Phantom Post-COVID

In a NY Post article, ALW said the following about Phantom’s life on Broadway after the shutdown is over: “There are huge plans to remarket and refresh it.”

What does everyone think “remarket and refresh” means? For the sake of all that is good in the world, I hope this doesnt mean replacing Hal Prince’s staging with Cameron Mackintoshs awful new production that recently toured the U.S.

I saw PTO two days before the shutdown, and the show is in really good shape. The company knows exactly what theyre doing, and it didnt look like some older shows where everyone seems to simply be going through the motions. You could feel Ben Crawford and Eryn Lecroys sexual tension on stage.

If anything, maybe a big name like John Owen-Jones or Ramin Karimloo taking over under the mask. But please, do not touch Hal Princes staging!

Updated On: 3/22/20 at 04:47 PM

lukeworsham said: "For the sake of all that is good in the world, I hope this doesnt mean replacing Hal Princes staging with Cameron Mackintoshs awful new production that recently toured the U.S.


ALW wasn’t a fan of that production so I doubt we’ll see it again. The original production is touring the UK at the minute. He’s probably just going to go in and focus on tweaking anything that needs to be tweaked. Maybe giving the theatre a lick of paint?

Phantom4ever said: "CatsNY, what changes have you seen since Hal died? When I saw it in February, the only difference I saw was the new approach to Christine which I actually enjoyed."

Someone posted here the Phantom's make-up has been changed. I saw it in August and didn't notice a change but it may have been shortly after I saw it.

I'd love to see Rachel Zegler play Christine.

I think there could be a lot done to update it to today's standards. I thought a lot of the pryo was pretty ho-hum, and the mannequins in "Masquerade" were a bit obvious and think could be updated. The same for the dummy that falls from the rafters. I don't think they need to go, but I think they could be updated with today's technology and still not lose their original charm. Other than that I thought the show was in fantastic shape when I saw it last year.

One of the updates they could look into surely is new lighting. not to change the look of the piece, but to update it to cost efficient lights as I believe Phantom is one of the only shows on Broadway with the original lights still going, it must cost them alot monthly.



What i do dread however is them thinking maybe of moving to a smaller house now that they have 2 prototypes of the "brilliant original' that have been redesigned for smaller houses. I hope it does not come to this.

I also would like to think that they might be able to do some maintenance while everything is closed. Back in January I noticed what looked like some huge rips in the hannibal backdrop for example.

Jordan Catalano said: "It means he’s not going to let the show close and lose the “longest running” title. If he has to cash in his entire fortune and move into one of Sarah Brightman’s guest rooms in order to keep that show running, he will. "

That part.

Also, somewhat unrelated, but for those who defended Michael Riedel and said he isn’t a hack, he went from claiming the show would close due to the virus to confidently saying it would stay open, all within a week. 🙄

Justin D said: "One of the updates they could look into surely is new lighting. not to change the look of the piece, but to update it to cost efficient lights as I believe Phantom is one of the only shows on Broadway with the original lights still going, it must cost them alot monthly.


That is a good guess. When I dropped in on Chicago last fall, I was struck by the fact there wasn't a single LED, and certainly not a moving light, anywhere up there. And while both shows look lovely still, I wondered if some of the older shows on Bway would consider small upgrades. Hell, high school auditoriums now have more advance lighting technology!

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "Jordan Catalano said: "It means he’s not going to let the show close and lose the “longest running” title. If he has to cash in his entire fortune and move into one of Sarah Brightman’s guest rooms in order to keep that show running, he will. "

That part.

Also, somewhat unrelated, but for those who defended Michael Riedel and said he isn’t a hack, he went from claiming the show would close due to the virus to confidently saying it would stay open, allwithin a week. ?"

I don't care for Michael Riedel, and I never said he wasn't a hack, rather that it was foolish to discount everything he was saying simply because of it, especially since a lot of what he said made sense.

As far as Phantom is concerned, this is what he originally wrote on 4/12:

"The Phantom of the Opera,” Broadway’s longest-running show that draws heavily on foreign tourists, may well close down for good, sources said. But other sources say that Andrew Lloyd Webber is determined to keep “Phantom” open.

And this is what he wrote 4 hours later, after speaking to Andrew LLoyd Webber:

There were rumors that Broadway’s longest running show — “The Phantom of the Opera” — may have to close down for good. After 32 years, it’s dependent on the tourist trade, which will be thin for the next few months. But Andrew Lloyd Webber tells me that he has no intention of closing it. There are “huge plans to remarket and refresh it,” says Lloyd Webber, who plans to keep it open another 30 years.

You can see that he never contradicted himself, merely clarified when he had more information.

Updated On: 3/23/20 at 11:40 AM

Phantom4ever said: "Phantom’s original staging is so emotionally connected to me that words could never explain it. If they do anything to update it in the name of trendiness I don’t know what I’ll do."

Same here. If it ain't broke...

Phantom4ever said: "the only difference I saw was the new approach to Christine"

What do you mean by "the new approach"?

everythingtaboo said: "While I'd love if they could cut it down to the Vegas length, I know that would never happen. In lieu of that, I'd love if they could ind a way to put in amazing chandelier effect from the Vegas version, along with their special effects."

Please, please no.

There are other shows I plan to see when Broadway re-opens but I kind of decided that I am going to revisit Phantom first. Have been wanting to go back for a while anyway. It will be my second time seeing it at The Majestic. The first time I saw it, about a year or two after it opened, the show was really off. Saw it on tour and it was wonderful.