The Phantom of the Opera - His Majesty's Theatre

[rjschess]

Could this maybe be the new version? Just a little bit of EDi fun. Part of the #EDinBearFestival Hope you enjoy.

[Jon]

^BurlyBeaR is booking as we speak!

[phantom4ever]

I think we can all agree that the London Phantom is being replaced by the new international/UK tour, which one might call "the brilliant original--almost"

Pictures have been posted on various social media of the costumes and the chandelier being loaded out. Can anyone confirm (with pictures) other set pieces being loaded out? Because a lot of the old set pieces would still be used for the new international tour version. It makes sense to load the costumes out because they'll get dirty with all the painting and cleaning they're probably going to do. And of course the chandelier is being replaced with the cheaper tour version, so it makes sense for that to leave too.

Does anyone know if the same fate is coming to the New York Phantom?

[10642]

I think Broadway has much stronger unions and labour laws that make it very difficult to make changes to the production, eg if they wanted to use more automation to employ less crew members. Not sure of the specifics but I know productions in the past have had to hire more people/ use less automation in order to meet these laws. I think there’s also a requirement about a “house minimum” number of people in the orchestra for each theatre? May not be current but I’ve heard of shows having to re-orchestrate their music for a larger number of people when they move to Broadway

[couldileaveyou]

[anthony]

Really Useful Group have confirmed that the show is not closing and will remain unchanged. It is temporarily being closed to allow for works on the set: www.thestage.co.uk/news/news/exclusive-phantom-has-not-closed-for-good--really-useful-group?fbclid=IwAR3BkPE9m6UC7gfeXmzh3ihcxzmeLvGv0uUU4akVHGyrCIzDaEmQ8tRlsrU

The closure was originally planned to happen several years in the future, but it was found that work under the building was needed also, apparently. 

[theatremadness]

I cannot believe this would ever be part of a wider PR stunt. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing!

[indis]

reading it with the sentence "longest-running musical" , do they really want to deceive themselves?thats les Mis
dream on phantom, good that the show stays, but this is just a lie!#

alsoooo.. why saying it ends, today not, what is tomorrow? what is this bullsh...

[steve10086]

Jul 30, 2020 11:58:29 GMT indis said:

reading it with the sentence "longest-running musical" , do they really want to deceive themselves?thats les Mis

Yeah Les Mis, that closed, then re-opened with a new set and new creative team. Someone is definitely deceiving themselves...

[anthony]

Jul 30, 2020 11:58:29 GMT indis said:

reading it with the sentence "longest-running musical" , do they really want to deceive themselves?thats les Mis
dream on phantom, good that the show stays, but this is just a lie!#

alsoooo.. why saying it ends, today not, what is tomorrow? what is this bullsh...

Phantom technically became the longest running West End musical last month. Les Mis closed and reopened a new production. The lie is Mackintosh's les mis PR spin That's another discussion, though...

[indis]

and? Phantom is also closing and re-opening, so les mis is still longer running

[anthony]

Jul 30, 2020 12:04:43 GMT indis said:

and? Phantom is also closing and re-opening, so les mis is still longer running

Not entirely the point, but I'll bite: Phantom is closing after it overtook Les Mis' record. Phantom closing and reopening doesn't discard that feat.

[westendboy]

Jul 30, 2020 11:37:17 GMT couldileaveyou said:

Wait, so is it closing or not? It's a very he said, she said situation.

[steve10086]

Jul 30, 2020 12:04:43 GMT indis said:

and? Phantom is also closing and re-opening, so les mis is still longer running

If it re-opens after COVID in its original form then it remains the same production. Les Mis started from Day 1 when it reopened.

[indis]

why? its still les mis, just an other set - the show itself is the same

[anthony]

Jul 30, 2020 12:07:48 GMT indis said:

why? its still les mis, just an other set - the show itself is the same

Because it closed and reopened a with an entirely new production. Not sure if you're being purposefully obtuse or not.................

[steve10086]

Jul 30, 2020 12:07:48 GMT indis said:

why? its still les mis, just an other set - the show itself is the same

It’s not though, but it’s clear you don’t understand the difference, so we’ll leave it at that.

[indis]

yes, we should leave it, its still the same music, so its still Les Mis

[10642]

In reality both the original runs of Phantom and Les Mis had gaps. Les mis changed theatres several times and Phantom has closed a least once for a week to install new sound. What counts as continuously running, how big a gap can you have? Covid obviously interrupted all runs and with productions starting up at different times how does that affect longest running comparisons? If mouse trap reopens in october and les mis not until at least 2021 and phantom later... Do you pick an arbitrary date to count as the west end reopening and if a production hasn’t reopened it loses its run? Ultimately the whole longest running thing is just a marketing ploy and can be manipulated eg Cammack with Les Mis. Would be interesting if the World record was changed

[westendboy]

Does anyone have full access to the article from The Stage? What exactly have RUG said?

