The bright theater district in New York bids an emotional farewell to its staple production. The curtain has fallen for the longest-running stage musical in Broadway history – The Phantom of the Opera – following a 35-year run.

Since its debut in London in 1986, the musical has wowed audiences, becoming a symbol of theater culture. It opened in New York two years later, becoming widely popular in the theater district.

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Phantom is based on the classic French novel by Gaston Leroux. The melodrama follows a masked musical genius who haunts the Paris Opera House. His heart aches for the young soprano Christine.

Music of The Night (one final time)

A member of the ensemble, Richard Poole says he got the ‘gig of the lifetime’ playing small roles in the play for over 20 years reports NPR:

It’s given me the ability to have security, to plan ahead…It gives me discipline and structure in my life, and it gives me a constant way to MAINTAIN MY CRAFT

Member of the current and previous cast took to the stage at the end of the final performance in New York. They stood alongside writer Andrew Lloyd Webber and his production collaborator, Cameron Macintosh. Speaking to the audience in the Majestic Theatre, Webber dedicated the final show to his son Nick, who passed away from cancer last month.

The show is often a highlight for theater fans at Broadway. It takes over 130 cast, crew and orchestra members to pull off the performance every night.

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Cameron Macintosh told the New York Times last year that The Phantom of the Opera was losing money due to the slow return of tourists to New York following the pandemic. Webber revealed that The Phantom of the Opera ‘probably’ cost £800,000 a week. A large orchestra, elaborate consumes and a sizable cast and sets pushed costs up.

Musician Joyce Hammann, is one of the many members of the orchestra to have a “Phantom baby” – her son – Jackson reports NPR:

I’m concertmaster at Phantom of the Opera, which is first violin. And holy moly, I’VE BEEN THERE 33 AND A HALF YEARS…This has been his home away from home…People [here] have watched him grow up. He had the pleasure of sitting backstage during Saturday matinees sometimes when I wasn’t able to get a babysitter

41 Broadway theaters make up New York’s cultural heart, averaging 300,000 spectators every week. This brings in over $30 million in weekly earnings.

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