'The Phantom of the Opera' to close on Broadway next year

NEW YORK (AP) — "The Phantom of the Opera" — Broadway's longest-running show — is scheduled to close in February 2023, a victim of post-pandemic softening in theater attendance in New York.

The musical — a fixture on Broadway since 1988, weathering recessions, war and cultural shifts — will play its final performance on Broadway in February.

The first production opened in London in 1986 and since then the show has been seen by more than 145 million people in 183 cities.

The closure was first reported by the New York Post.

A spokesperson says the closing will come less than a month after its 35th anniversary.

Share this article: