"The Phantom of the Opera" Takes Over the Empire State Building

Empire State Building lit up for "The Phantom of the Opera" on 1/24/18

Andrew Lloyd Webber's behemoth of a musical, "The Phantom of the Opera," just celebrated its 30th consecutive year on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on Friday, Jan. 26. Webber's masterpiece earned the title of the longest running show on Broadway 12 years ago, but now it's 12 years later now celebrating three decades of opulence. The production has played about 12,500 shows to over 18 million people in New York City (NYC) alone since the NYC debut. The show, which has grossed over $1.1 billion since its opening, centers around Christine Daaé, a ballet chorus girl for the Paris Opera House, who turns into a leading soprano after she is given the chance to sing when the resident diva falls ill.

Current cast members (from left to right) Peter Jöback,
Ali Ewoldt and Rodney Ingram pull the switch to light
up the Empire State Building

Everyone is shocked at how well Daaé can sing, especially Viscount Raoul de Chagny, a childhood friend of Daaé's who quickly became a love interest. Daaé and de Changy are overtly crazy about each other, but this is bad news for the Phantom. This whole time the Phantom, a disfigured man and musical genius who hides out and causes chaos in the Opera House, has been giving Daaé lessons and in the process fallen in love with her. The rest of the story follows the love triangle between Daaé, de Chagny, the Phantom and all the havoc that ensues (including a crashing chandelier and a kidnapping amongst other happenings). Based on a French novel by Gaston Leroux, Webber penned a timeless score to a classic tale about seduction and despair.

To celebrate 30 successful years of "Phantom of the Opera," the producers of the show threw a public relations and social media extravaganza. They started off on Jan. 22 with members of the Phantom cast, Peter Jöback (The Phantom), Ali Ewoldt (Christine) and Rodney Ingram (Raoul) ringing the NASDAQ opening bell on Jan. 22 at 9:30 a.m.

This is nothing compared to the special performance thrown in celebration before the show on Jan. 24. The red carpet ceremony was co-hosted by former Christine, Sierra Boggess, and author-commentator and The Musical Company’s Vice President of Marketing, Imogen Lloyd Webber. Former cast members, creative team alum and the creator himself, Lord Lloyd-Webber, were all in attendance. After the performance, special performances were given by Sarah Brightman, the original Daaé, and the cast of Webber's "School of Rock."

Following the performances, Jöback, Ewoldt and Ingram headed over to the  Empire State Building to pull a ceremonial switch at 11 p.m. to commence a custom-designed light show by world-renowned lighting designer Marc Brickman to illuminate the building's tower lights synchronized to a special arrangement of music from "The Phantom of the Opera." All of this was seen from the Rainbow Room, a luxurious reception area located above the landmark Rockefeller Center, by those invited to the private, post-show gala.

Two days later, on the actual day of the anniversary, Jan. 26, Jöback and Ewoldt offered a musical performance during the 10 a.m. hour of NBC's "The Today Show." The celebratory week was wrapped up with a special Friday 2 p.m. matinee performance, in addition to the musical's regularly scheduled 8 p.m. performance.

The whole week was handled expertly by the public relations and social media departments. Someone must have been following Kawasaki recommendations for successful events in Chapter 7 because whoever was running the show's social media accounts was on top of their game. They streamed the curtain call performances and published videos of original cast members reflecting on how being in "Phantom of the Opera" changed their lives and a video of the light show on their Twitter and Facebook pages. A short and sweet hashtag, #Phantom30, was set up on their social pages so people could post about the 30th anniversary. On their Instagram page, they dedicated a story to the celebration entitled #Phantom30 with various people involved with the show posting to it to get fans excited, and this was on top of the promotional photos they posted leading up to the event.. At the red carpet, there was a black backdrop with the show's logo and "30 Years" written in a golden script for celebrities to post in front of. This is smart because any time one of these influencers posts a picture taken at this event, their followers will see it and learn about the event.

I have only seen "Phantom of the Opera" on tour, but the soaring score and ageless story paired with incredible costumes, lighting and technical effects, create a piece of theatre so breathtaking it makes sense it has flourished for 30 years on Broadway. Here's to 30 more years!