Phantom Closing? — Page 30

I mean, it’s a bit silly to dismiss the notion that there are some truly off-kilter Phantom fans out there. The same goes for Wicked, or basically any show that has a long history with really strong fan bases.

Or anything, really - Lady Gaga has some truly incredible fans, she also has some who are unstable and send death threats or hate mail to her peers. It’s not a Phantom-specific situation, it’s just what happens when something has broad and long-lasting appeal.


Not so much diagnosing but just saying it’s a reality. The idea of mental illness is not an insult, but people are allowed to react to unwell actions and behavior.

defenses said: "What is going on here? Like I posted earlier, no one is forcing you to read or comment. If you don't like Phantom, why are you wasting your time on this thread?"

Don't feed the trolls.

Well anyway!

Yes Emilie was back on last night and she was absolutely divine in the role, as usual. One of the few actresses I’ve seen who portray the fear Christine should have of the Phantom, it really makes her performance stand out. I’d say she’s the “most scared” Christine I’ve seen haha. And I love it. And her “Wishing…” is just incredible. Easily one of the best, if not the best, I’ve heard.

I was also very lucky to see Janinah Burnett as Carlotta last night, this afternoon, and supposedly tonight as well! She had the most unique voice I’ve ever heard sing the role, and she plays it so much more soft spoken. Makes the character come off like less of an annoying demanding Prima Donna…maybe after seeing it a third time I can better articulate my thoughts on the way she played the role. But she’s wonderful.



Last night Ben was his usual self. I won lottery tickets so was in the second row. It does help to be able to see some of his faces and at least helps it seem like he’s trying to do *something*. But there’s still too many fundamental problems with so many aspects of the way that he plays the role.

Now last night his voice was its average self. But after hearing this afternoon I will honestly be shocked if he ends up performing tonight. His voice was incredibly unstable, shakey, and strained. That weird “gurgle” sound his voice gets when it’s getting harsh or pushing too hard was showing EVERYWHERE. This was by and far the worst I’ve heard of his voice by a long shot, and he seemed to have an underlying look of feeling a bit displeased/unhappy at the curtain call.

He shouldn’t have performed and again I will be shocked, and yet extremely intrigued if he does end up performing to see what kind of vocal performance he turns in.

Additionally, I was talking to someone who has been frequenting the show multiple times a week in the past several months, and they told me that they had spoken to some folks who claimed to have heard that apparently Ben says he’s just doing the role for the money at this point, which I’d say his performance certainly gives credence to that.

I actually softened on Ben after last weekend, his voice was in much stronger shape and I started to feel that getting to see how wildly different he was show to show, from both an acting and singing standpoint, was kind of fascinating. But then he gave that performance he gave today and I am back to feeling quite irked by all of it.

Well, we will know in about an hour if this afternoon was enough to cause him to call out or if he’s going to try and tough it out through the evening. If he does try I’ll be very curious to hear what the results of that will be like…

I wonder if this is what it was like seeing Martin Smith in the role lol

Updated On: 3/12/23 at 06:28 PM

If you can't tell the difference between accepting that shows close and actively calling on one to as the poster in question was, then I don't know what to tell you.

Death is inevitable too. Telling someone they should die or actively rooting for them to do so isn't considered acceptable, is it?

Has anyone done SRO recently for this show? How competitive is it and when is it sold?

A friend of mine just went last week and got a $79 partial view when the box office opened at 10am. Standing room can be a bit trickier, since they WILL wait until the show is fully sold out. If that hasn't happened, I've had luck about an hour before curtain (monitoring available seats though, as I sometimes work in the area). As the show gets closer to closing though, being there when the box office opens seems like it will be more necessary to snag standing room (a quick glance at telecharge shows tonight's and tomorrow's performances have no availability)

Nehal has secured his next role.

https://playbill.com/article/snls-alex-moffat-nehal-joshi-dana-steingold-join-broadways-the-cottage

Wow. Currently on Telecharge there is not one ticket available for remaining performances less than $318. Not sure I've ever seen that, even for Hamilton.

Hello does anyone know if Phantom is participating in the BCEFA collections and if they are selling and signed playbills or window cards? Thank you :)

https://www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/andrew-lloyd-webber-says-hes-already-thinking-about-the-phantom-of-the-opera-returning-to-broadway-even-as-it-prepares-to-close-62c5187d


This website won’t allow me to read the full article, anyone have any way to see the full thing? I want to see ALWs full quote.

