Phantom of the Opera – Broadway’s longest running show – is 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 closing
- The iconic show will be shutting its doors due to a drop in visitors since the pandemic and is reportedly losing $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 levels 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.
The show has reportedly been losing around $1million 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 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 largest cast and crew.
The cast and crew 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 performed more than 13,700 times.
It has been performed in more than 180 cities and by more than 145million people since it’s debut in London 1986.
It has been seen by nearly 20million people on Broadway alone.
The London production – which was older than the New York one – also closed in 2020, before returning with a smaller orchestra and other reconfigurations, the Times reported.
An Australia production open 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 for its 30th.
The shows creators – Webber, Hal Prince, and Cameron Mackintosh – put on a light show on the Empire State Building in 2018 for the anniversary, according to The New York Times.
Last year, when the show reopened in October, Webber threw a block party outside the theater, the Times reported.
Other shows have also recently closed, whether it was scheduled or 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.
Company closed on July 31 after receiving five 2022 Tony Awards. The production is set to do a North American tour.
Other shows that have closed on Broadway including: American Buffalo, Plaza Suite, Macbeth, The Minutes, POTUS, Tina, and Come From Away.
On the other hand, Funny Girl saw a huge increase in ticket sales after Glee’s Lea Michelle replaced Booksmart’s Beanie Feldstein.
Michelle took the lead as Fanny Brice on September 6 and significantly boosted the show’s box office – grossing $1.64million in her first week, a record since April.
She received six standing ovations her first performance on September 6.
Feldstein averaged $765,670 a week in ticket sales.
Michelle is currently out due to contracting COVID-19 and will return to the stage on September 20.
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