Andrew Lloyd Webber Pens Essay on THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Closing & the Future of Broadway

In an essay for the New York Times, Andrew Lloyd Webber shared his thoughts on The Phantom of the Opera Closing, the current state of Broadway, it's future, and more.

Yesterday, on April 16, 2023, Broadway's longest-running show ever, The Phantom of the Opera, took its final Broadway bow after an unprecedented 35-year run and 13,981 performances. The production was previously set to close on February 18, 2023, but was extened due to incredible demand for tickets in the show's final months.

In the essay, Andrew Lloyd Webber stated, "It's a personal loss to see the close of this wonderful creation, the last Hal Prince production on Broadway, with its almost 30-piece orchestra and one of the grandest designs that have ever been seen in the theater. The irony is that this past season was its best ever. Perhaps it will rise again."

About the current state of Broadway, Webber shared, "I truly don't know the answer to the ever-daunting challenges of producing Broadway musicals. But I do know that all of us who believe in Broadway must knock our heads together if we care about the kind of future it will have. Shows like "The Lion King," "Hamilton" and "Phantom" are the exception, not the rule."

Widely considered one of the most beautiful and spectacular productions in history, the blockbuster phenomenon The Phantom of the Opera set the bar with its lavish sets and costumes, large cast and Broadway's largest orchestra - a perfect match for its sumptuous score and classic love story.

The Phantom of the Opera continues to play around the world. The flagship London production, which celebrated its 36th anniversary on October 9, continues to play stronger than ever post-Covid, with no end in sight. PHANTOM is also currently playing in Japan, Greece and Sweden, and has productions opening this month in South Korea and Prague, as well as its highly anticipated premiere in Italy this July. Cameron Mackintosh's other reimagined production of The Phantom of the Opera has broken box office records across the UK and the U.S., most recently at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and will open in Vienna in 2024.