After more than 30 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is leaving Broadway. The production, which is based on Gaston Leroux’s novel Le Fantôme de L’Opéra, is the longest-running show in Broadway history. The final performance is scheduled for April 16, 2023, at New York’s Majestic Theatre shortly after its 35th anniversary.
History of “The Phantom of the Opera”
The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a beautiful soprano named Christine and a masked composer who cross paths in the Paris Opera House. Lloyd Webber’s award-winning opera dazzles its viewers with songs like “Masquerade,” “Think of Me,” “Notes” and “All I Ask of You.”
Two early motion picture versions of the work existed before Phantom ever hit the stage. The first was released in 1925 and the second followed in 1943. Lloyd Webber contacted legendary producer Cameron Mackintosh of Cats and Song and Dance, to work on a musical adaptation. In the decades following, the musical has won more than 70 major theater awards including seven Tony Awards and three Olivier Awards.
The first stage production opened in October 1986 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End with Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton in starring roles. The trio reprised their roles in the Broadway debut which came in January of 1988. New York’s production was directed by Harold Prince. Both shows stalled in early 2020 and returned the following year. Unfortunately, declining attendance since its return means that The Phantom of the Opera is leaving Broadway for now.
According to a 2019 press release by The Shubert Organization, 140 million people had seen The Phantom of the Opera in 41 countries and in 17 languages. That included 18.5 million people at The Majestic Theatre where it had grossed more than $1.1 billion making it one of Broadway’s most successful productions.
In 2004, a film adaptation featuring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum was released as well. It grossed $154.6 million worldwide. Between that, multiple cast recordings, and the live recording of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011, millions more around the world have fallen in love with the show.
The Current Production
As of Sept. 22, the Broadway cast included Ben Crawford as The Phantom, Emilie Kouatchou as Christine Daaé and John Riddle as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. Kouatchou made history in 2021 when she became the first Black actor to portray the role on Broadway. She began as an alternate to Meghan Picerno. Julie Udine now serves as the alternate Christine. Other veterans of the production include Craig Bennett, Raquel Suarez Groen, Maree Johnson and Carlton Moe.
Phantom of the Opera Tickets
Do not miss your chance to see this stunning production on Broadway. Phantom of the Opera tickets are available now. If you cannot make it to the “city that never sleeps” before Spring, the phantom may still be haunting a theatre near you. Search TicketSmarter for one of the many productions of The Phantom of the Opera around the world.
