www.broadwayworld.com: The New York return of The Phantom of the Opera is being further teased with masquerade masks popping up all around the city. The Instagram account Masquerade NYC, which has been dropping teasers about the show's immersive return, has posted photos of the new promotion.
Someone has a very elaborate scheme going on for the announcement of Phantom return. I remember reading an article about it roughly two months ago. I think it's pretty fun what they've been doing, all the different clues they've been dropping around the city and the way they've made it an engaging experience rather than just re-announcing the show. I think it will be really effective to boost ticket sales from the beginning. If they just resumed a 35 year run after a two year break, I don't think too many people would be rushing to see it and the show may just calmly reenter the scene. There are people who have been waiting for it, but this scheme they've put on has intrigued a much larger audience and will have a lot of people eager to be there as soon as it opens. I am still curious why it's returning so soon, and what kind of changes they will make.
ReplyDeleteI'm so intrigued and shocked that Phantom is starting to tease a new Revival or version of their show that might be coming to New York City. I mean it feels like just yesterday that they closed on Broadway so I think it's very interesting that they're already teasing a new opening of the show. I never got to see it on Broadway so I wouldn't mind seeing it in New York City but I think the way they're doing it with mirrors and The Mask placed meticulously on the mirror is very interesting. I wonder why they're hiding the masks this way and if there's a certain reason they're putting them on mirrors around New York City or if this isn't actually related to a phantom Revival necessarily but another immersive experience that I know they were considering doing earlier in the year. I'm just very curious. I want to go see one of these Phantom masks when I go home next week but I'm just very curious as to what this could mean and why it's happening so soon since the show closed on broadway.
ReplyDeleteI love this! The simple action of placing these masks and mirrors around New York City is so silly and fun, and I definitely builds the suspense and drama that we theatre people live for. I love when artists do easter eggs and little scavenger hunts teasing upcoming albums or tours. The masks and mirrors are really elegant too, so I applaud the design on those. I wonder how much longer it will be before they release something of substance, and what other hints they will come up with and execute in the meantime. I also wonder if this will just be something they are carrying out in NYC or if they will branch farther onto online platforms (other than the instagram page they have) or other places. And while the article title mentions the masks specifically, I think the most promising part of this article (which they hid at the end of the article) was the mention of the ALW video with a possible location for the production (which is an old, four-story art store— very much leaning in the direction that this will be the immersive production that I read about in the previous news comment.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Just ugh. Make the biggest deal ever about closing then not even stay dead for 5 years? Andrew Loyd Webber must have spent way more money than he could recoup on Bad Cinderella or he just has no shame which is probably the real reason. What are the chances that the audience interaction and immersion will actually serve to further the story and add a layer of depth or understanding to the viewers experience? I’m not a gambling man but i’d bet on it being an ego boost gimmick. Everyone wants to be special! Everyone wants to catch the rose at mid-evil times. Everyone wants to tell their friends about how you got to do the macarena with Sally Bowles. Sure you never pursued your love of theater but if you buy a ticket to our show you can have a chance to interact with Broadway! It has its place and it can be done very well! I’m not sure this is the place and I’m not confident they will do it very well. Take a rain check and revive phantom in 6 years or at least wait until closing night memories are a little fuzzy.
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard bits and pieces about the return of Phantom, and I’m still kind of divided on where I stand with it. Some part of me wonders if it might just be better to let the whole thing rest - Phantom was such a classic part of theatrical history and it closing the first time was sad, and marked an end of an era. Bringing it back might feel too much like a money grab or kind of unneccessary dragging the show’s corpse around. That being said, it definitely seems like what is being teased is specifically an immersive production, which I think could be a really interesting fresh take on the production. If done well, as opposed to just doing an immersive production because they’re somewhat trendy headliners in theatre right now, I think that could be really exciting. The thorough planning on the ongoing advertising scheme right now definitely implies a very exciting production though.
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