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Phantom of the Opera – Broadway’s Longest-Running Show – To CLOSURE After 35 Years As Victim Of Post-pandemic Drop In NY Attendance
- Broadway’s Longest-Running Show Phantom of the Opera Closes on February 18
- The show will celebrate 35 years on January 26, 2023, just a few weeks before closing
- The iconic show is closing its doors due to a drop in attendance since the pandemic and is reportedly losing $1 million a month
- The cast and crew were reportedly notified of the decision on Friday
- Since its debut in 1988, the various casts have performed the show over 13,700 times over the years
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Broadway’s longest-running show Phantom of the Opera will close after 35 years due to the decline in attendance during the pandemic.
The last performance will take place on February 18, just shortly after the 35th anniversary in January.
Phantom has again fallen victim to lower audience levels since the pandemic shut down the theater district in 2020.
Despite a strong rebound last fall, audience numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, leaving production unable to keep up with the high cost of running the show. The New York Times reported.
The show has reportedly lost about $1 million a month, according to the New York Post.
Broadway’s Longest Running Show Phantom of the Opera Closes February 18 After 35 Years
The cast and crew were reportedly notified of the decision on Friday
The cast and crew were reportedly notified of the decision on Friday, according to the New York Post.
Since its January 26, 1988 debut, the production—which was adapted for the stage by Broadway powerhouse Andrew Lloyd Webber—has been performed more than 13,700 times.
The London production — which was older than New York’s — also closed in 2020, before returning with a smaller orchestra and other reconfigurations, the Times reported.
An Australian production first opened its doors last month and a Mandarin version is set to launch in China next year. A Spanish version is also reportedly in the works.
The New York crew is reportedly preparing for a big party for the 35th anniversary, just as it did for the 30th anniversary.
The creators of the shows – Webber, Hal Prince and Cameron Mackintosh – put on a light show on the Empire State Building in 2018 for the anniversary, according to The New York Times.
Last year, when the show reopened in October, Webber threw a block party outside the theater, the Times reported.