Sunday, October 13, 2024

Broadway Report: “Phantom of the Opera” Will Close After Its 35th Anniversary Next Winter

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The magic and the moonlight are over.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s signature musical, “Phantom of the Opera,” will play its final show on February 18th, 2023. This will be shortly after its 35th anniversary on Broadway.

The lack of tourists in New York has killed “Phantom” because no self-respecting New Yorker or theatergoer has ever had any interest in it. The star of “Phantom,” after all, is a chandelier.

As cheesy as the show is, “Phantom” has played an important part of New York’s theater life. It offered steady employment over the years to thousands of cast and crew. Many actors relied on it as a fallback when other work was unavailable.

But the pandemic stopped it in its tracks. When “Phantom” returned the audience was absent. Frankly, I got experience the problem this week when I tried to book a hotel room for someone. The prices are astronomical. I’m guessing the fear of getting COVID isn’t all that’s keeping international visitors away from New York.

“Phantom” is just the latest show to throw in the towel. “Come from Away” is shutting down soon. “The Music Man” will end on December 31st. Other shows like “Phantom” not making $1 million a week will have to consider this path also. I’d be worrying about the Tony winning musical, “A Strange Loop.” which was down to $605,903 last week. Apparently there’s not much of an audience for that one, and it’s in decline week by week.

The “Phantom” news was first reported by the New York Post.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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