Cast and crew members take a moment to applause after their final performance of the Phantom of the Opera. | REUTERS Photo / Caitlin Ochs
The Phantom cut the chandelier for the final time on Sunday, Apr. 16th, 2023.
The iconic show debuted 35 years ago on Jan. 26, 1988. When Phantom was opened, Die Hard was playing in theaters, and the year’s most popular songs were Faith by George Michael and Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up.
The musical was adapted from the book of the same name, Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, by French author Gaston Leroux. It was published in the format of a series that ran from Sept. 23, 1909, to Jan. 8, 1910, then released as a volume in later March of the same year.
The show was No. 13,981 at the same theatre since it debuted, the Majestic Theatre. The show, which was by invite only and some lucky fans who won tickets, ended with the cast from the past and present, which included original Christine Daae actress, Sarah Brightman, on stage singing a reprise of The Music of the Night.
Phantom is one of the most recognizable musicals, and it has undergone many adaptations through the decades. The notoriety came from multiple movie adaptions, some closer to the original story than others, along with being the inspiration of one of the biggest sub-genres in literature: retellings.
For those who do not know, Phantom is a story about a composer who lives in the shadows of the Paris Opera House. He finds Christine and takes her under his wing as an “angel,” as she calls him, and teaches her. He falls in love with her, but her childhood sweetheart comes back into the picture and starts shaking up the ways of which the Opera House runs. Things quickly turn into deadly chaos.
Not too long ago, Phantom made history within its own show, casting the first Black woman to play Christine Daae in March of 2023. Emilie Kouatchou made history by walking out onto the stage of the Majestic Theatre.
“I remember feeling a lot of support from the audience. They cheered when I first came on stage,” the 25-year-old actor told Today via Zoom. So it’s safe to say that the Broadway fans enjoyed having Emilie as their final Christine.
To many, it was a shock that Phantom would close as it has survived for decades, being a staple for theater lovers and one of the first shows many current Broadway stars saw that inspired them.
Recessions, war, terrorism and cultural shifts seemed to be nothing against the Phantom, but COVID-19 seemed to be the final blow to the iconic musical. Producer Cameron Mackintosh says Phantom was losing money, even before the pandemic. Last September, he and Andrew Lloyd Webber announced a final date, according to NPR.
Since the announcement, Phantom had been selling out every show leading up to the final.
According to AP News, there was a video presentation of many of the actors who had played key roles in the show over the years, and the orchestra seats were crowded with Christines, Raouls and Phantoms. The late director Hal Prince, choreographer Gillian Lynne and set and costume designer Maria Björnson were also honored at the final performance.
The show has been seen by more than 145 million people in 183 cities and performed in 17 languages over 70,000 performances. On Broadway alone, it has grossed more than $1.3 billion.
The closing of Phantom means the crown of longest-running Broadway music goes to Chicago, which opened in 1996, with The Lion King next, which opened in 1997.
While many believe Phantom was first opened in New York, it was actually in London, which is still one of the many places you can see the show. The London production recently celebrated its 36th anniversary.
If you don’t want to leave the country to see the musical, Phantom tours around the nation. While there are no announced dates yet for 2023, you can check when tour dates are announced by going to https://ustour.thephantomoftheopera.com/.
As an era ends for Broadway, always remember that Box 5 is always reserved for the Phantom if you want him to be good.
