The longest running musical in Broadway history will be closing down in 2023, as Phantom of the Opera has set its final performances for February of next year. The musical will close after performing for well over years at the Majestic Theatre, dating all the way back to 1988. The news has caused a surge in demand for tickets to the show, which will celebrate its 35th anniversary in January.

“You don’t want to run a great show into the ground,” producer Cameron Mackintosh told the New York Times in an interview published over the weekend. “It’s always been one of my mantras throughout my long career: There’s an art to closing a show, as well as opening one.”

Cast and crew were reportedly informed of the producers’ decision on Friday, told that February 18 will be the final curtain for the Andrew Lloyd Webber show on Broadway. The show will continue in other locations, including its flagship London production, which will celebrate its 36th year in October. During its time on Broadway, the show has been seen by just shy of 20 million people and grossed more than $1.3 billion, according to the Times.

Phantom was one of many shows that saw ticket sales hit hard in the wake of the pandemic halt on Broadway productions from early 2020 into fall of 2021. Statistics from The Broadway League show that the production saw audiences slip from over 250,000 per week in late spring to 180,000 per week in September. At the same time, Mackintosh says that weekly production costs have gone up by around $100,000 due to pandemic-related changes with safety protocols.

The decision leaves just 22 weeks of shows on the calendar for Phantom, which has led to a demand spike as audiences look for one last shot at seeing the show on the Great White Way (at least until an almost inevitable revival at some undefined future point). According to ticket resale marketplace Ticket Club, prices for the 8 p.m. show of Phantom of the Opera on Broadway on Saturday, September 24 have a minimum price of $299 on the marketplace, which allows members to avoid service and delivery fees.

Phantom of the Opera opened in London’s West End in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988, winning the Olivier Award and Tony Award for best musical in both debut seasons. In 2012 it became just the second Broadway production to pass 10,000 performances.

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