Producers Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group have announced a week of festivities for when the longest-running show in Broadway history, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of The Opera, directed by Harold Prince, celebrates its 30th Anniversary next week. This unprecedented milestone is a feat achieved by no other Broadway show and will feature major partnerships with Twitter, the Empire State Building and the non-profit Musicians on Call, among several other collateral events.

While the anniversary date for Phantom’s New York premiere is January 26, the 30th Anniversary is being celebrated two days earlier on Wednesday, January 24. The evening will feature:

6PM Red Carpet* co-hosted by Broadway star (and the musical’s acclaimed former ‘Christine’) Sierra Boggess and notable author/commentator (as well as The Musical Company’s Vice President, Marketing) Imogen Lloyd Webber. The duo will speak on the red carpet with Phantom notables and guests, including Ms. Lloyd Webber’s first-ever interview with her composer father.
6:30 PM Gala performance featuring the attendance of Phantom creatives and alumni cast
Special post-show Onstage Presentation* featuring musical numbers by surprise guest artists
Private Gala party at Rainbow Room

Phantomhas partnered with fellow New York City masterpiece the Empire State Building for a spectacular Music-To-Light Show* during the Gala party. At 11PM sharp, a custom-designed light show by world-renowned lighting designer Marc Brickman will illuminate the tower lights of the iconic building synchronized to a special arrangement of music from PHANTOM. Not only will the show be fully visible to Gala guests with a clear shot view from Rainbow Room, but to all New Yorkers looking up at the “World’s Most Famous Building,” as well as a global audience on Twitter @PhantomBway. Prior to the Music-to-Light Show, the iconic Empire State Building will be lit in blue and white in honor of the 30th Anniversary. The Empire State Building is owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

To make the evening globally accessible to the public and the musical’s extremely dedicated ‘Phan’ community, Phantom has partnered with Twitter to showcase exclusive LIVE Anniversary streaming content at three important parts of the evening.

*The Red Carpet, Onstage Presentation and Empire State Building Music-to-Light Show will be streamed live and in their entireties. The public can follow along @PhantomBway.

On Monday morning, January 22, Phantom was honored when members of the cast, led by Peter Jöback (The Phantom), Ali Ewoldt (Christine) and Rodney Ingram (Raoul) ring the NASDAQ Opening Bell in their daily morning ceremony.

This morning January 24 at 11AM, stars Peter Jöback (The Phantom), Ali Ewoldt (Christine) and Rodney Ingram (Raoul) will participate in a ceremonial lighting of the Empire State Building, in advance of the Music-to-Light Show that night. The ceremony will also include the presentation of a proclamation from the Mayor’s Office marking 30 Years of Phantom on Broadway.

On Friday morning, January 26, viewers can tune into the 10AM (EST) hour of NBC’s The Today Show for an exclusive Phantom musical performance by stars Peter Jöback and Ali Ewoldt.

Marking the actual date of the 30th Anniversary, a special 2PM matinee is being held on January 26, in addition to the regular 8PM evening performance. To purchase tickets, visit www.Telecharge.com or call (212) 239-6200.

#PHANTOM30

The Phantom of The Opera enters its fourth decade having played 12,500 performances to 18 million people at The Majestic Theatre (247 West 44th Street), and having grossed a staggering more than $1.1 billion. Phantom has been Broadway’s longest-running show for more than a decade and its astounding longevity in New York and around the world is unprecedented.

Leading the 30th Anniversary cast is international stage star and Platinum-selling Swedish recording artist Peter Jöback. One of Sweden’s most prolific and respected artists, Mr. Jöback has earned rave reviews and ignited the box office for his performance as ‘The Phantom’ in London (2012), New York (2013) and two sold out engagements in his native Stockholm (2016). Mr. Jöback’s strictly limited return is through Saturday, March 31.

Mr. Jöback stars with Ali Ewoldt as ‘Christine’ and Rodney Ingram as ‘Raoul.’ Ms. Ewoldt made history in June 2016 when she became the first Asian-American actress to play the role of ‘Christine.’ Mr. Ingram, a dual citizen of the United State and Mexico, made headlines in April 2017 when he joined the cast as ‘Raoul.’

