Will Phantom Ever Close?- Page 2

[James885]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 9:21am

Well eventually it'll close. When that will be is anyone's guess. It's still doing great business, so my estimate is that it's got 5-6 years left.

But like someone alreaday said, all shows will eventually close, and that includes Phantom, Mamma Mia, Rent, and even (gasp!) Wicked.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 10:05am

Yup, Hal goes back every now and then. I've heard his office is right across the street.

[Weez]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 10:11am

I hope so. There's no dignity in forcing a show to run forever if it's getting tired and slow and not entertaining anymore (WEST END PHANTOM, I'M LOOKING AT YOU!). And if you're going to keep it running forever, you need to keep it fresh. Yearly enforced cast changes, a la MOUSETRAP!

[jjoey076]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 6:36pm

I just think it would be better if it closed and the rights were available to community theatre. There at least would be a glimmer of life there.

Posted: 4/24/07 at 6:43pm

While, again I amd a minor fan of Phantom :P More than any of the other major 80s musicals for me its the one I have the least desire to see stripped of its Prince/Bjornson original production and I can't imagine ever ejoy being seen by a high school or community theatre...

E

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 6:55pm

I'm not the biggest fan of Phantom, and like Bythesword said, I would be far from sad if it closed tomorrow.

I still support it, but do wonder if it'll ever close.

If it does announce a closing date, I will most certaintly go back and see it a second time, but until then, I have no need to.

[Copeman63]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 7:36pm

A community theatre would be awful, are you high? I've seen a production of the other Phantom and their chandelier looked like a freakin' chinese lantern!

Saying it should close because it's successful is like saying the fit girl should gain weight, because it's not fair that she has such a nice body and you don't.

[ABSteel]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 7:47pm

I love Mousetrap!

Lacey Chabert and Gena Rowlands is in a Lifetime movie! My life is complete!!

[Sally]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 7:54pm

I like The Phantom of the Opera and will not be happy when it eventually closes.

I don't know about community theater, but I saw a well done high school production of Les Mis---and it did not come close to measuring up to a professional production. I dread seeing what amateurs will do to POTO, and I don't mean how they will manage the chandelier or other effects. I suppose others will disagree, but I think it takes some real pipes to pull off some of those songs.

Maybe some of you will get your wish and the bound-to-be-crap Phantom of Manhattan will help kill off the original.

[misschung]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 11:44pm

but now I think it's time for Phantom to drop the chandelier once and for all.

lol

[AnnaK<3LMIP]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 11:48pm

If community theatres do it, then high schools will do it. No 14 year old, 15 year old, or 17 year old girl can carry Christine. We learned that with Emmy.
And what high school boy can play the Phantom? Or Carlotta? Or Carlotta's husband (yeah he has a name, I forget it, sorry!)

[ggersten]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 11:58pm

I fell asleep at Phantom in SF.
Regardless, it needs to close, so in 2 years, it can win Best Revival.

[AnnaK<3LMIP]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 12:01am

Only if it stars Emmy.

[ChiChi]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 5:51pm

My stance on Phantom has always been a rather strange one.

I saw it first when I was in 9th grade. Id been dying to see it for years, as had the rest of my family. Wed seen Cats and Les Miserables and figured Phantom would be the most amazing thing ever.

When we got there, however, we were very unimpressed. I am not sure why. Maybe Id developed too many of the pre-conceived notions and when they werent met I lost interest.

As the years have gone on, however, I have developed a real appreciation for the piece both musically, and technically.

As far as whether or not it should close, I am not sure. Something tells me that a closure is not far off, especially since theyve essentially released the entire show (EVEN IF DIFFERENT) on DVD/BLURAY and have put together an entirely new production.

True it can be said that Les Miserables is surviving on the West End even after the televised concerts, DVDs and a newly designed tour, but I keep wondering how long this will remain the case.

I always figured that Les Mis would close first in London and survive longer on Broadway (not counting the Revival that could hardly be considered a revival.) Likewise, I will be interested to see which production of POTO will close first. Will it be Broadway or London?

I will say that I dont like the idea of the original Phantom closing any time soon, whether on Broadway or London. It already made me sad to know that the original production would no longer have a presence on the road. Its iconic. And not like Cats or A Chorus line were, but a REAL presence. To many Americans, Broadway is Phantom as it is all they have been exposed to.

Okay, maybe they all saw Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. But those are crap.

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 6:02pm

As a die-hard Phantom fan, it's pretty cool to read this thread again and see that all the Phantom-haters were predicting a closing date sometime in 2012. Well......it just pulled off another million dollar week, and the NY Times reported in February that its weekly nut is 600k. So it is doing more than ok.

I dont see the point in wishing so passionately that a show would close unless you think the show sends a dangerous message or something like that.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 6:06pm

Well......it just pulled off another million dollar week, and the NY Times reported in February that its weekly nut is 600k. So it is doing more than ok.

