Broadway’s Longest-Working Present Is Closing

After practically 35 years of delighting audiences on Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera is closing. The ultimate efficiency will happen on February 18, when the masked Phantom and the famed falling chandelier will make their final look—no less than in New York.

The present opened in New York in 1988 and has had the longest run in Broadway historical past. It was additionally essentially the most worthwhile for many years till The Lion King roared into city and took that crown.

The Phantom of the Opera has earned $1.30 billion throughout its spectacular Broadway run, in accordance with the Broadway League, and has performed an astonishing 13,733 performances with over 19 million tickets offered. Three musical theater legends created it: composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Hal Prince, and producer Cameron Waterproof coat.

As quickly as Phantom of the Opera hit the stage within the Nineteen Eighties, followers and critics could not get sufficient. The normally stuffy New York Occasions theater critic Frank Wealthy wrote:

“Solely a terminal prig would let the avalanche of pre-opening publicity poison his enjoyment of this present, which normally desires nothing greater than to bathe the viewers with fantasy and enjoyable, and which frequently succeeds, at any value.”

However the present has “struggled to recuperate because it reopened in October 2021 following the pandemic closure, and is shedding some $1 million a month,” stories The New York Submit. A wholesome present grosses round $3 million every week, however Phantom solely introduced in $800,000.

Twitter has responded with an outpouring of unhappiness and humor.

Phantom closing is gloomy and scary bc lots of people who work there have been there for many years and a few for the reason that starting in 1988. God there actually is not any job safety on this discipline huh. I do know they instructed us repeatedly however rattling. I’n devastated for them.

— Leah Nanako Winkler (@leahnanako) September 16, 2022

wow! the information that phantom is closing on broadway traveled quick! pic.twitter.com/cs004juvCQ

— Brian (@WeActuallyDidIt) September 16, 2022

I do not care how many individuals on social media say it is true – I’ll NOT be the ultimate Christine when PHANTOM closes.

— Harvey Fierstein (@HarveyFierstein) September 16, 2022