It's a disappearing symbol of Broadway.
After 13,981 performances in 35 years,
the Phantom of the Opera
,
the oldest musical in New York's famous theater district, definitely lowered the curtain on Sunday, victim of too low audiences after the pandemic.
Highlight of the show, the heavy and majestic chandelier of the Opera fell for the last time at the Majestic Theater, the historic setting near Times Square of the theatrical and musical work created by Andrew Lloyd Webber, from the French novel by Gaston Leroux.
In the presence of its creator, the show team received a long ovation from the standing public, applauding wildly, while the famous chandelier made a very last appearance in the crowded 1,600-seat hall, AFP noted.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, who composed pieces for the May coronation of Charles III, dedicated the show to his son who died of cancer in March.
“Thank you all, thank you New York for being a great home for us”
.
It was an "extraordinary"
final performance
, according to Daniel Wright, 56, a spectator who had attended several performances before.
"There were so many moments where I cried, I got goosebumps, it was just a well-designed show
," he told AFP.
“There are reasons why this show has been around for 35 years.
It is a timeless classic, which has touched so many people
.
"The world has changed"
In total, since its New York premiere in 1988, the story of the ghost who lives hidden in the basements of the Paris Opera and falls in love with the ballerina Christine will have brought in 1.4 billion dollars in revenue (1.27 billion euros), attracted nearly 20 million spectators, and employs around 6,500 people, including 450 actors.
No less than 16 actors have played the role of the Phantom on Broadway over the past 35 years, estimates the production.
Two years after its creation in London, where the work continues to be performed,
The Phantom of the Opera
had become a blockbuster on Broadway with its orchestra and period costumes.
She had triumphed at the Tony Awards, the equivalent of the Oscars for Broadway, winning seven awards in 1988. But
“the world has changed”
, underlined in the New York Times in September 2022 the British producer Cameron Mackintosh.
He explained that after the Covid-19 pandemic, which closed Broadway for 18 months, the show, very dependent on international tourists, had become too expensive “
a little less than 950,000 dollars net”
per week for its receipts.
Between musicians, actors and technicians, it takes about 125 people to run it.
“There is a tipping point, where the number of good weeks has dropped too much to make up for the lost weeks, and at that point there is only one sensible decision to be made,” he added
. , amid Broadway hits for musical biopics like
MJ: The Musical
About Michael Jackson.
Still, amid the final salutes, Cameron Mackintosh highlighted the show's triumph.
Read alsoExhibition: Jules-Eugène Lenepveu, the real ghost of the Opera
"In our wildest childhood dreams, we could never have imagined the success of Phantom
," he said.
The announcement of the closing had revived the entries, so much so that the ax was postponed from February to April and some wonder if a tour will not be announced.
This week, the last places sold for more than 500 dollars on the reservation sites.
Major renovation work will be undertaken at the Majestic Theater.
Now, the longest running musical in New York will be
Chicago
, which premiered in 1996, ahead of
The Lion King
.
Cultural and tourist lung of New York, the 41 theaters of Broadway, where approximately 200,000 and 300,000 spectators throng per week, bring in on average more than 30 million dollars in weekly revenue.
Christina Lewis and her teenage daughter Sparrow, both fans of The Phantom of the Opera, are ready to go to London to see once again the show they've already seen at least 11 times.
“
It's sad that the show is ending, but we are very, very excited to be able to be here and to have witnessed the last curtain raiser.
We cried several times throughout the evening
“, assured Ms. Lewis, a 36-year-old nurse.
They are among the spectators who are already demanding the return of production.
Another viewer, Richard Rodriguez, 38, wants him to
“come back, let the Phantom come back!”
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/U5K6GQUZTZACJAGDURPGR6UIOU.jpg)
