The curtain will close on Broadway’s longest-running musical, “Phantom of the Opera,” Sunday night.
“Phantom of the Opera” has been a commanding musical on Broadway for over 35 years. There have been over 14,000 performances with audiences of over 20 million, according to National Public Radio (NPR).
“Brava, brava, bravissima!” 👏🌹 Our #PhantomLondon company would like to wish happy trails to the #PhantomBroadway company for their final performance tonight 🖤 pic.twitter.com/9uqYhX1UrT
— The Phantom Of The Opera (@PhantomOpera) April 16, 2023
Wishing the cast, crew, orchestra and alumni of @PhantomOpera an unforgettable closing night. Thank you for carrying on the legacy of this beautiful show for thirty-five years. (1 of 4)
— Michael Crawford (@CrawfordMichael) April 16, 2023
Despite grossing over $1.3 billion, producer Cameron Mackintosh told NPR the musical was losing money. Originally “Phantom” was set to close on Feb. 18, 2023, but was extended to April because of the spike in ticket sales. (RELATED: Elijah Wood Hopes New ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Movies Will Be Made With ‘Reverence,’ Not To ‘Make A Lot Of Money’)
“As a producer you dream that a show will run forever. Indeed, my production of Andrew’s “Cats” proudly declared for decades ‘Now and Forever.’ Yet “Phantom” has surpassed that show’s extraordinary Broadway run. But all shows do finally close,” Mackintosh said in a statement.
“At the moment, it’s about maintaining what we have: keeping the show vibrant. I still give notes to the actors, to the orchestra. We will look to maintain every element of the production through to the very last note,” music supervisor and conductor David Caddick told NPR.
“It’s a role that I kept revisiting because it is so rich,” Sierra Boggess, who played the leading actress, Christine, in “Phantom” told Washington Post. “Every time I came back to it, I found more and more and more.”
More than 145 million people have seen the musical in 183 cities and over 70,000 performances have been given in 17 languages since 1986.