On April 16, 2023, the longest running Broadway show, The Phantom of the Opera, closed. The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway October 9, 1986. During its almost forty-year run, it performed almost fourteen thousand shows. Not only did the show make history for being the longest running show, the latest company made history for having Emilie Kouatchou as the first black actress to play Christine Daae.
The show has entertained and touched millions of people within its almost forty year tenure on broadway. It is also reported that after its final public show that Saturday, patrons did not leave the theater for thirty minutes. The love for The Phantom of the Opera is felt throughout the world as it is now a timeless musical about love.
According to industry insiders, part of the reason the show has closed was because of the financial impact of COVID-19. The Phantom of the Opera was considered a must-see for tourists when they came into the city. However, in the year of 2020, because there was no tourism and Broadway was shut down, the show was bleeding millions of dollars to hold onto the Majestic Theatre. According to its playwright and composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and an interview done by the New York Times, the show cost $850,000 per week to put on pre-pandemic. But when Broadway was reopened to the public, the show was struggling due to its high production cost. This was also coupled with the fact that since the average ticket costs one hundred thirty dollars, seats were struggling to be filled. Even though it performed for full houses for a brief stint following the initial announcement of the show closing, it never got back on its feet and recouped the losses felt by that year of closure.
The Phantom of the Opera will always be there, inside our minds.
