I have some thoughts, apologies if they are not particularly articulate or well-developed.
First, I should say that Phantom is not a major element of my own musical theatre tastes. I hold that as a personal character flaw, because I don’t believe that being a contrarian is inherently a good thing. I think for me, the Phantom/Christine dynamic felt too fraught for me to really get behind, and I suppose as someone with a sociology background, I wish the show had spent just a little more time fleshing out the inhospitable, ableist world that the Phantom lived in, such that he could be driven to murdering people who didn’t do anything to him, multiple times. I will say, though, that I believe that a lot of the music is quite beautiful, and I see the influence of crossing the orchestra with electronic musical elements in one of my favorite musicals, Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812. I am also sad that the show is closing with Emilie Kouatchou in the role of Christine; given the historically significant nature of her casting, I wish her time in the role wasn’t to be cut short.
For the members of the Phan-dom, I think there is some solace in the words of Phantom producer Cameron Mackintosh, who noted that for him, closing a show is as much of an art as opening one. The stark decrease in international tourism post-COVID has caused the finances of the show to take a big hit, and Phantom is expensive to produce. Therefore, Mackintosh believes that it’s better for Phantom to go out strong, with a beautiful swan song, than to fizzle out because they can no longer fill seats. Theatre making is defined by its ephemerality, and I think the decision to close at this juncture demonstrates a respect for the medium and for the labor of those involved in making the production.
I have some thoughts, apologies if they are not particularly articulate or well-developed.
First, I should say that Phantom is not a major element of my own musical theatre tastes. I hold that as a personal character flaw, because I don’t believe that being a contrarian is inherently a good thing. I think for me, the Phantom/Christine dynamic felt too fraught for me to really get behind, and I suppose as someone with a sociology background, I wish the show had spent just a little more time fleshing out the inhospitable, ableist world that the Phantom lived in, such that he could be driven to murdering people who didn’t do anything to him, multiple times. I will say, though, that I believe that a lot of the music is quite beautiful, and I see the influence of crossing the orchestra with electronic musical elements in one of my favorite musicals, Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812. I am also sad that the show is closing with Emilie Kouatchou in the role of Christine; given the historically significant nature of her casting, I wish her time in the role wasn’t to be cut short.
For the members of the Phan-dom, I think there is some solace in the words of Phantom producer Cameron Mackintosh, who noted that for him, closing a show is as much of an art as opening one. The stark decrease in international tourism post-COVID has caused the finances of the show to take a big hit, and Phantom is expensive to produce. Therefore, Mackintosh believes that it’s better for Phantom to go out strong, with a beautiful swan song, than to fizzle out because they can no longer fill seats. Theatre making is defined by its ephemerality, and I think the decision to close at this juncture demonstrates a respect for the medium and for the labor of those involved in making the production.
Beautifully said! Thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts. I especially love the analogy to a beautiful swan song and the point on ephemerality!