I think we have this habit in this industry of always looking ahead to what’s next, what’s next, what’s next because we’re conditioned that our employment is temporary, no matter what. Before this job, my longest job was 51 weeks. I’d say it’s in the high 2,000s, almost 3,000 performances. How many shows have you managed? greg livoti But it’s an unheard of amount of people in this day and age. It takes over 125 human beings backstage to do this show every day. Īnd how big is the crew here as compared to other shows? greg livoti So all these trap doors are about to open up as we go into the Phantom’s lair. So we’re in the trap room under the stage. So where are we right now exactly? greg livoti But I could only do it if I was saying every single line, just straight down. I joke a lot that I could do every line in the show. Do you hear it in your sleep? greg livoti You guys must have all of this just, like, memorized. greg livotiĬan I just get you saying your name and your title, just for the tape? greg livoti It’s actually a lot louder back here than I expected. My colleagues, theater reporter Michael Paulson and “Daily” producers Sydney Harper and Eric Krupke take us backstage during one of “Phantom’s” final performances. Today, the story of the show’s meteoric rise, stunning longevity, and bittersweet closing. This is “The Daily.” In Midtown Manhattan on Sunday, “Phantom of the Opera,” the longest running show in the history of Broadway will close its doors after more than three decades. michael barbaroįrom “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro.

The crowd is super The crowd is super comfortable. That’s going to be row E on the right side. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, step on down. Good afternoon and welcome to “Phantom of the Opera.” The house is now open. Mic checks as the sound crew is making sure that everything works. RC is good! Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. It famously sort of crashes over the audience at the end of the first act. The chandelier, of course, is the icon of this show. Of course, as soon as you walk into this unbelievably beautiful and completely empty theater, the first thing you see is the chandelier, which is hanging over the center orchestra. So we’ve just arrived at the Majestic Theater where the crew is getting the set ready for this afternoon’s matinee. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email with any questions. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. This transcript was created using speech recognition software.

Transcript Broadway’s Longest-Running Musical Turns Out the Lights The story of “Phantom of the Opera’s” meteoric rise and bittersweet closing.

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