‘The Phantom of the Opera,’ Broadway’s longest-running show, will close next year

NEW YORK — “The Phantom of the Opera” — Broadway’s longest-running show — is scheduled to close in February 2023, the biggest victim yet of the post-pandemic softening in theater attendance in New York.

The musical — a fixture on Broadway since 1988, weathering recessions, war and cultural shifts — will play its final performance on Broadway on Feb. 18, a spokesperson told The Associated Press on Friday. The closing will come less than a month after its 35th anniversary.

It is an expensive melodic to support, with intricate sets and outfits as well as an enormous cast and symphony. Film industry nets have varied since the show resumed after the pandemic — going as high as more than $1 million per week yet additionally dropping to around $850,000. Last week, it hit $867,997 and makers might have recognized what would be inevitable.

Based on a novel by Gaston Leroux, “Phantom” tells the story of a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House and falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s lavish songs include “Masquerade,” ″Angel of Music,” ″All I Ask of You” and “The Music of the Night.”

The principal creation opened in London in 1986 and from that point forward the show has been seen by in excess of 145 million individuals in 183 urban communities and acted in 17 dialects north of 70,000 exhibitions. On Broadway alone, the melodic has played in excess of 13,500 exhibitions to 19 million individuals at The Magnificent Theater.

The closing of “Phantom” would mean the longest running show crown would go to “Chicago,” which started in 1996. “The Lion King” is next, having begun performances in 1997.

Broadway took a pounding during the pandemic, with all theaters closed for more than 18 months. Breaking even usually requires a steady stream of tourists, especially to “Phantom.”

Ticket sales had slowed for Broadway shows during the pandemic and “Phantom” was no exception, recently dropping from 255,000 weekly attendees in May to about 180,000 attendees in September, according to The Broadway League.

The primary creation opened in London in 1986 and from that point forward the show has been seen by in excess of 145 million individuals in 183 urban areas and acted in 17 dialects north of 70,000 exhibitions. On Broadway alone, the melodic has played in excess of 13,500 exhibitions to 19 million individuals at The Superb Theater.

Phantom’s Mandarin-language version is slated to debut in China in 2023 and a Spanish-language venture with Antonio Banderas has been announced.

Broadway’s longest-running show, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” will play its final five months before closing its doors for good, a spokesperson for the show told CNN Friday.

The final performance will take place on Saturday, February, 18, 2023, at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre, Michael Borowski of The Publicity Office said in an email.

Before the Broadway show’s decision, “Apparition” will praise its 35th commemoration on January 26 with chief Seth Sklar-Heyn in charge, Borowski said.