Since the reopening of Broadway, some shows have had difficulty in filling the theatres.  Once such show was the longest running musical in Broadway history – “The Phantom of the Opera”.  As a result, “Phantom” announced that they would be closing the show after 35 years at the end on February 18, 2023.

Since the announcement, “Phantom of the Opera” fans have been flocking to the theater to see the show.  Now, the show says that it has extended the show until April 13, 2023.  

Holding the record by several thousand shows, once the musical ends, it will have presented 13,981 performances.

“Phantom of the Opera” composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber spoke on the extension saying, “I am delighted that, after such an incredible reaction from audiences, “Phantom” at The Majestic is extending. If only the theatre wasn’t closing for a major refurbishment, we’d be there for an awful lot longer.  I would love to thank everyone who has made this extension possible, for our cast and crew, to our brilliant musicians and everyone at The Majestic Theatre.”

Over the years various actors have contracted to play the lead roles of the Phantom and Christine; currently Ben Crawford is in the role of the Phantom and Emilie Kouatchou plays Christine.


Once the show drops the curtain for the final time, the Majestic Theatre will undergo renovations.

Tickets for the extended shows will go on sale November 30 with the exception of April 14 which has been set aside for a special charity event and the final show on April 16.


While turkeys may have been parading up and down the street of Manhattan for Thanksgiving, there weren’t any such creatures on Broadway.  In fact, the 33 productions brought in the highest grossing week of the year with $37,475, 773 in ticket sales – over $5 million more than in 2019 before the onslaught of the Coronavirus when 30 productions were running.

“Phantom of the Opera” topped $2 million in ticket sales with $2.24 million – it’s highest in the show’s history.

“Funny Girl” was also among the biggest in ticket sales continue to soar since Lea Michele joined the cast.  With a capacity of over 90 percent, the musical grossed nearly $2 million in ticket sales.

“MJ” set a new record for the ninth week in a row, falling just short of the $2 million mark.

But “The Music Man” beat them all with $2.87 million in ticket sales.  “The Lion King”, “Wicked”, and “Hamilton” were also among the top five in ticket sales.

Fourteen of the 33 productions saw audience capacities of at least 90 percent with 16 of them earning at least $1 million in ticket sales.

Broadway shows earning at least $1 million during Thanksgiving week:
“The Music Man”
“The Lion King”
“Hamilton”
“Wicked”
“The Phantom of the Opera”
“MJ: The Musical”
“Funny Girl”
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”
“Aladdin”
“Beetlejuice”
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
“SIX: The Musical”
“The Book of Mormon”
“& Juliet”
“Into the Woods”
“Leopoldstadt”