Phantom (Broadway) and Les Miz (London) - how many more years?

[MarkZoetrope]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 9:40am

The question is simple: how much longer can Phantom (New York) and Les Miz (London) run?

I know they both have the considerations of being big tourist attractions, but will they really survive well into their fourth decades?

Updated On: 8/9/15 at 09:40 AM

[theatremelvin94]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 11:18am

I actually haven't seen Phantom, partly because I know it will always be around, waiting for me...

[mattmarkowski99]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 11:48am

I still have yet to see Phantom and I will not see it until its closing night performance.

[ZellMorrowsPledge]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 12:01pm

Well Phantom hasn't aged at all so who knows

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 12:13pm

I've heard people say that the tri-state audience for Phantom was exhausted years ago. But think about it: today's teenagers and most twenty-somethings weren't even alive for the initial years of its run.  So there are new generations coming up for whom these shows are still quite new.  And yes, it's true, Phantom has not aged a bit. 

[eelw]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 1:08pm

But wonder why Les Mis has survived this entire time in London while it's had the initial run and a few revivals now on Broadway?  But will Phantom close first on the West End or Broadway?  Or would they close both together?

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 1:23pm

12 and 15 1/2.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 1:32pm

Whatever my personal feelings about the quality of the material (decidedly mediocre), Phantom has always been in top form whenever I've seen it. This is, no doubt, because Hal Prince still visits the show on a very regular basis (I think I read 3-4 times a year) and holds extensive notes sessions with the cast afterwards. 27 years in and he remains extremely invested in the show. 

They ran a very clever advertising campaign a few years ago that had adults who had first seen the show as children now returning with their own children, who were seeing it for the first time. I think the tag line was "Remember your first time." 

Updated On: 8/9/15 at 01:32 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 1:39pm

I think phantom4ever hit the nail on the head, there's loads of young people who still have yet to see it.

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 1:49pm

Phantom was my first Broadway show. I remember being a little girl and acting it out in my living room. We sat in the house seats thanks to a connection of a mom's coworker and I'll never forget the thrill when the chandelier swooped over my head. It's no longer get my favorite show, but I hope if I ever have children it's still playing so I can take them to see it. 

[theatremelvin94]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 2:25pm

I'm 21, and what has been said here is true. Many my age haven't seen Phantom. Back when I was a kid, I was more interested in seeing Cats (yes, Cats), The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and Wicked than I was in seeing Phantom.

[BroadMagTech]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 2:42pm

I think that we can only make inferences and speculate because as far as I am aware, West End grosses are not public unlike Broadway grosses. Where should we estimate Les Miz and Phantom lie among the other West End shows?

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 8/9/15 at 3:18pm

I've always loved the idea of Phantom being that singular show that ties together generations of Broadway theatergoers. The "Remember your first time" campaign ties into that personal hope of mine.

[dev101]

Posted: 8/10/15 at 3:41pm

It seems like Phantom is many new theatergoers' first show. After over 25 years the music is everywhere and it has its own "fandom" to keep it going. I think it will be around for a while.  

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 8/10/15 at 8:51pm

Phantom is the type of show that non-theatre-goer tourists eat up. They read or hear "It's the longest running Broadway show in history!" and assume that it's the best. I enjoy the show, though I do not believe that it can be said that it's really the best show playing in New York (I realize that art is subjective and people have opinions which I respect, but this seems to be the general consensus). As long as people think that longest running means highest quality, Phantom will stay open. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/10/15 at 10:45pm

I am betting that Phantom, The Lion King, Wicked, BOM, and Hamilton will all be with us in a decade.  And maybe Alladin, based on the current grosses as it closes in on two years (but too early to tell in the final analysis).

Even Chicago, which I always assume will not be around much longer because of the modest grosses, could be around a lot longer.  If you look at its annual grosses over time, it is not much different from where it was years ago.  I don't know how much the running costs increase year to year, but it has been at a steady level for years now...just closer to the margins (I seem to reall reading that it needed $450K a week or $23M per annum.  It has been grossing a lot more than that every year.  It may become the NYC equivalent to The Mousetrap.

