Phantom of the Opera will end a 35-year run on Broadway this weekend. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

By Rob Mahon

Phantom's Final Curtain

‘It sticks with you:’ Local director reflects on impact of iconic Broadway musical before final show

Apr 21, 2023 | 12:00 PM

Whether you’re a fan of musical theatre or not, chances are you know about the long-running Broadway staple Phantom of the Opera. The iconic show is finally set for its final curtain, however.

After a 35-year-run as one of the most well-known musicals ever, Phantom of the Opera will be shown on Broadway for the last time this coming weekend. This will end an incredible run for the show, one that inspired performs around the world, including in Prince Albert.

“I think when you can look at something that has been running for that long, the amount of careers in performance that has touched is phenomenal,” said Roxanne Dicke, who is the general manager of the EA Rawlinson Centre and is heavily involved in the theatre community in Prince Albert. “It’s also very telling about an incredible ability of storytelling, because that story didn’t get tired.”

People did indeed keep coming back to Phantom of the Opera, to the tune of over $1 billion over its amazing run. But it’s less the money and more the enduring enthusiasm from its fans (who supported nearly 14,000 performances) that interests Dicke.

“That’s really what we search for,” said Dicke. “We want to have a story that we can relate to or that inspires us in some way. It’s a very well-crafted musical and it makes sense to me that it was able to run that long.”

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Certain musicals have managed to reach even people who are not fans of musical theatre in one form or another. For many people, the way Phantom of the Opera achieved that was through its music, which is known well beyond Broadway. The soundtrack sold gangbusters, and is still the aspect of the show that most people are most familiar with.

“It’s something so recognizable,” said Dicke. “That becomes a refrain of our community that can recognize that and know the feeling they’re trying to achieve in that song. It’s a beautiful love story, and that lives on.”

For Dicke, this doesn’t necessarily mean the full stop of the show. There have already been movie adaptions of the play, most recently in 2004. Though she acknowledged the show “needs a rest for a while”, a show this popular for this long is almost certain to come back one day.

“It is a keeper, and it will come back some day,” Dicke said.

The show is set to close on Sunday, April 23.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP