The longest-running Broadway show is officially leaving the stage next year. Playbill reports that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera will close after 13,925 performances and 35 years on stage.
Despite being a Broadway classic and a beloved musical, The Phantom of the Opera will be leaving the Majestic Theatre in 2023 “because it has been unable to meet its weekly running costs since it returned following the pandemic.” The show currently stars Ben Crawford, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle, Nehal Joshi, Raquel Suarez Grown, Maree Johnson, Carlton Moe, and Sara Esty along with a large ensemble cast and features Broadway’s largest orchestra. Phantom has won more than 70 major awards over its nearly 35-year run, seven of them Tony Awards including Best Musical.
The musical tells the tale of a musical genius that haunts the Paris Opéra House. The Phantom eventually falls for the opera’s soprano Christine and schemes to win her love. The Phantom of the Opera is originally based on the 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux.
The Phantom of the Opera will continue performances until February 18, 2023. The show will celebrate it’s 35th anniversary on January 26, 2023.