The Phantom of the Opera isn’t just a big show, it’s a mega-musical in every sense. It takes a full week for Phantom to load into a theater; most shows require just one to two days. Twenty 48-foot semi-trailers are required to move the show from city to city. The chandelier weighs one ton. The Phantom cast album has gone platinum six times in the United States. It’s been estimated that the show has been seen by no fewer than 100 million people. And try this on for size – worldwide, Phantom has grossed more than $5 billion. In comparison, the recent blockbuster film Avatar has grossed just a little more than half that amount at $2.7 billion. To find out more about the mega-ness of Phantom, check out the interview with advance stage manager David Hansen in our latest issue of Buzz Extra .
How fitting that a show of such historic proportions is the one to send off the Allen Theatre into what is sure to be an historic transformation. Led by Cleveland-based architectural firm Westlake, Reed, Leskosky and Turner Construction, the transformation promises to be a provocative marriage between the old and the new. An example of how well this can work is the recently renovated Hanna Theatre, where the majesty of an historic theater combines with modern design in a dynamic, inviting and comfortable space.
The future of Allen Theatre
With three highly flexible spaces – the Mainstage housed in the Allen Theatre, and the Second Stage and Lab theaters in a newly constructed addition – the Allen Theatre Complex will become home to innovative performance, world-class artistic and technical theater education, and so much more.
When The Phantom of the Opera closes on August 22, the next exciting chapter in PlayhouseSquare’s 89 year history will begin and we cannot wait for you to see how it unfolds!
-Cindi
