The Phantom of the Opera

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In the 80s under Andrew Lloyd Webber the musical became quote Thatcherism in action. Margaret Thatcher seized on Lloyd Webber as a symbol of what theatre should be. Can you hear echoes of Phantom in shows that we see today? It was a huge part of turning Broadway into a tourist attraction, commercialization that started in the 80s and 90s.

The chandelier crashes for a final time as Broadway’s longest-running musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s extremely ’80s Phantom of the Opera, closes after 35 years and nearly 14,000 performances. Vulture’s Andrea Long Chu assesses its cultural staying power.

This episode was produced by Siona Peterous, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Victoria Chamberlin and Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey and Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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