Building for the last anniversary, according to The New York Times.
When the show reopened in October of last year, Webber threw a block party outside the theater, the Times reported.
Several other Broadway shows have also recently closed – some of them out-of-the-blue.
One of the most shocking closing was Dear Evan Hansen, which closes this Sunday.
The Tony Award-winning musical first debut in 2016 and is among the longest-running productions on Broadway, according to Playbill.
A revival of Company closed on July 31 after receiving five Tony Awards in 2022. The production is now set to do a North American tour.
Other shows that have closed on Broadway include: American Buffalo, Plaza Suite, Macbeth, The Minutes, POTUS, Tina, and Come From Away.
At least one show on Broadway this season is drawing pre-pandemic crowds. Funny Girl saw a huge increase in ticket sales after Glee’s Lea Michele replaced Booksmart’s Beanie Feldstein.
Michele took over as the lead, Fanny Brice, on September 6 and significantly boosted the show’s box office – grossing $1.64 million in her first week, a record since April.
She received six standing ovations after her first performance on September 6.
Feldstein averaged $765,670 a week in ticket sales.
Michele is currently out after contracting COVID-19, leaving her understudy to fill her shoes, but is set to return to the stage on September 20.
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