I assume Jersey Boys will close soon if for no other reason to free up a theatre, given the long runs. (I assume AAIP, Fun Home, Something Rotten, Finding Neverland, Matilda and Kinky Boots will all still be running this time next year).

[krmbdwy]

Posted: 8/10/15 at 11:22pm

take that back "Phantom", "Jersey Boys", "Wicked", "Les Mis", "Aladdin", and "Lion King" aren't going anywhere.

[Lilly7]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 1:32pm

"Phantom is the type of show that non-theatre-goer tourists eat up. They read or hear "It's the longest running Broadway show in history!" and assume that it's the best."

Agree, especially those coming from foreign countries where English is not the primary language. Not only has Phantom and Les Mis been around for a long time but they both had movies and productions in different languages. There’s probably more appeal for them to see these shows than there is to see, let’s say, a show like Book of Mormon.

 

"

 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 1:43pm

Next time I visit NYC (maybe in December when there's the possibility of snow), I think I'll give "Phantom" a try.  In years past, I used to not give "Chicago" an afterthought, but now it's my favorite show.  I chuckled a bit when Jarethan stated that "Chicago" would have a long life, comparable to "The Mousetrap". 

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 1:51pm

"Next time I visit NYC (maybe in December when there's the possibility of snow), I think I'll give "Phantom" a try.  In years past, I used to not give "Chicago" an afterthought, but now it's my favorite show.  I chuckled a bit when Jarethan stated that "Chicago" would have a long life, comparable to "The Mousetrap"."

 

 

Do it! Despite what many people here say about the show, it's worth checking out at least once even if you can only walk away with the bragging right that you saw Broadway's Longest-Running Show. (I love the show, personally, so I ended up with quite a bit more than that.)

 

 

[Dave19]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 7:00am

"The Phantom of the Opera" has a certain class to it. The style, the music, the story, that I feel is getting more and more disconnected from today's youth. (Nicki Minaj generation). So I am really glad that it keeps on running. The world would be a bit less beautiful when it stops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated On: 8/12/15 at 07:00 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 9:22am

I recently saw the London production of Phantom for the first time and even though it's hardly one of my favorite shows, it still looks and sounds thrilling.  Watching it, I could see why it continues to bring in audiences and sustain itself.  Back in the 80s, it was a lush spectacle and a must-see destination show.  Now, it continues to be a lush spectacle and is one of those everyone-has-to-see-at-least-once classics.  The fact that the show has been preserved so well is a testament to Prince, the crew and the producers.  

 

By comparison on the same trip, the London production of The Lion King was looking pretty haggard with all but two members of the cast either phoning it in or given only the basics in direction (blocking, music and choreography).  Luckily, I had my fond memories of the original Broadway cast performing the first year in its run, so I don't mind closing the book on that show now.  I just feel bad for the people (like my boyfriend) who didn't get to experience the full glory of what was once a very impressive production.  Well, with the exception of the studio 54 disco hyena dance break which has never and will never look anything other than out of place and silly.  Why other moments in the show were cut, but not that ridiculous dance break will never make sense to me.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 6:46pm

Well I'd be willing to bet that at least the arial ballet in "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" was cut purely to save money. That's several extraordinary risk payments gone, probably a slight lowering in their insurance premiums, and possibly even a few crew members off of payroll (when I've done shows with actors flying those rigs were run by crew members who only did that, so I assume that the highly departmentalized crews you have at that level are operating the same). 

[mattporter17]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 6:56pm

I'd rather not start a new thread on this but will Hamilton be up there with Wicked Jersey Boys & Lion King in terms of how long it will run? How much better is it than In the Heights, because that closed even after a fantastic run. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 8:19pm

"take that back "Phantom", "Jersey Boys", "Wicked", "Les Mis", "Aladdin", and "Lion King" aren't going anywhere.

If you read the entire posting, you will see that I proposed that all but jersey Boys could very well be running in a decade (may be too early to tell re Aladdin, but the rest seem to be entrenched.  I think Jersey Boys is running out of steam

"