Phantom Closing?- Page 7

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 9/16/22 at 9:59pm

See my P.S. -- they fully intend to, and it's getting a new name.

[chernjam]

Posted: 9/16/22 at 10:04pm

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "...PART THREE:The minute they announced this murder mystery series for Peacock centered around a fictional live TV event of Phantom (in its first season at least), I saw in a flash what I think is going on. They'd just been handed -- or had engineered -- a gift-wrapped method to market the switch. Simply close the original production and end that contract, clean and clear; usethe TV show to build buzz, either around the "mildly modified" replica from London or a new one entirely as the "show within the show"; and reopenat a new venue on a smaller scale "because of public demand and the series' popularity." In other words, a little extra effort and assembly are required, but the same outcome as London.

I'll be very surprised if I'm wrong.

P.S. Look for an announcement that the Majestic is being renamed for Hal Prince, and thatCinderellawill succeedPhantom post-reno."

Ok - you've convinced me.  I was trying to figure out the closing on the heels of the murder mystery thing and this makes more sense now.  Especially if it takes a year or so for that to launch.  Although I'm pretty doubtful that this will actually close on Feb 18th.  Now we'll get a run on ticket sales.  If the advance builds and they can get through the winter months doing well, I can see this extending till the spring.  Maybe plan the closing with the Tony's or something.

Considering how when the movie version debuted that re-invigorated ticket sales, and this is the only "brilliant original" original still playing, it's hard to imagine it shuttering this February.

[Anastasia_Beaverhausen]

Posted: 9/16/22 at 10:15pm

Bought a ticket this afternoon for a date in December. Went back in now and some of the ticket prices have nearly doubled. All the front seats that were orange are now blue on Telecharge. $248! 

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/16/22 at 10:20pm

I made a thing... <3

Updated On: 9/16/22 at 10:20 PM

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 9/16/22 at 10:51pm

I hope they can restore the proscenium as well as everything else that’s been covered with black paint for the last 3 1/2 decades! I also agree, this theatre MUST be renamed the Hal Prince Theatre! TBH, they should’ve done that years ago while he was still alive!

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 9/16/22 at 11:11pm

jacobsnchz14 said: "I made a thing... <3

"

That's what I call manifesting it! Universe, ya listening?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/16/22 at 11:13pm

How many weeks can they shut down if they want to move theatres and still count performances as part of the original run? I’m trying to think of other examples and the only recent ones that come to mind are Mamma Mia and particularly Beauty and the Beast which very similarly moved from the Palace to the Lunt, significantly downsized the physical production, and still continued to count performances as part of the original run. Is that not part of the plan in this instance?

[Fosse76]

Posted: 9/16/22 at 11:47pm

Dylan Smith4 said: "I hope they can restore the proscenium as well as everything else that’s been covered with black paint for the last 3 1/2 decades!"

I'm pretty sure they are contractually required for some aspects of restoration. 

[AKarp2013]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 12:33am

Per Cameron Mackintosh's recent statement, it's no great surprise that he has plans to bing Phantom back to Broadway in the not-too-distant future:

“As a producer you dream that a show will run forever. Indeed, my production of Andrew’s Cats proudly declared for decades ‘Now and Forever.’  Yet ‘Phantom’ has surpassed that show’s extraordinary Broadway run. But all shows do finally close, and after considerable discussion between The Shuberts, The Really Useful Group, Andrew and myself, we concluded that the right time for ‘Phantom’ was after the show’s 35th birthday, on February 18 – a double celebration of ‘Phantom’s’ phenomenal success.

Gaston Leroux’s opera ghost may be disappearing for now, but there is no doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece will continue to enchant audiences in London and around the world – and one day will return to Broadway.”

As much as I will miss this beautiful production, if the show is going to close only to just come back in a scaled down version, I can accept it as long as it's the current production playing in London rather than the Lawrence Connor-helmed production that toured the US in 2013 and scheduled to open in Melbourne later this year. Despite a modified set and smaller orchestra, it's still recognizably the Phantom I know and love.

Updated On: 9/17/22 at 12:33 AM

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 12:40am

Will the video in the TOFT archive become available for general viewing, or do we think it will remain restricted? 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 12:46am

How different / small is the London version? I’d also love to know how much more money ALW and Cam will get now? Is it a significant amount? 
 

