'The Phantom of the Opera' Leaves Broadway After 35 Years... Due to COVID-19 Impact

Last Performance in February Next Year
Performances Continue in London's West End and Australia

Musical 'The Phantom of the Opera' poster displayed in the Broadway theater district, New York State, USA [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] The musical "The Phantom of the Opera," beloved by Broadway, will close its curtains on the Broadway stage in the United States next February after a 35-year history.

On the 16th (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported that "The Phantom of the Opera" will hold its final performance on February 18th next year on the New York Broadway stage.

This decision comes as a result of the audience numbers not recovering after the performing arts industry was hit hard by the spread of COVID-19.

However, "The Phantom of the Opera" will continue to be staged in London's West End in the UK and in Australia.

"The Phantom of the Opera," a masterpiece by musical maestro Andrew Lloyd Webber, first premiered in London in 1986 and has been seen by over 145 million people in 183 cities worldwide.

It began performances on Broadway in 1988, attracting 19.8 million viewers and generating revenue of 1.3 billion dollars (approximately 18 trillion won).

It is also listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest-running show on Broadway.

In Korea, the musical was first performed in Korean in 2001, attracting 240,000 viewers at that time alone.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.