West End Phantom Announces Plans for Renovation of Sets and Theater

The long-running West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, which has recently been subject to new rumors of downsizing, will undergo "a period of extended closure" in order to fix longstanding issues with the scenic design and repair Her Majesty's Theatre, where the musical has run since 1986.

In a new statement, the show's publicists said: "Cameron Mackintosh and the Really Useful Group have over the last few months of the London run and since the enforced closure of The Phantom of the Opera due to Covid-19 undertaken a number of specialist inspections to see how much repair and maintenance work is needed to be done to the physical production and the Theatre. The conclusion is that unfortunately, the work is so considerable, a period of extended closure is urgently needed.

"The set of this, the original production, is now over 34 years old and unsurprisingly many of the scenic elements are coming to the end of their natural life which was never envisaged to be as long as this when first built. LW Theatres, operator of Her Majesty's Theatre, also need to attend to a number of remedial works on this historic building that for the last four decades has only been able to undertake decorative work."

The statement did not address the rumors that the production would reduce its orchestra size and revise both director Harold Prince's original staging and Gillian Lynne's original choreography. As we reported, Lloyd Webber recently tweeted, "I'm doing everything in my power to ensure that when the Phantom returns it is the brilliant original."