Report: The Phantom of the Opera May Be Readying an Off-Broadway Return- Page 3

[OuttaTowner]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 10:45am

Does anyone have any on ticket sales!

im guessing there will be matinees?

[starlightlocamotion]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 11:23am

The “abridged version” is likely the Vegas edit. Which works quite well. The live orchestra would be INCREDIBLY hard to manage with three casts performing the show at the same time in different rooms. There would be virtually no way for the conductor to follow all three casts & not run into major problems. 

[Kad]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 2:51pm

OuttaTowner said: "Does anyone have any on ticket sales!

im guessing there will be matinees?"

The production has yet to be formally announced so any questions like this can't be answered yet.

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 2:59pm

starlightlocamotion said: "The “abridged version” is likely the Vegas edit. Which works quite well. The live orchestra would be INCREDIBLY hard to manage with three casts performing the show at the same time in different rooms. There would be virtually no way for the conductor to follow all three casts & not run into major problems."

The Vegas production, among other edits, cut the Don Juan rehearsal scene, which has always been one of my favorites. And I get that managing a live orchestra for three companies would be virtually impossible, but Phantom is a sung-through musical and logistics don't negate the fact that an orchestra to play all that music is simply a must for me.

Updated On: 1/2/25 at 02:59 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 4:04pm

I am also disappointed by this new information. An abridged version with a pre-recorded orchestra and tickets starting at $200? One of the appeals of the original Phantom was that it was an enormous, over the top, and, above all, a populist show that everyone from snobby New York theatergoers to foreign tourists could enjoy. If these tidbits are true, the production is starting to sound more like an exclusive nightclub to have a quick drink at than the show I knew and loved.

[OuttaTowner]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 4:05pm

Just saw an article about this on musicalsdaily.com, where ALW is quoted as saying that the production will open on March 15.

This seems awfully soon…

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 5:29pm

On the other hand, this is the first time I’ve actually been excited about Phantom in years. The original production closed and I’m thrilled it’s receiving a different life. 

[Kad]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 6:02pm

I know that there are people here incredibly devoted to the original staging of the show, but I think it's better to see this as an entirely different thing from the Broadway production and adjust expectations accordingly. An immersive staging at the scale at which this seems to be is, for all intents and purposes, a different property with different demands.

The second rumors appeared that this was going to be a full-building immersive experience with a much smaller cast, it seemed pretty obvious that a live orchestra and unabridged version of the score were not going to be feasible or practical.

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 6:12pm

Any rumors on how are they going to tackle the chandelier crash ?

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 6:14pm

A recent flurry of posts indicate a March 15th start to previews, wheras the usually (and unfortunately) reliable content creator Sweaty Oracle claims this will start in August. Does anyone have any perspective as to whether or not I should be taking some extra work shifts so I can afford to see this in april?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 6:33pm

OuttaTowner said: "Just saw an article about this on musicalsdaily.com, where ALW is quoted as saying that the production will open on March 15.

This seems awfully soon…"

Previews start mid-March with the opening the first week of April. This is happening. 

Any rumors on how are they going to tackle the chandelier crash ?

Do not count on this being like the musical in a traditional theater. 

 

[Penna2]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 8:07pm

TotallyEffed said: "Jarethan said: "This seems wrong to me. The longer it is off-Broadway, the longer the delay is for a next Broadway production. I would imagine that much of the spectacle would be gone / diluted, and they are not going to have a lush orchestra. Mark me skeptical. It just doesn’t seem like the right strategic decision."


It’s a musical, not a religion."

Actually, it kind of is to many people.

Updated On: 1/2/25 at 08:07 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 8:10pm

I would imagine given the sketches we’ve seen and the permits, this won’t be ready by March. Have they even started any work? Who is directing? Who is designing?

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 8:45pm

“Actually, it kind of is to many people.”

 

and that’s the issue.

[singer234]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 8:52pm

I wonder if this would help or hurt American Psycho, which is looking to come to a club in Brooklyn next year. Could be fun to have two immersive horror musicals at once!

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/2/25 at 8:52pm

I've dreamed of doing Sweeney Todd or Rocky Horror in this kind of format for years. But a show as massively huge as Phantom? Either it's going to be extraordinary or it's going to leave people cold, and I'm fascinated to see which way it leans.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 1/3/25 at 1:08am

I have no idea how this will turn out, because at this point there is a blind-leading-the-blind aspect to it but I think if you are a person who wants to see first previews, I would hold off on buying tickets right now. (And I don't mean a couple of days. 

I also have heard (third hand, so take it as you will) that there is at least one major piece of  information about this undertaking that has not been announced and, if true, will eclipse all of the gripes that have been voiced by some in this thread. 

Anyone want to sell popcorn with me on 57th Street once Spring is in the air?

[OuttaTowner]

Posted: 1/3/25 at 10:18am

Have always been a big fan of Brooklyn Diner, next door to the new production venue. Our last visit there - before a matinee of Ragtime at City Center - was on Marathon Weekend. It was “scary” crowded with folks wedged into “extra” seating created where there likely should not have been. We waited around 30 minutes for a table at 11:30 am.
Anyway - I can only imagine what their queues will be like when Phantom opens next door. At least, come spring, they’ll be able to use their (limited) outdoor seating. 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/3/25 at 10:44am

Something tells me Marathon weekend and a nightly showing of immersive Phantom will be somewhat different in vibe at good ol’ Brooklyn Diner.

[thephantomlurker]

Posted: 1/3/25 at 2:27pm

HogansHero said: "I have no idea how this will turn out, because at this point there is a blind-leading-the-blind aspect to it but I think if you are a person who wants to see first previews, I would hold offon buying tickets right now. (And I don't mean a couple of days.
 

i'm not saying it will never happen, but i am convinced this entire project is an elaborate money laundering scheme and i will eat my hat if a single ticket is sold in 2025

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/3/25 at 3:06pm

thephantomlurker said: "i'm not saying it will never happen, but i am convinced this entire project is an elaborate money laundering scheme and i will eat my hat if a single ticket is sold in 2025"

By who? The Really Useful Group?

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/3/25 at 4:21pm

Let me guess: in the words of Nickelback, "lip sync 'em every night so we don't get 'em wrong?"

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/3/25 at 4:29pm

Please don't ever quote Nickelback because gross. 

i'm not saying it will never happen, but i am convinced this entire project is an elaborate money laundering scheme and i will eat my hat if a single ticket is sold in 2025

As long as you record yourself housing beanies and fedoras this Spring, I'm good with your weird ass take and hilarious plan.

 

[Kad]

Posted: 1/3/25 at 5:21pm

Those proposal documents use the term “scenic activation” for the rooftop graveyard scene, which seems to me to be an odd phrase to use in the context of immersive theater, even in a document like that. I’ve never seen “activation” used outside of the marketing world to describe larger scale interactive brand pop-ups. I’m wondering if this is going to be closer to an “experience” like Secret Cinema’s Stranger Things or Guardians of Galaxy ones than  things like Sleep No More, Life & Trust, or Third Rail’s productions. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/3/25 at 8:07pm

Sutton Ross said: "Please don't ever quote Nickelback because gross.

Hottest of hot takes: Nickelback is cringe, not bad. If they’d given their songs to Bon Jovi during his comeback, instead of trying to be a weird heartland grunge pop fusion, we’d say “Rockstar” was one of his best.