PHANTOM extends through April 16

The longest-running show in Broadway history will run a little bit longer: The Phantom of the Opera will now end its run on Sunday, April 16, according to the New York Times. It was previously scheduled to close on February 18, but ticket demand has been extraordinarily high.

https://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/broadway-phantom-of-the-opera-extends_94597.html

Paulson/NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/29/theater/phantom-opera-broadway-closing.html

Updated On: 11/29/22 at 11:07 AM

 A friend told me Feb 18 made sense since Bad Cinderella’s first preview was Feb 17 (thus continuing having at least one ALW musical on Broadway)

Kudos to Phantom! Hopefully the same cast remains. I’m guessing a good number of them already started auditioning for other roles come spring.

Do you think it would further extend to the summer season?

FROM NYT: 

Mackintosh said there would be no further extensions. Following the show’s closing, he said, the Shubert Organization is planning a renovation of the Majestic Theater, where “Phantom” has run since its opening. The show will mark the end of its Broadway run with an April 14 benefit performance to raise money for charities, and a final performance with an audience including alumni and friends of the show.

“Phantom” had a lengthy North American touring life, playing 14,500 performances in 77 cities, and productions are currently onstage in London (where running costs were lowered by reducing the orchestra size) and in Melbourne, Australia. A version in Mandarin is scheduled to open in China next year, and the actor Antonio Banderas is working on a new Spanish-language production.

“It’s not like the show is going anywhere — the show will be done and is being done all over the world, and I’m sure it will come back to America and we’ll do a tour in the future,” Mackintosh said.

And will it return to Broadway? “I’m sure at some point it will,” he said. “It’s a great show, and the great classics do come back.”

I'm sure they could keep extending it, however, the renovations for the Majestic will likely take a year. Whatever is planned to reopen the Majestic probably doesn't want to wait any longer.

Wick3 said: "A friend told me Feb 18 made sense since Bad Cinderella’s first preview was Feb 17 (thus continuing having at least one ALW musical on Broadway)

Kudos to Phantom! Hopefully the same cast remains. I’m guessing a good number of them already started auditioning for other roles come spring.

Do you think it would further extend to the summer season?"

I truly hope Ben and Emilie stay-they're amazing

Wick3 said: "The Majestic does need a renovation but if they were really serious about it they could have renovated the theater during the pandemic when theaters were closed (construction workers went back to work in nyc in summer 2020.)

Sounds like the last performance will be invite only."

I truly have no problem with the final performance potentially not being open to the public. It's a landmark show, and so many people have come through that I would completely understand if no tickets were available to the public. I'm focusing on one of the last performances instead of getting my hopes up for that one. 

Great news!

The final block of tickets will go on sale tomorrow morning at 10 AM.

Other shows have done a ‘final public performance’ and a ‘invite-only closing performance’. You can still get tickets for the last publicly attended performance of Phantom on Broadway, if you try. 

"THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Delays Final Broadway Performance" is one hell of a way to put this announcement, BroadwayWorld. 

The NYT article quotes the closing performance as April 16, but then says:

"The show will mark the end of its Broadway run with an April 14 benefit performance to raise money for charities, and a final performance with an audience including alumni and friends of the show." 

If the Friday, April 14 benefit performance "marks the end of the Broadway run" and Sunday, April 16 will be an invitation-only performance for "alumni/friends", will it be dark on Saturday, April 15?

bdn223 said: "My guess at this point is they will might do a few more of these short extensions based on demand with the final extension being until the end of Summer so August/September. I also wonder if Bad Cinderella is not a hit out the gate if ALW might cut personal checks to keepPhantomopen so his record of being the composer with the longest run of works continuously playing on Broadway is ongoing. As while 43.5 years while a massive record and will likely not be beaten anytime soon it, if there is one thing you can always count on ALW for its his pride."

From what I was told, an announced closing is basically the equivalent of legally terminating a lease, with the announced closing date being the termination date. Any extension would have to be approved by the landlord. If the Shuberts already have a tenant lined up post-renovation, then this would definitely be it. 

Cameron Macintosh is the lead producer, and has demonstrated that he can do whatever he wants, without Andrew Lloyd Webber's input. He would only keep the show running (notwithstanding the closing notice) if it made him money.  Webber propping up the show with his own money wouldn't earn him a dime. 

Wick3 said: "The Majestic does need a renovation but if they were really serious about it they could have renovated the theater during the pandemic when theaters were closed (construction workers went back to work in nyc in summer 2020.)

Sounds like the last performance will be invite only."

No one could have fathomed the shutdowns would have taken as long as they did hence why no renovations were done.