The musical also co-stars Laird Mackintosh as ‘Monsieur André,’ Craig Bennett as ‘Monsieur Firmin,’ Raquel Suarez Groen as ‘Carlotta,’ Carlton Moe as ‘Piangi,’ Maree Johnson as ‘Madame Giry’ and Kara Klein as ‘Meg Giry.’ At certain performances, Kaley Ann Voorhees plays the role of ‘Christine.’

Based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de L’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of The Opera tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents and by employing all of the devious methods at his command.

The Phantom of The Opera is produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group, has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and is directed by Harold Prince. Lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The Phantom of The Opera has production design by the late Maria Björnson, lighting by Andrew Bridge and sound design by Mick Potter with original sound by Martin Levan. Musical staging and choreography is by Gillian Lynne. Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The performance schedule for The Phantom of The Opera is Monday evenings at 8, Tuesday evenings at 7, Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 8, with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2. Ticket prices range from $29 – $155 with Premium Tickets also available. To order tickets, visit www.Telecharge.com or call (212) 239-6200. A daily digital lottery with $40 tickets for all performances is available by visiting www.PhantomBroadwayLottery.com

Phantom Facts

Since its debut on January 26, 1988, the Broadway production of The Phantom of The Opera has played an unprecedented 30 Years and grossed over $1.1 billion with total attendance of 18 million. Entering its fourth decade, it remains a box office champ and continues to play with no end in sight.

The Phantom of The Opera became the longest-running show in Broadway history on January 9, 2006 with its 7,486th performance, surpassing the previous record-holder Cats, also by Andrew Lloyd Webber and also produced by Cameron Mackintosh. Incredibly, since breaking that record, Phantom has played both an additional 12 years and nearly 5,000 performances – which by itself would be a smash hit run for a Broadway musical.

On January 26, 2013 the Broadway production celebrated a milestone 25 Years. On November 28, 2016, it celebrated another historic achievement: becoming the first and only Broadway show to reach 12,000 performances. (By way of comparison, Phantom is ahead of Broadway’s second longest-running show, Chicago, by over 9 years and almost 4,000 performances.)

15 men have officially taken over the title role in the Broadway production. They are (in order): original star Michael Crawford, Timothy Nolen, Cris Groenendaal, Steve Barton, Kevin Gray, Mark Jacoby, Marcus Lovett, Davis Gaines, Thomas James O’Leary, Hugh Panaro, Howard McGillin, John Cudia, Peter Jöback, Norm Lewis and James Barbour. In addition, there have been five limited engagement replacements: Jeff Keller, Ted Keegan, Brad Little, Gary Mauer and Laird Mackintosh.

The Phantom of The Opera became the first stage production in history to reach worldwide grosses of $6 billion, which it did in 2014. Revenues far surpass the world’s highest-grossing film Avatar (at $2.8 billion), as well as such other blockbusters as Titanic, The Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park and Star Wars.

Worldwide, a staggering 140 million people have seen The Phantom of The Opera in 37 countries and 174 cities in 16 languages.

The flagship London production of The Phantom of The Opera opened October 9, 1986 at Her Majesty’s Theatre. In October 2016, it celebrated its 30th Anniversary and surpassed 12,500 performances. Its milestone 25th Anniversary in October 2011 was celebrated with a special production at London’s Royal Albert Hall. A live recording was released on CD by Decca and a DVD of the event was released by Universal Home Entertainment.

There are currently six productions of The Phantom of The Opera around the world: London, New York, Sapporo (Japan, in repertory), Budapest (Hungary, in repertory), Gothenburg (Sweden, non-replica) and Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production, now in its fifth year on North American Tour.

The musical has won more than 70 major theater awards, including seven 1988 Tony Awards (including Best Musical) and three Olivier Awards plus the 2016 Olivier Audience Award in the West End. The original cast recording, with over 40 million copies sold worldwide, is the best-selling cast recording of all time. Since September 2010, thousands of high school and college student productions of Phantom have been licensed through R&H Theatricals.