If they picked a smaller theater and made it feel and look like the Paris opera house that would be pretty cool. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 1:17am

I wonder if they could film the final performance, like with RENT.

Updated On: 9/17/22 at 01:17 AM

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 3:50am

Maybe there is another story here, but I tend to take the simplest explanation. I can believe the show was losing the amounts quoted in the various news articles. Some years ago, about fifteen to be exact, I was a lowly intern working for the GM of a large, hit musical in NYC. Our show had long since paid back its capitalization, but it still had weekly operating costs of about 700-800K. It had a large cast, large orchestra; very similar to Phantom. I'm not saying Phantom cost as much to run back then, but it was probably pretty close. Remember this was fifteen years ago. It's conceivable that Phantom's weekly operating costs are closer to a million dollars now, especially with inflation, than the half million to three quarters of a million folks around here seem to be suggesting. In that case, it is no surprise that the show is losing money. These hit broadway shows don't sit on piles of cash to get through a lean winter, etc. While there is a reserve fund, they probably looked at the books and said, "We're treading water during the summer, and we lost money last winter and will when it comes again, it's time to close." It's as simple as that. No show lasts forever. Maybe it'll play the extension game? If they're able to get some more cash out of it by doing that, I don't blame them. But, overall, I think the situation is simple. It's losing money so it has to close. I don't think folks appreciate how expensive it is to run a Broadway show these days. I was shocked to learn Music Man still hadn't recouped! I thought for sure, even with whatever Jackman's salary is, it should have recouped in about six months with its three million dollar grosses!

[oknazevad]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 5:01am

And another thing that was mentioned some when the London changes were made was that many of the significant moving parts of the show's set are getting very worn out after three and a half decades of constant use. That means more frequent and more involved maintenance calls for stagehands to fix things. More hands doing significantly longer hours is a significant cost, one that's only been increasing. Basically, after all this time, it needs to shut down for set renovation no matter what.

[Wick3]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 8:41am

“It grossed $867,997 during the week ending Sept. 11, which is decent but not good enough to sustain a run of a musical of this scale (with a large cast and large orchestra and elaborate set, all of which drive up running costs).” -NYT article 

I always thought the low numbers during the winter was due to lack of foreign tourists plus the whole mask mandate. I definitely saw a ton of tourists this past summer and I guess Phantom thought grosses would be higher without any vaccine/mask mandate. If Phantom hired more swings in case a cast member is out due to covid, then that would increase costs. Plus Covid tests are not cheap either.

I liked watching Phantom throughout these years since it always gave me a sense of nostalgia on how Broadway was back in the 1980s. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 9:13am

I just pray that the Laurence Connor production doesn't come anywhere near Broadway. That production is an abomination in every sense of the word. Tacky, cheap, garish... I would rather have no Phantom on Broadway than a cheap knockoff production.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 9:52am

Fun fact: Cameron Mackintosh originally rejected the Majestic for Phantom. The Martin Beck or Minskoff were considered most likely options. https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/18/theater/shuberts-are-rejected-on-phantom-of-opera.html
 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 10:49am

The fandom for this show is deep. Ticket sales for the last few weeks are already limited.

[Wick3]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 10:59am

I still remember listening to the double CD of Phantom again and again back in the 90s. I plan to watch this production (the way Hal Prince and his creative team envisioned it) one last time.

I gave it more thought and I'm also guessing the backstage folks who have been with the production since 1988 may be too 'expensive' now in terms of salary (whereas producer Cameron Mackintosh has net worth of roughly $1 billion.)

 

Updated On: 9/17/22 at 10:59 AM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 11:26am

ACL2006 said: "The fandom for this show is deep. Ticket sales for the last few weeks are already limited."

My heart goes out to all the Phantomites who are heartbroken over the news of the show's closing. I went through this in 1970 when HELLO, DOLLY! closed. (I lost my appetite for several days). However, it's not the end: there are glorious revivals to come and thousands of memories to cherish.

