The Phantom of the Operathe longest-running show in Broadway history, will draw its famous curtains for the last time in February, following a celebration to mark its 35th anniversary.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sumptuous musical won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, when it debuted in 1988. It also came under the control of two other Broadway legends, director Hal Prince and producer Cameron Mackintosh. Since that year, he has occupied the same theater, the Majestic, attracting tourists and New Yorkers alike to hear his soaring tunes and capture his dark theatrical magic, which never seemed to dim over the decades. ghost closed only due to the pandemic, reopening with a star-studded gala event in October 2021 that shut down 44th Street next to Times Square for a party where Lloyd Webber DJ remixed songs from the show.
Ticket sales have dipped for the shows after an initial flurry of enthusiasm when cinemas reopened last year and ghost it was no different.
Other productions of the show will continue around the world; a scaled-down version debuted in London’s West End after the pandemic, and a new production debuted at the Sydney Opera House this summer. A Spanish language ghost has been announced in a partnership between Lloyd Webber and actor Antonio Banderas.
Many expressed shock on social media, the show seemed like it would go on forever.
“Phantom” will celebrate its 35th anniversary in January, with its final performance on Broadway on February 18.
Sign up for the Features of Fortune email list so you don’t miss our top features, exclusive interviews and research.
