Sales of “Phantom of the Opera” explode after announcing a surprise closing

In the words of “Evita” by Andrew Lloyd Webber, “And the money kept flowing!”

Post Post First mentioned on Friday The composer’s “The Phantom of the Opera” will be closing on Broadway this winter after 35 years, producer Cameron McIntosh told The Post, and the show has racked up $2 million in ticket sales by 8 p.m.

“The hills come alive with the sounds of the night’s music!” McIntosh said on a phone call from London.

The producer pleased the box office boom and the outpouring of affection from fans around the world, even though The Post called off plans to announce it (the news was set to drop next week).

However, Phantom is definitely coming to a close in New York on February 18, shortly after a lavish party to celebrate its 35th anniversary.

“Everyone thinks these shows can go on forever, but you can’t run a big show with these margins anymore,” the producer said, adding that the $800,000 operating cost of Phantom has risen to $950,000 today. And that increase arrives during a very difficult time for Broadway.

“The 35-year-old race is even more miraculous when you think about how massive it is,” McIntosh said.

“There is a turning point in the life of any show,” he added. “The number of lost weeks was going up even before COVID.”

This might not be the last you’ll see from Phantom and Kristen Day. The producer said the musical might eventually return to Broadway in a different form.

“I’m sure ‘Phantom’ will be back at some point,” he said. “After I took off ‘Les Miz’, it came back twice!”

In over 13,000 shows since “Phantom” opened on January 26, 1988 at the Majestic Theater, its home to this day, it’s the longest running show on Broadway. Next in line is “Chicago,” which Mackintosh pointed out, much cheaper to run.

Although “Phantom,” a popular Broadway musical, ended its run in February, the British producer feels confident in a thriving future for Broadway and the West End. In the end.

“The encouraging thing is that there is still fantastic flexibility and determination to come to shows,” said McIntosh, whose London shows include “Phantom” (and he does well there, he said), “Hamilton,” “Les Miserables” and “Mary Poppins.” “.

“It’s going to be a bumpy ride, but people are attending!”