Seems fitting they start teasing it’s return exactly a month to closing lol

I’m still crossing my fingers to check online one day and get to see this headline: “Ted Keegan to take over as The Phantom for the Broadway production’s final weeks”

Ah there it is:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-Teases-THE-PHANTOM-OF-THE-OPERA-May-Return-to-Broadway-20230315

poto19882023 said: "This website won’t allow me to read the full article, anyone have any way to see the full thing? I want to see ALWs full quote."

Glad to copy-paste!

Quote:

"Perhaps we won't have to say farewell to The Phantom of the Opera for long.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer behind Broadway's longest-running show, told MarketWatch that he expects the musical will return at some point after it ends its 35-year run on April 16.

'The Phantom sends me notes from time to time, saying he's quite in love with New York and he might not want to be away from Broadway,' Lloyd Webber said coyly in an interview on Tuesday.

The composer wouldn't provide any specific date that Phantom might return, though he said, 'I think it might be a good idea to maybe just rest for a little bit.'

Certainly, most popular Broadway shows -- and there are few as popular as Phantom -- are revived at some point. Les Misérables, for example, has come back twice since its 2003 closing.

But typically, revivals are not produced until at least a few years, if not at least a full decade, after the closing of the original production to let the demand for a return build. Industry insiders say it's possible that Phantom might not need to wait that long.

Mike Rafael, a veteran theater ticket-sales professional, said that Phantom came back solidly after a pandemic shut down -- the show was closed for 19 months -- and thinks producers could follow that playbook again.

'I think they learned from that,' Rafael said.

Since Phantom announced in September that it would be ending its record-breaking run, the show has seen its post-pandemic weekly grosses, which had been around $1 million, skyrocket to dizzying levels. For the week ending March 12, Phantom ran at full capacity and grossed $2.7 million, putting it far ahead of such perennially popular shows as Hamilton ($1.9 million), The Lion King ($1.6 million), and Wicked ($1.7 million).

All of which begs the question: Why close it now?

Lloyd Webber, whose Really Useful Theatre Company is listed as a main producer for the show, didn't speak to the reasons behind the decision. He did say, however, that the show's surging sales success goes beyond the fact it's scheduled to close soon.

Lloyd Webber said Phantom has tapped into a youthful fan base of late, noting that it's even found a following on TikTok.

"A load of young people have come to it through social media. They are a missing generation of Phantom," Lloyd Webber told MarketWatch. He added that the show's productions across the globe are selling strongly.

Cameron Mackintosh, another main producer of Phantom on Broadway, couldn't be reached for comment.

Phantom did extend its Broadway run once already -- it was originally scheduled to close in February. And while another extension could have been possible, Rafael said he thinks that those behind the show are conscious of going out on top rather than seeing sales slow over time.

'They're not trying to land a plane on fumes,' Rafael said."

My theory, for those who have forgotten as this thread has stretched on and on:

* They saw with the wildly redesigned and restaged 25th-anniversary tour's reception that, even though it sold well enough, they couldn't follow the path Cam Mack had already taken with Les Mis. There would be conniptions. Instead, they had to downsize the original production, and tweak it here and there, just different enough to end the royalty agreements and save them some money, 'cause Lord knows their pockets are hurtin' (/s), but just close enough that the broad ticket-buying public would think they were getting the genuine article because "iT lOoKs jUsT lIkE tHe oRiGiNaL." Thus, the birth of the downsized "Brilliant Original" tour and the adoption of the "Brilliant Original" tagline on the actual original stagings, the better to create an association in the public's mind and swap one for the other down the road.

* After the pandemic laid waste to what I understand were their original plans, and they had to handle the rollout differently, I think they spied an opportunity to get it right for Broadway after shoddily handling the UK switcheroo -- close it, give it at least one extension to milk the profits if the grosses went up, and then let it rest a while, during which time they take NBC up on their television offer. (Remember that being announced last fall? Pepperidge Farm remembers.)

* The gambit I feel they assume will work: the new TV show fans the flames of interest in the production, as they talk up all the elements that will be part of the "Brilliant Original" when it returns (new tech, fewer musicians "but still the same lush, melodic sound" [snort], mild restaging and touching up the designs), and then if The Show Must Go On is a rating juggernaut, roll out the red carpet because the "Brilliant Original" will make its grand return to the Great White Way.

Updated On: 3/15/23 at 12:21 PM