I just went back and looked at the grosses for 2012 out of curiosity, and so far this year, Phantom has either met it's weekly nut, or surpassed it. It has not gone below 600k this year. Pretty good.

[ChiChi]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 6:07pm

That's great. My weekly "nut" would only bring in a few cents.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 6:19pm

blimey, did this thread come from? It's been dormant since 2007?

Anyway you will get your answer when weekly nuts drop to about $400k a year.

[theaterisdead]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 6:43pm

It'll close. Of course, we'll all be dead then.

[NewYorkPulse24]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 7:16pm

This being one of the first Broadway shows I saw at a young age do think it is time for Phantom to wrap it up
Its been going for so long and made its mark on NY and history of theatre that I honestly think its ready

To me phantom is an icon of Broadway- like someone else said, Phantom to most IS broadway because its the only thing they have seen
And I too dont understand how it survived this long

But Phantom (as well as Mamma Mia, Chicago& Wicked) are now comfort pillows for people visiting NY. Because they were successful, they are willing to bet their money on these pieces only because they have heard of it. Whether coming from Texas or Italy, visiting theatre patrons would make a purchase of something they know of rather than say Once or Bonnie & Clyde or Parade (just throwing out random works)
And sometimes the lesser known pieces are actually better than what has a nationwide or worldwide name!

So it is the fact that this show- that has already been seen and enjoyed by so many- is in a way taking potential patrons from other shows that I think it should close

And I was there a few weeks ago and most of the audience were tourists from other countries and I personally would not get any fulfillment from working hard and doing a show night after night for people not fully understanding and experiencing the story trying to be told (Im sure most tourists dont follow all the lines and lyrics but rather think how pretty the music sounds and how amazing it is for candles to appear out of the ground)

As we all know most times the greater pieces of theatre dont get the attention they deserve while theyre alive
Im not even sure if it still feels like part of the theatre community anymore or rather an elderly person that just sits at home surviving on medicare
I think its time

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 7:33pm

So it is the fact that this show- that has already been seen and enjoyed by so many- is in a way taking potential patrons from other shows that I think it should close

I could not disagree more. There will always be big name shows that will attract more tourists and people than smaller shows. That does not mean they should close. I do not really care for Lion King and Wicked, but I do not think they should close just because people are opting to see them rather than Porgy and Bess or End of the Rainbow... With every type of entertainment industry whether it is Broadway, movies, or even books, there are bound to be the big draws that attract more people.

Im not even sure if it still feels like part of the theatre community anymore or rather an elderly person that just sits at home surviving on medicare
I think its time

I do not understand this comparison. How is Phantom like an elderly person on medicare when it is MAKING money pretty much every week? It's not like Phantom is like Chicago which is doing (bad) stunt casting to stay around.

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 10:00pm

Phantom is surely stil part of the theater community. It is part of the Broadway summer league at Central Park, and it takes part in all of the various concerts and charities that Broadway shows participate in.

As for the argument that the foreign tourists at Phantom don't understand what's going on....I would imagine tourists from overseas don't come all the way to New York just to see Phantom and go home. They do all sorts of things in New York (including other shows) that require an understanding of English. But we are supposed to believe when they walk into the Majestic, suddenly their command of English is gone, and simply because they're talking to their seatmates in their native tongue, they couldn't possibly understand English as well. Seems like a typical American argument to make since most Americans only know one language, it can be easy to assume that everybody else is like that too.

Another poster suggested that new shows are closing because people are choosing to see Phantom instead. By that logic, when that new show becomes popular, perhaps it, too should close because now people aren't buying tickets to the NEXT new show?

[Quiche2]

Posted: 7/27/12 at 10:05pm

No.

[Rabekriegerin]

Posted: 7/28/12 at 12:53am

I will be devastated when Phantom closes. Stunned into a moment of silence, shared with friends, a shake of the head and a few wondrous murmurs exchanged. Phantom has been on Broadway as long as I've been alive. I know, I'm a young 'un. Still, I associate the two with each other. It was Phantom that first sparked my love of musical theater, and Phantom that rekindled it recently as it faded. (Granted, that was the German Phantom, but let's not get too picky.) I can barely imagine the Great White Way without that iconic mask.

Sure, it will happen some day. But I'm certainly not pulling for that day to be anytime soon. And as long as I'm offering my annual Broadway "tours" of NYC to family/friends, I look forward to offering Phantom as a mainstay of the experience. For as long as it's still with us, however long that may be.

It is an old piece. Tired, perhaps. Outdated, even. Yet it breathes its magic, from time to time, and that is enough, and more than enough. May it live long.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 7/28/12 at 4:23am

"So it is the fact that this show- that has already been seen and enjoyed by so many- is in a way taking potential patrons from other shows that I think it should close."

I disagree with this statement. How is Phantom taking away potential patrons from other shows? All shows are different. People have different interests. One show does not cause another show to have less patrons. If people aren't interested in seeing a show, they won't see it, regardless if Phantom is open or not.