Andrew Lloyd Webber is no stranger to Broadway theaters, and his musicals have been mainstays in the theater world for decades. However, Webber’s longest and easily most successful Broadway endeavor is coming to an end in a move that has left the theatre world shocked. “The Phantom of the Opera”, after 35 years of entertaining audiences, will be dropping the chandelier one last time in 2023.
“The Phantom of the Opera” is based on the novel by Gaston Leroux and tells the story of a deformed musical genius living beneath a Paris opera house who falls in love with a beautiful chorus girl named Christine Daae. Webber’s musical premiered in 1986 on the West End with Michael Crawford as the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine before moving to Broadway in 1988. The show was a smash hit, both critically and financially, and has cemented itself as a cornerstone in the theatre world.
However, due to Covid-19 pandemic, Broadway went dark for over two years. Many smaller shows were lost in that time, but it seemed that bigger shows were relatively unharmed. Although Broadway made its triumphant return, getting audiences back in the seats proved more difficult than initially thought. In an interview with the New York Times, producer Cameron Mackintosh explained his reasoning for ending “Phantom’s” legendary run: “You don’t want to run a great show into the ground, it’s always been one of my mantras throughout my long career: There’s an art to closing a show, as well as opening one.”
“The Phantom of the Opera” will play at the Majestic Theatre for the remainder of the year, and celebrate its 35th anniversary in January. The show’s final performance is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 18, and tickets are on sale now.
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