 

Updated On: 9/17/22 at 11:26 AM

[Lot666]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 11:30am

Phantom4ever said: "Ughhhhhhhh Lot666 you just made me cry at work! Dang! I haven't cancelled my December airfare but I did cancel my hotel. Maybe I could go see it again at Christmas, perhaps a couple times. I suppose for the rest of my life I will wish I could make such a trip."

I'm sorry, but it's clear to me that we're kindred spirits when it comes to this show and I already live with too many regrets in my life. My husband is constantly reminding me of the RENT mantra, "No day but today". Consequently, we flew to London to attend the final performance by the original cast (Karimloo/Boggess) of Love Never Dies at the Adelphi, and then returned to London to attend two of the three 25th anniversary performances at the Royal Albert Hall. We flew to Las Vegas to attend the last two performances of Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular, when that production closed. We attended the Broadway 25th and 30th anniversary performances, as well as the post-pandemic opening night performance at the Majestic. If I can get tickets, I will be at the 35th anniversary in January and the final performance in February.

[joevitus]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 1:47pm

Don't really get the antagonism towards Mackintosh in this instance (or with Les Miz). Both Les Miz and Phantom ran so long in their original forms; it isn't like he started economizing instantly. It's hardly surprising that at some point he'd decide to scale down, as demand decreases while expenses continue to rise. That's how producing works. 

I totally get people hating the cheaper versions, but no one is obliged to go. And his personal finances are not a part of this. You don't sink your personal fortune in show business; it's like the golden rule of theater (there's even a joke about it in Annie Get Your Gun). Is he actually supposed to pour his own personal savings into shows so that people who have already seen them 10, 20, 30 times can keep going indefinitely, seeing them exactly as they saw them....for almost forty years already? 

I understand the emotions about a long-running show closing. I had that with A Chorus Line. I can sorta feel that with Phantom, even though I've never liked the show. But it's been around forever. I was a high school senior when it opened on Broadway, and I remember the national buzz over it (and of course I bought the cast recording). For years, it was such a BIG DEAL. And then it just became a quiet constant. And for a long time now, it's just been there.

So it's tough to see the show close--and I really think it's closing for good. I don't buy there's going to be a cheaper version in this case because, unlike in London, ALW doesn't own the Majestic. Yeah, another theater could want whatever money they could get from it that still remains, but I don't see that as the sure thing others do. There will certainly be tours and revivals. But shows close. Oklahoma! closed. Hello, Dolly! closed. Fiddler closed. Annie closed. A Chorus Line closed. Cats closed. It happens. Yes, it's an end of an era, and there's a sense of loss even with a show that didn't mean much to you, and much, much MUCH more when it did. It's a loss. But eventually, it happens.

 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 2:00pm

joevitus said: "Don't really get the antagonism towards Mackintosh in this instance (or with Les Miz). Both Les Miz and Phantom ran so long in their original forms; it isn't like he started economizing instantly. It's hardly surprising that at some point he'd decide to scale down, as demand decreases while expenses continue to rise. That's how producing works.
"

Not when you're doing so to directly screw people out of their rightfully deserved royalties and increase your personal revenue. Rest assured that even though costs went up through the years, Cam Mack's cut has always been consistent. Reducing the royalties to Prince, Lynne, Bjornson's estates is a means to enrich himself, not to continue the legacy of the show. Phantom was not bleeding money necessitating this closure or London's transition to the cheaper production.

Lest we forget when he attempted to buy her out of stake in Cats and it's choreography a few years before her death and how upset she was when Blankenbuehler was brought on to choreograph the revival again as a means to cut her royalties on the project. And again how she was not AT ALL credited on the movie. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 2:04pm

Exactly. He's kicking people out of their 35 year old job just to get himself more money. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 9/17/22 at 2:23pm

RippedMan said: "Exactly. He's kicking people out of their 35 year old job just to get himself more money."

But...no one in theater can expect their job to last forever. He employed them for 35 years, which is extremely rare, and extremely lucky for them. 

I can't speak to the estate issues. If Prince or Bjornson or Lynne were alive, I'd see an issue. But really? He owes their kids and grandkids an easy living? And won't they have an easy life just based on the money already generated?

It just seems a bit silly. 

Updated On: 9/17/22 at 02:23 PM