Inside THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA's Epic, Final Fundraising Appeal for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

The Phantom of the Opera is quickly approaching its final performance at the Majestic Theatre, where it will conclude its epic 35-year run on April 16. Over the weekend, the show made its final fundraising appeal for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Executive Director Tom Viola writes about the epic night below!

As has been well-documented in the press and across social media everywhere, the last few months at PHANTOM since the announcement of its final performance at 5:00pm on Sunday, April 16 have been jammed, sold out, filled with exuberant audiences coming back for a final dose of "the Music of the Night" or determined to experience for the first time Lloyd Webber's extraordinary "Masquerade" at the Paris Opera before "the Point of No Return." (I really worked that....)

Happily, the appeals made from the stage at PHANTOM by the Phantom on behalf of the entire company elicited a quite surprising, similar response. For years, PHANTOM has done well always raising above $100,000 in past Fall and Spring Fundraising Campaigns from the appeals and the sale of signed posters, Playbills and various small props. Last fall, following the then just made closing announcement PHANTOM raised an astounding $416,379 in the six week campaign, taking the Broadway Musical Top Fundraising Award nearly doubling First Runner-up HAMILTON's $217,652 (with THE MUSIC MAN being in an all-time record breaking category all its own.) Signed posters that sold for $80 the previous spring were now commanding $300 each with the cast signing over 500 to meet the demand.

Last night was the final appeal at The Phantom of the Opera.

After over 30 years of participation in the appeals and fundraising leading up to dozens of EASTER BONNET and RED BUCKET FOLLIES performances, this "was it." I wanted to be part of last night's Red Bucket team of volunteers to mark for myself this milestone, to experience this campaign's specific madness one more time and to be present as a way personally to remember and quietly thank without the usual fanfare all who have made the over $7.6 million raised by the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera possible.

In fact, there was no "quiet" about it.

The company had signed 500 PHANTOM posters just before this current campaign began. Even selling at $300 apiece, all 500 were sold out days ago. A special PHANTOM tote bag was quickly made and ordered. They arrived (a few days late) on Friday, selling for $20 each. Over 300 were sold between the Friday night and Saturday's matinee performances. There were nearly 600 to sell last night. I figured we'd sell 200 or so and hold the rest for next September's FLEA MARKET. Nope. With Ben Crawford starring as the Phantom, announcing from the stage that this would be the last appeal at PHANTOM audiences rushed to wherever they could spot a red bucket, making donations but clamoring for the totes. By the time audiences were gone and the lobby empty, between myself and the four other volunteers, there were 20 bags left. Over 580 tote bags sold in 15 minutes. People were donating $100 and saying "I don't need change." It was nuts. Wonderfully nuts.

But that wasn't all.

Yesterday afternoon, I received a text from the PHANTOM stage managers letting me know that they had found a spare "monkey music box" in the bowels of the theatre. They proposed that Ben Crawford, Emilie Kouatchou and Paul Adam Schaefer - "the Phantom, Christine and Raoul" - would sign it and offered for sale as part of this last appeal for $10,000. No auction, no bargaining. For $10,000 "it's yours." I loved the idea but suggested if it didn't sell, we'd have a fabulous, signed PHANTOM music box also for the Grand Auction of the coming Flea Market.

And then it sold. For $10,000 from the stage of the Majestic to a lovely woman thrilled to have it and make this remarkable donation on behalf of the company of PHANTOM to Broadway Cares.

With PHANTOM closing on April 16th, before the BONNET performances on Monday, April 24th and Tuesday, April 25th, it was determined that with all the company would have going on in the final weeks they would participate in the first three weeks of this spring campaign, wrapping up last night. While final fundraising tallies won't be announced until the BONNET awards performance on Tuesday the 25th, even without this weekend's phenomenal fundraising, PHANTOM has well-surpassed $200,000, easily beating the first three weeks or half of the $416,000 raised in six weeks last fall.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. $7.6 million raised for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

There has always been a very special connection between the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera and Broadway Cares. When PHANTOM exploded onto the scene January of '88, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS had just come into being. We were as tentative and tender as PHANTON was this massive hit. Over these last 35 years Broadway Cares has grown and thrived much thanks to PHANTOM's enduring support. PHANTOM first set the example across Broadway and for hundreds of shows to follow of how good fortune can be shared with those who need help and long for the same.

My thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cameron Mackintosh and the thousands of theatre professionals at the Majestic who have stood by us for so long. Last night was a fine and fitting finale!

-Tom Viola, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Executive Director