In its 35 years, acting stars have included Michael Crawford, George Lee Andrews, Howard McGillin, Judy Kaye and Sarah Brightman, among many others. It has won more than 70 major theater awards and been viewed by more than 140 million people worldwide. In all, the show will conclude after a hefty 13,925 performances. Since July, vaccine requirements for audience members were lifted and mask-wearing became optional. But the final closure of Phantom highlights the difficulties still facing the costly entertainment industry. Shows returned in the fall of 2021, with theater critics predicting a rebound of New York’s cultural life. Like other creative industries, Broadway was hit hard by the pandemic, with theaters closing to audiences in 2020. “Indeed, my production of Andrew’s ‘Cats’ proudly declared for decades ‘Now and Forever.’ Yet ‘Phantom’ has surpassed that show’s extraordinary Broadway run. “As a producer you dream that a show will run forever,” producer Mackintosh told the Associated Press. The production is known for its dramatic set design – and an iconic moment where a grand chandelier drops from the ceiling. He teaches her to sing, making her an unwilling muse for his genius, and later kidnaps her to his lair. The romantic thriller is based on a novel by French author Gaston Leroux and tells the tale of a disfigured masked man, the Phantom, who haunts the Paris Opera and becomes obsessed with dancer Christine Daaé. The memorable musical, composed by British theater legend Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics from Charles Hart, includes songs “Music of the Night,” “Think of Me” and “All I Ask of You.” It debuted in New York in 1988, produced by Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Hal Prince, scooping up seven Tony Awards, among them Best Musical. “We are sad to confirm that after 35 years on Broadway, Phantom will play its final performance at the Majestic Theatre on Saturday February 18th, 2023,” a short statement on its official website said.Īccording to reports, the show was struggling to bounce back from the ticket slump facing much of Broadway amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The Phantom of the Opera” musical theater spectacle will be finishing next year, the production said. Broadway’s longest-running show is set to take its final bow.

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