[indis]

Jul 30, 2020 12:09:19 GMT anthony said:

Jul 30, 2020 12:07:48 GMT indis said:

why? its still les mis, just an other set - the show itself is the same

Because it closed and reopened a with an entirely new production. Not sure if you're being purposefully obtuse or not.................

no need to be that inpolite , you have your view and i have mine!

the last time i was in this forum it was discussed it continues counting , so i am still counting too!

[Deleted]

Yes, finally. This is all it required. A transparent, official statement.

Jul 30, 2020 12:12:27 GMT westendboy said:

Does anyone have full access to the article from The Stage? What exactly have RUG said?

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group has moved to quash reports that The Phantom of the Opera has closed permanently and has insisted the “brilliant original” will be returning to the West End.

RUG president Jessica Koravos told The Stage that reports that Phantom had closed permanently, based on an interview Cameron Mackintosh gave to the Evening Standard, were wrong, and that the show was only being closed to allow works to be carried out to both the show’s set and the theatre where it has been performed for 34 years.

She said the musical would return unchanged, using the work of the original creative team, including director Hal Prince and designer Maria Björnson, and added that when the show returns it will “indisputably be the longest-running musical in the West End”.

“What Cameron was meaning to say is, we have closed down the production entity that has been that [production of] The Phantom of the Opera for 34 years, and closed down the physical production. Even before the pandemic hit, we were already in a process of going carefully through the physical production, some parts of it already having been decommissioned,” she said, adding: “There are systems in that set you could not get the replacement parts for me any more – they just aren’t made after 34 years.”

She said a period of closure was needed to renovate the physical production but RUG had anticipated that being “several years in the future, not immediate”.

“Then the pandemic happened and there was no way we would be able to finance two periods of closure,” she said.

She explained that, once work began to inspect the set, it transpired that the fabric of the building underneath also needed work.

“So we have two layers of work that need to happen - to build a whole new set, essentially, and to do repairs on the building, which we can’t get the full measure of until all the set is out,” she said.

Koravos also confirmed the musical would return to Her Majesty’s Theatre and that it would be the original version.

“We are in the process of designing and costing it now, but all the modern technology that exists now and didn’t 35 years ago will be incorporated. It will be Maria Björnson’s design, it will the original version. It is not a new version of the show – it will be the original Phantom,” she said, but added this would be the first production of the show to open without the involvement of the original creative team.

“A fourth challenge, in addition to the set, the building and pandemic is that most of the original creative team are dead, so this will be the first Phantom production that happens completely without the involvement of Hal Prince. But people who were his associates and were very involved and will step up into the lead positions,” she said. She said it was too early to say whether the returning production would have a reduced cast or band.

“I wish I could say it’s coming back and here’s when, but I can’t because of the layer of variables with the set and the building and the pandemic. But what I can say on behalf of RUG and Andrew is we will bring it back – we just can’t tell you when at this point in time,” she said.

Koravos also said no other show would come into the theatre before Phantom and that the venue would remain dark until then.

She also confirmed all contracts with the previous production had been terminated, including cast and crew, adding: “Unlike some other shows that can say they will reopen as soon as social distancing ends, we have these other issues which means we are not able to give people a date, and so could not in all good faith keep people hanging on for a genuinely unknown length of time.”

Last week, Lloyd Webber used his London Palladium to run a test event to explore how audiences can safely return to venues.

Koravos said: “I think people will have noticed the incongruity between Andrew on stage last week, saying: ‘I will do everything in my power to get the West End up and running,’ and then a few days later a headline saying his flagship show in his theatre is closing permanently. I wanted to dispel that. He is very engaged, and we all are. It’s the top of our agenda to work out how best and quickest to bring Phantom back,” she said.

[westendboy]

Jul 30, 2020 12:22:28 GMT @mm said:

Yes, finally. This is all it required. A transparent, official statement.

Jul 30, 2020 12:12:27 GMT westendboy said:

Does anyone have full access to the article from The Stage? What exactly have RUG said?

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group has moved to quash reports that The Phantom of the Opera has closed permanently and has insisted the “brilliant original” will be returning to the West End.

Thank you very much!

[richey]

Well that pretty much clears it up... Unless Cam Mack now comes out with something different!

[BurlyBeaR]

Jul 30, 2020 12:22:28 GMT @mm said:

Yes, finally. This is all it required. A transparent, official statement.

Jul 30, 2020 12:12:27 GMT westendboy said:

Does anyone have full access to the article from The Stage? What exactly have RUG said?

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group has moved to quash reports that The Phantom of the Opera has closed permanently and has insisted the “brilliant original” will be returning to the West End.

RUG president Jessica Koravos told The Stage that reports that Phantom had closed permanently, based on an interview Cameron Mackintosh gave to the Evening Standard, were wrong, and that the show was only being closed to allow works to be carried out to both the show’s set and the theatre where it has been performed for 34 years.

Hate to say I told you so but... 😌