NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — "The Phantom of the Opera," Broadway's longest-running show, will close next year, a spokesperson announced Friday.
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The spokesperson said that the show will close on Feb. 18, 2023 after it celebrates its 35th anniversary in January.
The show, which opened on Jan. 26, 1988, went on to win Best Musical at that year's Tony Awards and six other awards that night.
It is a costly musical to sustain, with elaborate sets and costumes as well as a large cast and orchestra. Box office grosses have fluctuated since the show reopened after the pandemic — going as high as over $1 million a week but also dropping to around $850,000. Last week, it hit $867,997 and producers may have seen the writing on the wall.
Based on a novel by Gaston Leroux, "Phantom" tells the story of a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House and falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine. Andrew Lloyd Webber's lavish songs include "Masquerade," Angel of Music," All I Ask of You" and "The Music of the Night."
The first production opened in London in 1986 and since then the show has been seen by more than 145 million people in 183 cities and performed in 17 languages over 70,000 performances. On Broadway alone, the musical has played more than 13,500 performances to 19 million people at The Majestic Theatre.
The closing of "Phantom" would mean the longest running show crown would go to "Chicago," which started in 1996. "The Lion King" is next, having begun performances in 1997.
Broadway took a pounding during the pandemic, with all theaters closed for more than 18 months. Breaking even usually requires a steady stream of tourists, especially to "Phantom."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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