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Advertising poster for »The Phantom of the Opera« in New York: farewell after decades
Photo: Kathy Willens / dpa
If you want to see the "Phantom of the Opera" again on the legendary Broadway, you should hurry.
Because the musical in the famous New York theater district will be discontinued in February 2023 after 35 years.
The longest-running show on Broadway will close on February 18, according to industry website broadway.org.
Experts blame the loss of viewers caused by the corona pandemic for the decision.
The musical with music by the British Andrew Lloyd Webber premiered on January 26, 1988.
As a rule, eight performances a week were shown on Broadway.
Around 19.8 million people attended the musical in New York City alone.
Lower earnings
According to the New York Times, the show's box office earnings had recently declined.
After the end of the pandemic restrictions, "The Phantom" got off to a strong start in autumn last year, but the high operating costs could not have been covered.
In the week ending September 11th, approximately $868,000 (€867,000) was grossed.
According to the »New York Times«, this is a decent income, but it is not enough to keep such a musical with a large cast and elaborate stage design going.
Overall, the Broadway musical grossed $1.3 billion, according to the Broadway League.
The decision is surprising given that the musical is a tourist magnet and an integral part of the Broadway landscape.
145 million people saw the musical
According to the New York Times, the musical can be seen elsewhere: The London production closed in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, but was resumed a year later with a smaller orchestra.
The first production in Mandarin is scheduled to be staged in China next year.
Actor and director Antonio Banderas is also working on a Spanish language production.
Since its premiere in London in 1986, the play has been seen by more than 145 million people in 183 cities around the world.
It has been performed in 17 languages.
The model for the »Phantom of the Opera« is the novel by the French Gaston Leroux from 1911 about a musical genius with a disfigured face who lives in the catacombs of the Paris Opera around 1870 and falls in love with a young singer.
The murderous phantom hides his face behind a mask.
ptz/dpa