How Long Will POTO Run? - Page 2

[JennH]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 9:30am

AEA AGMA SM said: "Call_me_jorge said: "I’m curious if Cam Mac will do the same thing to Phantom that he did to Les Mis in the west end. Closing the original production and bringing in the much cheaper 25th anniversary production."

Despite that tour having cheaper looking costumes, it was not in reality all that much cheaper to run on the road than the original was. Many road houses actually had to do some refurbishment to their stage floors in order to support the weight of that massive rotating drum set piece. The IATSE locals in Tampa at the Straz Center told me that it was estimated at just under 10tons once fully assembled. It was also 20 trucks, which is only one or two less than the original had.

If anything, I predict that with the new tour ending its run in Toronto that we'll be seeing the current world tour of the "Brilliant Original" coming back to North America in a few years."

Wow, I missed this memo...literally had no idea the current US tour is closing at all. But yeah, I can't see an end for Broadway anytime soon. BUT...it will eventually. All things come to an end. It's just life, but for POTO, who knows WHEN that will be.

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 2:16pm

sbflyfan said: "RE: Changing London or Broadway to the new tour staging, Really Useful Group is a co-producer of the those sit-down productions of "The Phantom of the Opera," so they'd have to be in agreement on that

I highly doubt they'd allow it to happen. It's one thing to experiment on the road, but I don't think they'd mess with the longest running and second-longest running productions in Broadway and London history.

Cameron Mackintosh owns/controls much more of "Les Miserables," which is why he was able to do what he's done to the London production."

I see this show literally every time I visit New York (which is typically 2-3 times per year), and it's always like visiting with an old and dear friend. Cameron Mackintosh will "curse the day" he ever manages to mess with this one.

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 2:23pm

Lot666 said: "Cameron Mackintosh will curse the day he ever manages to mess with this one."

Oh my. You sound just like the Phantom, honestly. 
 

 

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 2:33pm

PatrickDC said: "Lot666 said: "Cameron Mackintosh will curse the dayhe ever manages to mess with this one."

Oh my. You sound just like the Phantom, honestly.


"

Then my work here is done!

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 2:45pm

Islander_fan said: "The difference between the new Phantom and the new Les Miserables is that with Les Miserables, Cam Mac is the sole producer. Phantom is a co production with Webber's Really Useful Group. The only reason why Cam Mac ditched the original production of Les Miserables in the West End post refurbishment was to save money. The original production of Les Miserables was done between him and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He simply didn't want to keep paying royalties to the RSC after so long, and used the refurbishment as a good time to close the original and to put in the new production for which he is the sole producer of."

His company owns the theater, so his pretext for closing the original was a renovation of the theater. But I agree it was done so he didn't have to pay all these people royalties.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 3:45pm

Phantom of the Opera was my introduction to musical theatre and the reason why I love the art form today.  Is it the best show ever?  No.  But, if it can do to others what it did for me - then I say let it run forever. 

Updated On: 1/21/20 at 03:45 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 4:15pm

The Mousetrap has been playing in London for something like 68 years.  (Note: it is in a much smaller theatre than the enormous Majestic).  The Mousetrap is not very good, i.e.,, for those of you who have not seen it, it is really sub-par summer stock.  When I first saw it in 1982 or 1983, it was already a for-real tourist attraction, and that was 37 -38 years ago.

IMO there is no question that Phantom is a for-real tourist attraction in NYC.  It has been doing steady discounted business for probably the last 15 years or so, and always seems to have quieter periods followed by healthy ones.  If it is true that there is no stop clause, then individual weekly grosses don't really matter, as long as there are enough strong weeks to make up for the weak ones, which Phantom has had those far.  I am thinking that there will be at least a 40th anniversary celebration, probably a 50th, as long as tourism remains healthy.

The one that is even more amazing to me is Lion King.  It is doing much better business than Phantom was doing at this point in its run.  Beyond some dynamic pricing in slow periods, to the best of my knowledge it has never been on TKTS,  I have never received a mailing offering discounted prices, etc.  I suspect that it will be with us for at least 20  more years, unless some incredible cataclysm happens.  If Phantom ever does close, Lion King may eventually catch up with its run.  So, I guess that I expect both of them to outlast me (a healthy 69 year-old).

 

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 4:26pm

The fact that it is still running is quite a feat. I remember waiting in line at the box office the day tickets went on sale.  I think I gave up after 2+ hours with the line not moving at all.  I ended up working there about a week or so after the show officially opened.  I saw bits and pieces of it, but I never saw the show in its entirety or from a seat until 2014 when Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess were in it.

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 5:30pm

Is a stop clause common, or is Phantom a rare instance? I assume they can be negotiated after some time when a show looks to be a long-running hit. If that's so, I wonder if Wicked may have one with the Gershwin and Lion King at the Minskoff.  

