How Long Will POTO Run?

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:16pm

Reading the stats below, got me to thinking, just how long will POTO run? Aside from the revenue it makes for producers, it generates lots of steady long term jobs and paychecks and that thrills me. The Shuberts are likely in no hurry to move it out, right? Audiences still pack the house so there is demand. And all seemingly with a low budget for advertising and marketing. (Do commercials air in the NYC area?) I most recently saw it last April after an absence of a decade (not counting a visit to the Vegas Spectacular which I loved) and as is often noted, they keep the show in excellent physical shape.
 

But all shows end eventually close. Any seers care to opine when, or will this go on — forgive me — “now and forever.” 
 

The Phantom of the Opera will celebrate its 32nd Anniversary on January 26, 2020. On Broadway alone, the musical has played an unheard of 13,000 performances to 19 million people at The Majestic Theatre (247 West 44th Street), the musical's home for all 31 record-breaking years. The musical has been the longest-running show in Broadway history for well over a decade, and its astounding longevity in New York and around the world is unprecedented, having grossed a staggering more than $1.1 billion. The Phantom of the Opera has been the largest single generator of income and jobs in Broadway and U.S. theatrical history, including employing more than 400 actors during its 31-year Broadway run.

 

 

[bwayboy22]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:18pm

If I remember correctly someone on here said POTO has no stop clause in its contract so it very well could go on forever or as long as RUG wants it to.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:32pm

I’m curious if Cam Mac will do the same thing to Phantom that he did to Les Mis in the west end. Closing the original production and bringing in the much cheaper 25th anniversary production.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:39pm

Maybe after the show has run 50 years -lol.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:41pm

Updated On: 1/20/20 at 03:41 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:41pm

Yes, Broadway commercials air on regular TV here in NYC.

This is the one used for POTO:

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:44pm

Play Esq. said: "To the original poster:

Seriously, are you so busy in life that you can’t spell out the entire name of the show related to athread that you’re creating? The use of acronyms on here is getting really annoying."

 

And do you have so much free time that you post things like this on a theatre message board?

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:45pm

Honestly: you’re right. Hence why I deleted the comment. I’m better than this and immediately regretted posting it even before I saw this comment. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:46pm

Didn't Les Mis close for renovations to the theater and then re-opened with the new production? I would doubt this would happen with Phantom, even if they closed for renovations. But who knows.

PatrickDC, they do run TV ads for the show here in New York and New Jersey. They aren't really constant. They seem to pop up for a bit and stop and then come back a while later. At least on the stations I watch. Right now Disney is advertising the living daylights out of FROZEN with a tie in to THE LION KING and ALADDIN. The commercial's "message" is that Disney has set the bar for blockbuster shows. Not sure that is totally accurate. I would give that nod to Lloyd Weber and McIntosh. JMO

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 3:47pm

Call_me_jorge said: "I’m curious if Cam Mac will do the same thing to Phantom that he did to Les Mis in the west end. Closing the original production and bringing in the much cheaper 25th anniversary production."

Despite that tour having cheaper looking costumes, it was not in reality all that much cheaper to run on the road than the original was. Many road houses actually had to do some refurbishment to their stage floors in order to support the weight of that massive rotating drum set piece. The IATSE locals in Tampa at the Straz Center told me that it was estimated at just under 10 tons once fully assembled. It was also 20 trucks, which is only one or two less than the original had.

If anything, I predict that with the new tour ending its run in Toronto that we'll be seeing the current world tour of the "Brilliant Original" coming back to North America in a few years.

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 5:04pm

LOL about the acronym. I thought after three decades most would know POTO. I too am constantly befuddled by the acronyms here. I still have to pause when I see JLP! I can't get Jagged Little Pill into my brain. Anyway, no problem, I'm far from a snowflake and AM in the "Ok Boomer" community and proudly accept when I'm called that. 

Back to Topic: I really hope CamMac and RUG (that's Really Useful Group *winkwink* hehe) NEVER change the Broadway version, though I was fine with the cuts and streamlining to the Vegas Spectacular. The light editing of some of the score and book really didn't change much. And the design was for the most part faithful to Bjornson's brilliant concept. Oh yes, the chandelier was different, that magical way the four pieces swooped around and formed the chandelier. But the dozens of lifeless mannequins in the boxes on the sides of the theater were a bit freaky and unnecessary in my opinion. 

[veronicamae]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 7:27pm

uncageg said: "Didn'tLes Mis close for renovations to the theater and then re-opened with the new production? I would doubt this would happen with Phantom, even if they closed for renovations. But who knows.

PatrickDC, they do runTV ads for the show here in New York and New Jersey. They aren't really constant. They seem to pop up for a bit and stop and then come back a while later. At least on the stations I watch. Right now Disney is advertising the living daylights out of FROZEN with a tie in to THE LION KING and ALADDIN. The commercial's "message" is that Disney has set the bar for blockbuster shows. Not sure that is totally accurate. I would give that nod to Lloyd Weber and McIntosh. JMO"

The "Disney sets the bar..." is a pull quote from a publication, so as an opinion, it doesn't have to be factually accurate. To be factual, it would depend on how you measure what a blockbuster is, because The Lion King's box office grosses have, for years and years, all but dominated the market. If you're talking longevity, there's likely no way any show will ever overcome The Phantom of the Opera, at least not in our lifetimes.

