With cheers and tears, 'Phantom of the Opera' ends record Broadway run
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Saturday, November 23, 2024


With cheers and tears, 'Phantom of the Opera' ends record Broadway run
Jaime Samson wears a Red Death costume he made himself, outside the Majestic Theater in New York before the final performance of “The Phantom of the Opera,” on Sunday, April 16, 2023. The final day of “The Phantom of the Opera” was both jubilant and tear-stained as theatergoers bid it farewell. (Sara Krulwich/The New York Times)

by Michael Paulson



NEW YORK, NY.- “The Phantom of the Opera” concluded the longest run in Broadway history Sunday night with a glittery final performance at which even the production’s signature chandelier, which had just crashed onto the stage of the Majestic Theatre for the 13,981st time, got its own curtain call.

The invitation-only crowd was filled with Broadway lovers, including actors who had performed in the show over its 35-year run, as well as numerous theater artists (including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Glenn Close) and fans who won a special ticket lottery. Some dressed in Phantom regalia; one man came dressed in the character’s sumptuous Red Death costume.

The final performance, which ran from 5:22 p.m. to 7:56 p.m., was interrupted repeatedly by applause, not only for the main actors but for beloved props, including a monkey music box, and scenic elements such as a gondola being rowed through a candelabra-adorned underground lake. After the final curtain, the stagehands who made the show’s elaborate spectacle happen night after night, were invited onstage for a resounding round of applause.

“It’s just amazing, really, what has happened,” composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote the show’s soaring score, said after the final curtain, as he dedicated the performance to his son Nicholas, who died three weeks ago.

Lloyd Webber spoke alongside his longtime collaborator and the show’s lead producer, Cameron Mackintosh. They invited alumni of the original Broadway production to join them onstage, and projected onto the theater’s back wall photos of deceased members of the original creative team, including its director, Hal Prince, as well as every actor who played the two lead roles (the Phantom as well as Christine, the young soprano who is his obsession).

Toward the end of the evening, Mackintosh acknowledged the 1-ton chandelier, which was lowered from the ceiling to a round of applause, and the crowd was showered with gold and silver metallic confetti, some of which dangled in ribbons from the chandelier.

Hours before the curtain, fans gathered across the street, waving and taking pictures and hoping somehow to score a spare ticket. Among them was Lexie Luhrs, 25, of Washington, D.C., in a Phantom getup: black cape, homemade mask, fedora, vest and bow tie, as well as mask earrings and a mask necklace. “I’m here to celebrate the show that means so much to us,” Luhrs said.

On Broadway, “Phantom” was, obviously, enormously successful, playing to 20 million people and grossing $1.36 billion since its opening in January 1988. And the show has become an international phenomenon, playing in 17 languages in 45 countries and grossing more than $6 billion globally. But the Broadway run ultimately succumbed to the twin effects of inflation and dwindled tourism after the coronavirus pandemic shutdown.

It closed on an unexpectedly high note — and not just the high E that Christine sings in the title song. As soon as the closing was announced in September, sales spiked, as those who already loved the musical flocked to see it, and procrastinators realized it could be their last chance; the original February closing date was delayed by two months to accommodate demand, and the show has once again become the highest-grossing on Broadway, playing to exuberant audiences, enjoying a burnished reputation and bringing in more than $3 million a week.

“For a show to go out this triumphantly is almost unheard of,” Mackintosh said.

After the final performance, the show’s company and its alumni gathered for an invitation-only celebration at the Metropolitan Club, with the show’s iconic mask projected onto a wall next to a marble staircase.

The show, with music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart, is still running in London, where the orchestra size was cut and the set was altered during the pandemic shutdown to reduce running costs, and it is also running in the Czech Republic, Japan, South Korea and Sweden. New productions are scheduled to open in China next month, in Italy in July and in Spain in October.

And will it ever return to New York? “Of course, at some point,” Mackintosh said in an interview. “But it is time for the show to have a rest.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

April 18, 2023

Pharaonic funkatizing at the Met Roof Garden

A century-old mystery surfaces from Lake Superior

Discovery of important Chinese Ming Cloisonne box in family attic

Museum of Craft and Design examines the bay area artists ecosystem through artwork and stories

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023 Art Program debuts several large-scale, immersive art works

Late life of Charlotte Mayer explored in exhibition on view at Pangolin London

Opening today at Tornabuoni Art Paris 'Painting and Poetry: Ungaretti and the art of seeing'

Review: Grief and mourning, delivered with ecstatic vitality

Tamo Jugeli ...lightly opens today at Polina Berlin Gallery

Patric McCoy: Take My Picture, exhibition documenting 1980s black gay Chicago now on view

UOVO acquires majority stake in Domaine

Howardena Pindell anchors dynamic group of artworks by women this month

Ahmad Jamal, jazz pianist with a measured approach, dies at 92

ICA Philadelphia appoints Denise Ryner as Curator

With cheers and tears, 'Phantom of the Opera' ends record Broadway run

'Serdar Acar: A Midsummer Night's Dream', artist's first solo exhibition at Pi Artworks Istanbul, now open

Rachel Ostrow 'Tell Me Everything' solo exhibition now on view at Morgan Lehman

6 Reasons Why You Should Invest in Authentic Art

Tips to Make Your Time in Online Casinos More Fun

Avoiding Common Mistakes When Sending Money from India to Canada

Exploring the Safety of World of Warcraft Boosting: What You Need to Know

Lucky Patcher Original APK V10.7.4 Latest Download For Android

Get Ready For Stormy Weather With These Tips.

Why Beautyforever V Part Wigs Are Right Choice for Beginners

The Ultimate Guide to Beautyforever Lace Front Wigs: Everything You Need to Know

Benefits of Solea® Laser Treatment for Dental Procedures

Modern decorative awnings - enjoy your time on the beautifully decorated terrace!

Are Cheap Instagram Followers Worth It? Here's What You Need to Know

HOW TO MANAGE MENTAL HEALTH

Mondex: The Problems of Nazi-Looted Art Sold at Auctions




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful