Editor in Chief
The ever constant and lively Broadway shows have announced many changes coming for their upcoming productions next year. Currently, many shows on Broadway have been running for five or more years, becoming known as Broadway classics. But sadly, many of these classic shows have recently announced that they are coming to an end and will be closing in the coming months.
The first show that announced its closing is the very popular musical “Beetlejuice.” On September 20, 2022, the show announced that it will be closing its doors permanently on January 8, 2023. The musical was based off the iconic movie “Beetlejuice,” which was inspired by many famous preceding thriller movies like “Ghostbusters” and “Poltergeist.”
The show tells the tale of a teenage girl, Lydia, who is mourning the death of her mother while also moving to a new home with her dad and new step-mother. She meets Beetlejuice, a demon, who wishes to help Lydia scare everyone out of her new home so she is finally alone to mourn. The musical became very popular soon after its opening in April, 2019, especially among teenagers and young adults. Though many people are very sad to bid the show goodbye, they are excited to see if any new spooky musical will come to take its place.
On September 13, 2022, another beloved musical “The Music Man” announced its closing on Broadway for January 1, 2023. The musical follows a con man, Harold Hill, who poses as a conductor for a boys’ band. He decides to sell band instruments and uniforms to unknowing townsfolk for a profit, but plans to skip town before giving any music lessons.
Although “The Music Man” has had a relatively short run, opening on February 10, 2022, the musical actually is much older than many realize. “The Music Man” originally opened at the Majestic Theatre on December 19, 1957 starring Robert Preston and Barbara Cook. The new run of “The Music Man” this past year starred Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, two very well-known and successful actors. Although it is sad to see this show leave so soon after its re-run on Broadway, there is always a chance that this classic musical could have another revival in a couple of years.
Finally, the most heartbreaking Broadway closure this year to the Broadway community and fans, is the closing of “The Phantom of the Opera.” On September 16, 2022, “The Phantom of the Opera” announced that it will be performing its last show on February 18, 2023.
This musical follows an injured musical genius who spends his death haunting the Paris Opera House. The phantom ends up falling fiercely in love with a young musical protégé, Christine, and plans to lure her to stay with him forever.
“The Phantom of the Opera” is the longest running Broadway musical in history, having first opened its doors on January 26, 1988, about 33 years ago. While half of the community is sad to see the show end, the other half is very excited to see the outdated show leave and welcome a new musical.
Although it is incredibly sad to say farewell to some of these classic Broadway musicals, there are many new musicals to fill the void. Some include, the new musical “The Kite Runner” based on the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini, “Camelot” based on the legends of King Arthur and the return of the beloved musical “Into the Woods.”