Phantom has a low but steady stream of advertising in the tri-state area. There are billboards in New Jersey, posters up in the theater district, ads in regional newspapers, and it adorns the sides of many city buses. TV is expensive so it's understandable that it's not "always on."

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 7:41pm

RE: Changing London or Broadway to the new tour staging, Really Useful Group is a co-producer of the those sit-down productions of "The Phantom of the Opera," so they'd have to be in agreement on that

I highly doubt they'd allow it to happen. It's one thing to experiment on the road, but I don't think they'd mess with the longest running and second-longest running productions in Broadway and London history.

Cameron Mackintosh owns/controls much more of "Les Miserables," which is why he was able to do what he's done to the London production.

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 8:53pm

How are it's grosses week to week? I hardly ever see it on TKTS when I am in town and I don't understand how they can afford to run a Thursday matinee. I recently attended one (against my will cus my BF wanted to see it) and the balcony was basically empty. The only seats full were the last few rows with a bus tour AKA the cheapest seats in the theatre and the sides were we were sitting. Even the mezzanine was only half filled

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 9:17pm

The difference between the new Phantom and the new Les Miserables is that with Les Miserables, Cam Mac is the sole producer. Phantom is a co production with Webber's Really Useful Group. The only reason why Cam Mac ditched the original production of Les Miserables in the West End post refurbishment was to save money. The original production of Les Miserables was done between him and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He simply didn't want to keep paying royalties to the RSC after so long, and used the refurbishment  as a good time to close the original and to put in the new production for which he is the sole producer of. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 10:11pm

PatrickDC said: "But all shows end eventually close."

Says who?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 10:36pm

Even though I don’t think I could ever sit through it again, it’s a classic and should run for a very long time. It’s incredibly well done and continues to delight people. For many, it’s their entrance into Broadway. If it closed at the Imperial, it would sadden me. It’s a touchstone of Broadway and it’s comforting to see it and all by all the folks queued up.

[ImAProphet]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 11:04pm

Scarlet Leigh said: "I hardly ever see it on TKTS when I am in town"

Really? I feel like it's there every time I look.

[Wick3]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 11:39pm

As long as NYC tourism numbers are high, Phantom of the Opera (POTO) will remain open. For many, it is their first Broadway musical and the logo has pretty much become a NYC icon.

I recall reading an article where it stated the POTO producers were thinking of pulling the plug back in 2002 (NYC tourism was down due to 9/11, recession, etc.) but luckily they did not. 

Though during Broadway's low season POTO doesn't sell out and is on TKTS, I've seen the show in recent years sold out during Broadway's busy season. This is just a guess but I think POTO probably partners with travel agencies and foreign tour groups so at the very least the show will make its weekly nut.

Out of curiosity, has POTO ever done any stunt casting in recent years? 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 11:45pm

Wick3 said: "Out of curiosity, has POTO ever done any stunt casting in recent years?"

I don't recall the Broadway production ever casting anyone who might be considered stunt casting, but Paul Stanley from KISS did do the original Toronto production towards the end of its run at the Pantages and then came a few months later to close out that production.

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 1/20/20 at 11:47pm

Bettyboy72 said: "Even though I don’t think I could ever sit through it again, it’s a classic and should run for a very long time. It’s incredibly well done and continues to delight people. For many, it’s their entrance into Broadway. If it closed at the Imperial, it would sadden me. It’s a touchstone of Broadway and it’s comforting to see it and all by all the folks queued up. "

Les Miserables played at the Imperal. Phantom is at The Majestic.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 12:33am

ImAProphet said: "Scarlet Leigh said: "I hardly ever see it on TKTS when I am in town"

Really? I feel like it's there every time I look."

Yeah. It's on TKTS all the time. 

[sparksatmidnight]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 6:20am

When Raoul sings "will you still play when all the rest of us are dead?" is a rethorical question. He and everyone knows it will. And I'm happy for it.

[Wick3]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 8:44am

AEA AGMA SM said: "Wick3 said: "Out of curiosity, has POTO ever done any stunt casting in recent years?"

I don't recall the Broadway production ever casting anyone who might be considered stunt casting, but Paul Stanley from KISS did do the original Toronto production towards the end of its run at the Pantages and then came a few months later to close out that production."

Thanks for this. I just asked the question since I think musicals tend to stunt cast when they feel they need to do so in order to keep the musical up and running.

 

[JennH]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 9:30am

AEA AGMA SM said: "Call_me_jorge said: "I’m curious if Cam Mac will do the same thing to Phantom that he did to Les Mis in the west end. Closing the original production and bringing in the much cheaper 25th anniversary production."

Despite that tour having cheaper looking costumes, it was not in reality all that much cheaper to run on the road than the original was. Many road houses actually had to do some refurbishment to their stage floors in order to support the weight of that massive rotating drum set piece. The IATSE locals in Tampa at the Straz Center told me that it was estimated at just under 10tons once fully assembled. It was also 20 trucks, which is only one or two less than the original had.

If anything, I predict that with the new tour ending its run in Toronto that we'll be seeing the current world tour of the "Brilliant Original" coming back to North America in a few years."

Wow, I missed this memo...literally had no idea the current US tour is closing at all. But yeah, I can't see an end for Broadway anytime soon. BUT...it will eventually. All things come to an end. It's just life, but for POTO, who knows WHEN that will be.