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Suzanna Bowling

Suzanna, co-owns and publishes the newspaper Times Square Chronicles or T2C. At one point a working actress, she has performed in numerous productions in film, TV, cabaret, opera and theatre. She has performed at The New Orleans Jazz festival, The United Nations and Carnegie Hall. She has a screenplay and a TV show in the works, which she developed with her mentor and friend the late Arthur Herzog. She is a proud member of the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle and was a nominator. Email: suzanna@t2conline.com

Broadway

Hadestown Celebrates Their 1000th Performances and The First Day of Spring With Lilies White, Anaïs Mitchell and Rachel Chavkin

Published

10 hours ago

March 19, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

Hadestown, the Tony^® and Grammy Award^®-winning Best Musical, celebrated both tomorrow’s first day of Spring and the beloved show recently achieving a milestone 1,000 performances at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48^th Street) with a surprise appearance by songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin.

After a heartfelt thank you from both, Mitchell and Tony Award winner Lillias White led the audience in a special performance of a classic springtime anthem. Then, as the audience departed the theater, the cast took to the Kerr’s fire escape overlooking West 48^th Street and threw flowers to fans.

In addition to White, Hadestown also stars original Broadway cast member Jewelle Blackman as Persephone, Grammy Award^® winner Reeve Carney as Orpheus, Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt as Hades, and two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada as Eurydice. They are joined by Amelia Cormack, Shea Renne, and Soara-Joye Ross as the Fates. The chorus of Workers is played by Emily Afton, Malcolm Armwood, Alex Puette, Trent Saunders, and Grace Yoo. The cast includes swings Sojourner Brown, Brandon Cameron, Max Kumangai, and Yael “YaYa” Reich, Allysa Shorte, and Tanner Ray Wilson.

Hadestown originated as Mitchell’s indie theater project that toured Vermont which she then turned into an acclaimed album. With Chavkin, her artistic collaborator, Hadestown has been transformed into a genre-defying new musical that blends modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz to reimagine a sweeping ancient tale.

Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — Hadestown invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, and singers, Hadestown delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.

Hadestown marks the first time in over a decade that a woman has been the solo author of a musical: writing the music, lyrics, and book, and is the fourth time in Broadway history a woman has accomplished this creative feat. It also marks the first time in Broadway history that a show’s female composer and female director both won Tony Awards for their work. Earlier this year, the landmark musical became the longest running show in the history of the Walter Kerr Theatre and holds the record for highest grossing musical in that venerated stage’s 100-year history.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hadestown is one of the most streamed cast albums of all time with over 300 million streams to date. It topped Billboard’s Broadway Cast Recording chart and debuted at #8 on the Top Album chart. The CD edition features a 64-page booklet and a two-disc set, while the triple vinyl edition features a 16-page booklet. Both editions include complete song lyrics and photos of the Hadestown cast and creative team in the studio, and other exclusive content. A special limited-edition transparent green vinyl box set was just released on Friday.

Broadway

Ken Fallin’s Broadway: Pictures From Home

Published

1 day ago

March 19, 2023

Ken Fallin

A few weeks ago, I saw my friend, Danny Burstein, along with Zoe Wannamaker, and Nathan Lane in the very funny and touching play, Pictures From Home.

Kenny & Danny Burstein Pictures from Home

Broadway

Theatre News: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bad Cinderella, John Kander, KPOP and The Rewards of Being Frank

Published

1 day ago

March 19, 2023

Suzanna Bowling

A Statement From Andrew Lloyd Webber

I am absolutely devastated to say that my eldest son Nick is critically ill.

As my friends and family know, he has been fighting gastric cancer for the last 18 months and Nick is now hospitalised.

I therefore have not been able to attend the recent previews of Bad Cinderella and as things stand, I will not be able to cheer on its wonderful cast, crew and orchestra on Opening Night this Thursday.

We are all praying that Nick will turn the corner. He is bravely fighting with his indomitable humour, but at the moment my place is with him and the family.

Opening Night Performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical Bad Cinderella is Thursday, March 23, 2023 at Imperial Theatre, 249 W 45^th Street.

