I honestly think that when it comes to talking about what shows will be around within the next decade, I feel that it is way to soon to even consider putting Hamilton on that list. I say this because the show literally just opened. And, while ticket sales are booming and it's become a "must see show," the big question is that once the dust settles from all this, how much longer can it go on? I am not saying it's a good show or bad or not even worthy of the hype, I haven't seen it yet so I can't tell. But, I just am saying that it is way too early to tell with regards to the show having a lengthy run.
As for Phantom, I do enjoy going back to that show every so often. And, I do think that it's an amazing thing that Hal Prince is still very hands on over the years and makes frequent trips to the show to keep it in top form. That's not, I feel, something that a lot of directors do with long runners, specially one that's been running close to thirty years. As much as I love Phantom, I still jokingly call it a living tourist trap. People who are visiting are more likely going to spend their money on a show that they have heard of. And, Phantom, for many visiting is that show. I have always felt that the ongoing pattern for it is that it does pretty good business during the high tourist season of the summer and holiday time, to help it sustain itself during the quieter times of the year.
I also don't know if I could compare Hamilton to The Producers. The Producers biggest downfall was that rather than having replacements put their own spin on the roles, Stroman and co wanted them to essentially copy Lane and Brodrick. I think that if they didn't require whoever was playing Leo and Max to do that, it would have been better perhaps for longer.
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