Closed Productions
The cast of Dear Evan Hansen during “You Will Be Found”. Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy.
“Auf Wiedersehen… à bientôt…”
-Alan Cumming, “Finale” from Cabaret
Broadway is always
innovating.
The taste of the people is constantly changing. New ideas come into favor and old ideas fall out of public opinion. Musicals are no different. These are three shows that have closed on Broadway.
Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Borgess as Christine Daaé in a rendition of the titular song for the 25th anniversary of the show.
When people think about musical theatre, one of the first shows that comes to mind is Phantom of the Opera, and that’s for good reason. With a whopping near fourteen thousand performances, it currently holds the record for the longest running show on Broadway and the third longest running show on London’s West End. The Overture contains the iconic motif of heavy organ chords that makes the show so instantly recognizable. Play it and see how quickly people will be able to guess it. Phantom is also the second highest grossing show on Broadway, raking in $1.8 billion during its run.
Unfortunately, Phantom closed on the 16th of April 2023. The production had a very difficult time returning to its attendance levels from before the COVID-19 pandemic and was slated to close on the 18th of February, but enough people attended to warrant the closing date to be pushed back. This doesn’t mean that Phantom is gone from Broadway forever, however, as musicals that were seemingly long dead have been revived. Maybe someday in the future, the Phantom will return once more and take back his theatre.
Phantom of the Opera
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe
Book by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe
The destroyed chandelier of Lot 666 rises to the ceiling as the Overture plays, introducing us to Phantom of the Opera. Based on the 1910 novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, the show is set in 1881, recounting the tale of the titular Phantom as he pursues Christine Daaé and wreaks havoc on the Paris Opéra House. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, and book by Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe, Phantom has risen through the ranks since its opening at the Majestic Theatre on January 26, 1988.
The iconic organ motif of the Phantom.
Les Misérables
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg
Lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel (original French production); Herbert Kretzmer (English version)
Book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg
Les Misérables was not originally an American show, if the name of it wasn’t clear. Colloquially known as Les Mis, the show is based on the 1862 novel of the same name, written by Victor Hugo, following the story of one Jean Valjean as he struggles to rebuild his life in an unstable France. The original French production had lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, while in the English adaptation, Herbert Kretzmer took over as lyricist. The music, written by Clause-Michel Schönberg, and the book, written by Boublil and Schönberg, combines to become one of the greatest shows on Broadway.
Michael Ball performing “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” during the Les Mis 10th Anniversary Concert.
The cast of Les Misérables raising their fists high and waving the revolutionary flag during the Act I finale, “One Day More”. Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy.
Les Mis is known to be one of the classics in musical theatre. With 8,167 total performances including the 2006 and 2014 revivals since its debut on March 12, 1987 at the Broadway Theatre, it has become one of the kingpins of theatre. Not only that, it’s grossed over half a billion dollars in revenue. Shutting the doors on September 4, 2016, Les Mis has left Broadway for the time being.
That isn’t to say it’s gone for good, as on London’s West End, it’s been running at various theatres since October 8, 1985, and with 15,527 performances in total, is the longest running musical and second-longest running show across the pond. (The longest running show is a play called The Mousetrap, which has been performing on the West End consistently since November 25, 1952. Talk about dedication to the craft!)
Alex Boniello as Connor Murphy (left) and Andrew Barth Feldman as Evan Hansen (right). Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy
Dear Evan Hansen wasn’t going to be the story of a troubled teen finding himself living in a fantasy of his own creation at first. Originally, it was written as, what Paul calls, a “condemnation” on people who try to gain glory and status piggybacking off of another person’s death. “It was a cynical look at that,” Paul told ABC News’ Popcorn with Peter Travers, “and when we brought our collaborators on board […] it became clear to us that it wasn't an interesting musical.” Pasek and Paul then had to look at their idea from a new perspective, shifting the story from one of stern condemnation into one of “messy optimism,” according to Pasek. The duo finds themselves attracted to stories that may not necessarily have a happy ending, Dear Evan Hansen included, “[but] there’s always some little kernel of hope,” Paul said.
Pasek and Paul had found their niche, since in the show’s 1,669 performances over nearly six years, it grossed over $270 million and was nominated for nine different awards at the 71st Tony Awards, winning six, and winning Best Musical Theatre Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. It went on to make an appearance on the West End, earned two US national tours, and spawned several international versions. The show closed on Broadway on September 18, 2022, but theater enthusiasts all over can still pick out the opening of “Waving Through a Window,” one of Dear Evan Hansen’s most iconic songs.
Dear Evan Hansen
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Book by Steven Levenson
If you’ve ever learned slam on the breaks before you’ve even turned the key, you’ve got something in common with Evan, the titular character and lead of Dear Evan Hansen. One of Pasek and Paul’s first large works, Dear Evan Hansen was inspired by another student’s death while Pasek was in high school. With a book by Steven Levenson, the show first made its debut in the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. on July 30, 2015, moving to the off-Broadway Second Stage Theatre in March 2016, and then quickly jumped to Broadway, opening at the Music Box Theatre on December 4 of that same year.
Ben Platt, who originated the role of Evan Hansen, performing “Waving Through a Window” at the 2017 Tony Awards.