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 5:41pm

PatrickDC said: "Is a stop clause common, or is Phantom a rare instance? I assume they can be negotiated after some time when a show looks to be a long-running hit. If that's so, I wonder if Wicked may have one with the Gershwin and Lion King at the Minskoff."

They are pretty standard. But Phantom was such a massive hit, plus the modifications needed for the show, the Shuberts were willing to exclude the clause. I believe Harry Potter is the only other show without a stop clause.

Phantom is a "brand" now, so much so it's the "safe" choice if you don't know what show to see because you aren't familiar with Broadway.

[Wick3]

Posted: 1/22/20 at 11:08pm

AEA AGMA SM said: "Wick3 said: "Out of curiosity, has POTO ever done any stunt casting in recent years?"

I don't recall the Broadway production ever casting anyone who might be considered stunt casting, but Paul Stanley from KISS did do the original Toronto production towards the end of its run at the Pantages and then came a few months later to close out that production."

As for stunt casting, do you guys think POTO on Broadway would ever cast James Corden as the Phantom? I've seen a few clips of him stating he always wanted to perform as Phantom in the musical (not sure if this is a real dream of his or if he's just kidding.)

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/23/20 at 8:20am

Wick3 said: "As for stunt casting, do you guys think POTO on Broadway would ever cast James Corden as the Phantom? I've seen a few clips of him stating he always wanted to perform as Phantom in the musical (not sure if this is a real dream of his or if he's just kidding.)"

I can't imagine that Andrew Lloyd Webber would ever allow such a thing, as it would turn the show into a parody of itself. That would surely be the end of it.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 1/23/20 at 8:40am

Lot666 said: "Wick3 said: "As for stunt casting, do you guys think POTO on Broadway would ever cast James Corden as the Phantom? I've seen a few clips of him stating he always wanted to perform as Phantom in the musical (not sure if this is a real dream of his or if he's just kidding.)"

I can't imagine that Andrew Lloyd Webber would ever allow such a thing, as it would turn the show into a parody of itself. That would surely be the end of it."

Besides, James Corden is even less of a singer than Gerard Butler. The Phantom has to be able to really sing, not merely carry a tune, especially on stage.

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/16/23 at 10:59pm

I guess we all know now how long POTO ran on Broadway. Dug this up but interesting to read what we all thought of POTO back in January 2020.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/16/23 at 11:02pm

And just a few weeks before Covid. An interesting thread to read through. 

[bear88]

Posted: 4/17/23 at 1:46am

Jarethan said: "The Mousetrap has been playing in London for something like 68 years. (Note: it is in a much smaller theatre than the enormous Majestic). The Mousetrap is not very good, i.e.,, for those of you who have not seen it, it is really sub-par summer stock. When I first saw it in 1982 or 1983, it was already a for-real tourist attraction, and that was 37 -38 years ago.

IMO there is no question that Phantom is a for-real tourist attraction in NYC. It has been doing steady discounted business for probably the last 15 years or so, and always seems to have quieter periods followed by healthy ones. If it is true that there is no stop clause,then individual weekly grosses don't reallymatter, as long as there are enough strong weeks to make up for the weak ones, which Phantom has had those far. I am thinking that there will be at least a 40th anniversary celebration, probably a 50th, as long as tourism remains healthy.

The one that is even more amazing to me is Lion King. It is doing much better business than Phantom was doing at this point in its run. Beyond some dynamic pricing in slow periods, to the best of my knowledge it has never been on TKTS, I have never received a mailing offering discounted prices, etc. I suspect that it will be with us for at least 20 more years, unless some incredible cataclysm happens. If Phantom ever does close, Lion King may eventually catch up with its run. So, I guess that I expect both of them to outlast me (a healthy 69 year-old).

 

No one called 2023 or any year at all, but Jarethan came the closest, I suppose, by saying the show would stick around as long as tourism remains healthy. And then the pandemic happened and the critical source of revenue for Phantom of the Opera - international tourists - dried up for a while. That was what struck me when I saw it last in 2017 and when I ever walked past the Majestic, that it was a show that relied to a large extent on overseas visitors to New York City who associated the show with Broadway - and didn't really need to understand English to enjoy. 

It ran in San Francisco for five years in the 1990s, which seem kind of unbelievable too.

Because Phantom never closed and was simply regarded as an institution, it never had much of a critical reassessment either. It was just always there - and is the only Broadway show I ever saw twice in New York City, albeit 26 years apart

And now, as Jarethan noted three years ago, it's The Lion King that seems invulnerable - even more of a powerhouse than Phantom at the same stage of its run.

Updated On: 4/17/23 at 01:46 AM