Of course, “The Phantom of the Opera” isn’t just musical theater canon because of its global fandom and longest-running tenure. “Tonight is the very first time in this wonderful theater that we’ve not been here with darling Hal, Gillian Lynne, and Maria Björnson,” he said. Mackintosh, his voice quivering, brought the show’s return into more personal focus. "The Lion King" is next, having begun performances in 1997.The chandelier inside the Majestic Theatre, Broadway’s most beloved ghost light, rose again on Friday evening as “ The Phantom of the Opera,” the longest running show in Broadway history, returned to its first performance since the industry’s COVID-19 shutdown and, with its soaring path above the audience, brightened the lights of Broadway to a brilliance and grandeur not experienced in 19 months.įriday evening’s reopening performance-a marathon event for the show’s guests, who made their way through cocktail parties, dinners, and after-parties celebrating the splendor of “Phantom’s” return-was devined to be one of the most special nights in Broadway history, and it was: Few shows in Broadway’s tenure have defined the commercial capabilities of theater and the stylistic characteristics of musicals like “The Phantom of the Opera.” The show, which opened on Broadway in 1988 and has never closed, takes its first post-pandemic bow not just as a monied buttress for the industry, but as a symbol for Broadway’s own endurance.Įd Sheeran Tests Positive for COVID-19, Will Continue Performing From HomeĪndrew Lloyd Webber Talks Transgender Performers, Theater Advocacy and 'Starlight Express'Īndrew Lloyd Webber Says Writing a Song With Taylor Swift Was the Only Enjoyable Part of 'Cats' Movie The closing of "Phantom" would mean the longest still-running show crown would go to "Chicago," which started in 1996. Andrew Lloyd Webber's lavish songs include "Masquerade," ″Angel of Music," ″All I Ask of You" and "The Music of the Night." "Phantom" tells the story of a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House and falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine. Last week, it hit $867,997 - and producers may have seen the writing on the wall.
Box office grosses have fluctuated since the show reopened after the pandemic - going as high as over $1 million a week but also dropping to around $850,000. It has been a costly musical to sustain, with elaborate sets and costumes as well as a large cast and orchestra. One reviewer in the New York Times called it, "psychologically lightweight." Still, not all the critics took to it kindly. When the show first opened in New York in 1988, it had already been a hit for two years in London.
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