Red Carpet arrivals of celebrity guests including Afyia Bennett, Senator Barbara Boxer, Alex Brightman, Tory Burch, Kandi Burruss, Jordan E. Cooper, Erin Dana Lichy, Lamar Dawson, Machine Dazzle, Bethenny Frankel, Mandy Gonzalez, Amber Gray, Jae Gurley, Amber Iman, Ashley Longshore, Carson Kressley, Judy Kuhn, Loosey LaDuca, Luann de Lesseps, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Martyna Majok, Ingrid Michaelson, Andy Mientus, Minnie Mills, Pablo Montalban, Justin Peck, Wendell Pierce, Zac Posen, T. Oliver Reid, Krysta Rodriguez, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Sylvester Stallone, Elizabeth Stanley, Alex Timbers, Tommy Tune, Tanairi Sade Vasquez, Ana Villafane, Anna Wintour and the cast and creative team of Bad Cinderella including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Linedy Genao, Carolee Carmello, Grace McLean, Jordan Dobson, Sami Gayle, Morgan Higgins, Cameron Loyal, Christina Acosta Robinson, Savy Jackson, Mike Baerga, Raymond Baynard, Lauren Boyd, Tristen Buettel, Alyssa Carol, Gary Cooper, Kaleigh Cronin, Josh Drake, Ben Lanham, Angel Lozada, Mariah Lyttle, Robin Masella, Sarah Meahl, Michael Milkanin, Chloe Nadon-Enriquez, Christian Probst, Larkin Reilly, Julio Rey, Lily Rose, J Savage, Dave Schoonover, Tregony Shepherd, Paige Smallwood, Lucas Thompson, Alena Watters and more.

John Kander celebrates his 96^th birthday on Saturday, March 18, six days before New York, New York, his 16^th original Broadway musical begins performances at the St. James Theatre., giving him the distinction of being the oldest composer to open a new musical on Broadway. To honor the legendary composer Susan Stroman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Colton Ryan, Anna Uzele and the cast and creative team of New York, New York surprised John Kander with a Big-Apple-sized rendition of “Happy Birthday.” You can watch the video here.

A titan of the American Theatre, John Kander made his Broadway debut as the rehearsal pianist for the original production of Gypsy starring Ethel Merman in 1951. The first Kander & Ebb musical, Flora The Red Menace, debuted in 1965 and starred Liza Minnelli in a Tony-winning performance. What followed was a string of legendary musicals including Chicago, Cabaret, Steel Pier, Curtains, The Visit and The Scottsboro Boys, all culminating in this new musical set in post-war New York, inspired by the 1977 Martin Scorsese film of the same name, which features the iconic song “New York, New York.” New York, New York marks the 15^th Kander & Ebb musical to open on Broadway.

New York, New York marks the first new John Kander & Fred Ebb musical to open on Broadway since 2015’s The Visit, which was nominated for 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The legendary duo is also currently represented on Broadway with Chicago, which holds the distinction of being the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.

New York, New York stars Colton Ryan (Girl From The North Country, Hulu’s “The Girl From Plainville”) as Jimmy Doyle, Anna Uzele (Six, Apple TV+’s “Dear Edward”) as Francine Evans, Clyde Alves (On The Town) as Tommy Caggiano, John Clay III (Choir Boy) as Jesse Webb, Janet Dacal (In The Heights) as Sofia Diaz, Ben Davis (Dear Evan Hansen) as Gordon Kendrick, Oliver Prose as Alex Mann (Broadway Debut), Angel Sigala (Broadway Debut) as Mateo Diaz, and Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner (Side Show) as Madame Veltri. The ensemble includes Wendi Bergamini, Allison Blackwell, Giovanni Bonaventura, Jim Borstelmann, Lauren Carr, Mike Cefalo, Bryan J. Cortés, Kristine Covillo, Gabriella Enriquez, Haley Fish, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Richard Gatta, Stephen Hanna, Naomi Kakuk, Akina Kitazawa, Ian Liberto, Kevin Ligon, Leo Moctezuma, Aaron Nicholas Patterson, Dayna Marie Quincy, Julian Ramos, Drew Redington, Benjamin Rivera, Vanessa Sears, Davis Wayne, Jeff Williams, Darius Wright. New York, New York begins performances Friday, March 24, 2023 and officially opens Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre (246 West 44^th Street).

