The musical The Phantom of the Opera is closing on Broadway after 35 years on stage. The curtain will go down for the last time in February 2023, a few weeks after its 35-year anniversary on Broadway.
A musical mega born in London
The Phantom of the Opera is part of his shows that are nicknamed " megamusical“. That is to say a super production that brews an important commercial profit.
In the 80s, composer Andrew Lloyd Weber adapted Gaston Leroux's novel into a musical. He joined forces with director Harold Prince, choreographer Gillian Lynne and Maria Björnson, who designed the sets and costumes. The musical opened in London in 1986. Following its success in England, the show opened on Broadway in 1988. In January 2009, it became the longest-running show on Broadway. When it closed in February, The Phantom of the Opera played nearly 14 performances in New York.
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One of the highest grossing shows in the world
The initial production of The Phantom of the Opera cost more than 8 million dollars… But it brought in 845 million!
Its audience is overwhelmingly made up of tourists, wanting to tick the “see a Broadway show” box off their bucket list. The effect is guaranteed with his chandelier falling on stage, his boat sailing on stage as well as his vocal prowess on the titles "Music of the Night", "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" and "All I Ask of You". However, the show had always lacked rhythm for my taste, and we quickly got tired of the themes used repeatedly in the music and the over-dramatic scenes.
Having said that, The Phantom of the Opera remains a pilgrimage show, which has marked the journey of all musical comedy fans!
For now, the show continues to play in London. The Phantom of the Opera will permanently close on Broadway on February 18, 2023.
Some key figures
On Broadway, he employed more than 400 actors over 35 years and, together 130 artists and technicians per performance.
The show is burning 281 candles per show. It also uses nearly 250 kilos of dry ice, distributed among 10 machines.
We count 230 costumes on the scene !
Its great chandelier features over 6.000 beads et weighs 1 ton.
It generates over $1 million in ticket sales per week. We estimate its total turnover of 6 billion dollars !
The show has already been performed in 15 languages and was seen by nearly 150 million viewers.
He won over 70 awards.
You have to 2h30 of make-up to become the Phantom of the Opera.
In the famous “Masquerade” scene, the stage is populated with models, to give the impression that there are more people on stage.
The highest note is an E6, sung by Christine in the song “Phantom of the Opera”.
Sierra Boggess and Ramin Karimloo, two key performers of the main roles. Here they sing the title song "The Phantom of the Opera", during an anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall:
Draw attention to Cinderella?
The spectacle is very impressive in its size. Thereby, The Phantom of the Opera closes on Broadway to make way for new creations. We recall that the show Cinderella, also written by Andrew Lloyd Weber, opens at the Imperial Theater on Broadway in 2023.
Perhaps it was to avoid competition that the composer decided to close The Phantom of the Opera…?
What do you think of the closing of the The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway?