Earlier this month, fans of musical theater were shocked when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning “The Phantom of the Opera” announced that its final performance would take place in five months on Feb. 23, 2023, after a historic 35 years on Broadway.
Though the show’s closing may be surprising to some, the decision to shutter “Phantom” may have been a long time coming. According to Playbill, “Phantom” hasn’t been able to meet its running costs since reopening post-pandemic – the cheapest tickets have been approximately $40 for years.
Comparatively, “Chicago,” which is next in line for the title of longest-running Broadway show, has tickets starting at around $60 and third runner-up “The Lion King’s” starting ticket prices are approximately $100.
“Phantom’s” announcement seems to follow 2022’s trend of beloved shows ending their runs; “Dear Evan Hansen” just marked its final performance, while other notable show departures, including “Come From Away” and “The Music Man,” aren’t far behind.
Now, it’s hard to imagine the Great White Way without also picturing the iconic porcelain mask of the famed Phantom of the Opera, which has graced the marquee of the Majestic Theater for longer than most of our generation can remember; even after “Phantom” closes its doors, its numerous historical achievements will continue to grace Wikipedia pages for a long time.
Beyond turning the days when “Cats” used to reign as the longest-running Broadway show into memories, “Phantom” won seven Tony Awards when it premiered in 1988 and was the first show to celebrate 10,000 performances in New York.
More recently, in 2016, “Phantom” cast Ali Ewoldt, the first Asian American to play the iconic leading role of Christine Daaé, and Jordan Donica, the first African American man to play Raoul de Chagny. This year, Emilie Kouatchou became the first African American woman to take on the role of Christine alongside Donica before his departure.
“We’re in a period of intense change in this industry, and I’m just happy that I could be a part of that change,” Kouatchou said in an interview with Broadway.com in August 2022.
Though the era of change brought by “Phantom’s” closing, compared to the triumphant casting of Kouatchou as Christine, can be rather depressing, history suggests that this isn’t the end for beloved fans of the Phantom’s stories. There are still a few months to catch the dramatic sounds of the “Phantom” overture before it closes.
For the fans who fear that this is the last time “Phantom” will ever grace the stage on Broadway, “Les Misérables,” a show with markedly similar popularity and musical characteristics of “Phantom,” has earned numerous revivals and productions after it departed Broadway in 2003; national touring productions will likely continue to roam around the country, boasting revamped staging and design of the well-loved classic.
If you’re really desperate for musical content, there’s always the spurned sequel to “Phantom,” titled “Love Never Dies,” which essentially amounts to Lloyd Webber writing fanfiction using the same characters to make more money. There are some good songs in the show – just not a good plot.
Either way, try to catch “Phantom” before it closes. Who wouldn’t want a chance to sit under the glamorous chandelier one last time?
