‘Phantom of the Opera’ Closes in Las Vegas September 2

The Las Vegas production of “Phantom of the Opera” will close September 2.

A shortened version of the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, “Phantom—the Vegas Spectacular,” opened at the Venetian in 2006. When it closes, it will have had 2,691 performances, according to its producers. The show runs for 95 minutes, while the original production that plays at the Majestic on Broadway runs two-and-a-half hours plus an intermission. Both versions are staged by Hal Prince.

The longest running show in Broadway history, “Phantom of the Opera” opened on Broadway in 1988. It is expected to surpass 10,000 performances in February.

The theater in the Venetian where the musical is staged was built to look like the Paris Opera House where the story is set. Although the storyline is abridged, all the songs from the original Webber musical are included in the show. Webber released a statement about the closing of the Vegas show:

The Las Vegas production of Phantom took all of the classic elements of the show and added unique aspects that created a whole new experience… It enjoyed remarkable success in Las Vegas, was enjoyed by millions of fans and proved that a timeless love story told in a fantastic theater will always be in vogue.

Webber’s musical initially debuted in London in 1986. It also is still running and currently is the second-longest running West End musical. The Broadway version of the musical won seven Tony awards in 1988, including Best Musical.

Since the last U.S. touring version of the musical ended in 2010, when the Las Vegas show closes in September the Broadway production at the Majestic will be the only U.S. production still running. Playbill reports that as of 2006, the Broadway production had earned over $600 million, making it the highest grossing show in Broadway history. Total attendance at that point was reported to be 11 million.