Featuring music and lyrics by Tony, Emmy & Grammy Award winners and Academy Award nominees John Kander & Fred Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret), written by Tony Award nominee David Thompson (The Scottsboro Boys, Steel Pier), co-written by Sharon Washington (Audible’s Feeding The Dragon) and featuring additional lyrics by Pulitzer, Tony, Emmy & Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In The Heights), New York, New York will be directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys).

It is 1946, the war is over, and a resurgent New York is beginning to rebuild. As steel beams swing overhead, a collection of artists has dreams as big and diverse as the city itself.

Among them is New York native Jimmy Doyle, a brilliant but disillusioned musician looking for his “major chord” in life: music, money, love. The odds are against him getting all three until he meets Francine Evans, a young singer just off the bus from Philly, who is destined for greatness. If they can make it there, they can make it anywhere.

Tickets for New York, New York are now on-sale at www.NewYorkNewYorkBroadway.com. Tickets start at $59.

This new musical is inspired by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Motion Picture New York, New York written by Earl M. Rauch.

Sony Masterworks Broadway, along with producers Tim Forbes and Joey Parnes, share new track “Super Star” from KPOP – Original Broadway Cast Recording – listen here. Featuring vocals from chart-topping Korean songstress and show lead Luna as well as the show’s talented cast of performers, “Superstar” is the second track to debut from the album, which arrives digitally on Monday, May 8 and on CD Friday, May 12. “Super Star” premieres today alongside an accompanying video featuring Luna – watch here.

Available for preorder and presave now, KPOP – Original Broadway Cast Recording was produced by Helen Park, Matt Stein, and Harvey Mason jr.(NCT 127, Red Velvet), and features music, lyrics, music production and arrangements by Park and music and lyrics by Max Vernon. The first-ever Broadway musical to celebrate Korean culture with Korean, Korean-American, and API representation on and off-stage, the album features a star-studded cast of performers from the world of K-pop, including chart-topping superstar and lead Luna, BoHyung (from the K-pop group SPICA and half of the duo KEEMBO), Min (from the K-pop group Miss A), Kevin Woo (from the K-pop group U-KISS), and more.

The Rewards of Being Frank, currently running through March 26, 2023 at the Mezzanine Theatre at ART/New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street), is now available for streaming, also through March 26 only. The World Premiere play, written by Alice Scovell, is a sequel to Oscar Wilde’s immortal 1895 comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest. The Rewards of Being Frank is a co-production of New York Classical Theatre (Stephen Burdman, Founding Artistic Director, Matthieu Chapman, Literary Director) and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (Brian Isaac Phillips, Producing Artistic Director). Mr. Burdman directs. The streaming version of The Rewards of Being Frank is available for a donation of $10 or higher. You can watch the recording as often as you wish and at any time. The link will expire at 10:00 pm on Sunday, March 26, 2023. To order, or for more information, please visit: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35099/store/donations/49755 The cast for The Rewards of Being Frank feature Moboluwaji Ademide Akintilo (New York Classical’s The Importance of Being Earnest (Two Ways), Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Frank, James Evans (The McKittrick Hotel’s The Woman in Black) as Algernon, Kelly Mengelkoch (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company) as Gwendolyn, Tora Nogami Alexander (The Acting Company’s Twelfth Night) as Cecily, Jeremy Dubin (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company) as Ernest, and Christine Pedi(Broadway’s Chicago, Talk Radio, Off-Broadway’s Forbidden Broadway) as Lady Bracknell. Oscar Wilde’s much-loved The Importance of Being Earnest receives a hilarious sequel in this world premiere. Set seven years after Wilde’s play, see what happens to our characters when they meet Frank. After all, the only thing more Important than being Earnest, is being Frank! Performances are Tuesday-Sunday at 7:00 PM with matinees on Wednesdays at 2:00 PM. Running time is two hours including intermission. Tickets are available on the NY Classical website. Advance reservations are $35 per seat. These reservations are refundable—in cash, at the theatre—following each regular performance.* All NY Classical programs are free and open to the public. Pending seating availability, FREE admission will be available beginning one hour before curtain, on a first-come, first-served basis.