The Phantom of the Opera, longest-running Broadway show, closes in February

The Phantom of the Opera, the
longest-running show in Broadway history, is set to close in February next
year, the New York Post reported on Friday. In January, The Phantom of the
Opera will complete its 35th anniversary, following which the show
will close, cast members have been informed.

Running for a straight 35 years, The
Phantom of the Opera had become a staple of the Broadway. Hence, its end has
come as a surprise to many. However, the shows earnings had started to wane
since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. After the curbs surrounding the
pandemic subsided, theatregoers did not turn up in large numbers, leading to
the decision to finally close the show.

The Phantom of the Opera is an icon of Broadway
in the 1980s. It was created by Andre Lloyd Webber, the composer, Hal Prince,
director, and Cameron Mackintosh, producer. The show revolves around a
mask-clad opera lover who haunts the Paris Opera House and becomes obsessed
with a soprano.

One of the hallmarks of The Phantom of the
Opera is that every show features a chandelier crashing onto the stage every
night. Critics have characterised this as over-the-top spectacle and melodrama.

The Phantom of the Opera’s production
began on January 26, 1988. At its opening, the then-New York Times critic had written,
“It may be possible to have a terrible time at The Phantom of the Opera, but
you’ll have to work at it.”

Two decades later, when Times critic Charles
Isherwood saw the production again in 2014, he wrote: “Soon after the orchestra
struck up those thundering, ominous organ chords, I found my expectations upended,
my jaded armour melting away…. With the distance of more than a decade – and a
couple of hundred new musicals – since my last visit, I found myself with a new
appreciation for this beloved show’s gothic theatricality.”

The show, however, will continue to run
elsewhere. The London rendition, which began before New York, concluded in 2020.