Phantom of the Opera in Broadway NYC: everything you need to know about the musical

With The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway you take a trip to Paris at the end of the 19th century. Oh là là! It's impossible not to get your hair standing on end with this musical that takes place at the imposing Majestic Theatre on a stage lit only by candlelight. The pity is that it's no longer available on Broadway and you'll have to travel to London or Madrid to see it.

The Phantom of the Opera has been impressing audiences for more than a century, first on paper and since 1986 in the theater. The story of this unique character, who wanders backstage at the Théâtre Garnier in Paris causing death to anyone who dares to look at him, first appeared in 1909 and readers were gripped.

This strange ghost returned to do his thing and became the protagonist of the longest-running musical in Broadway history. I leave you all the information in case this mythical musical returns to the scene and in the meantime, you can also keep an eye on other Broadway musicals that are still active.

Running out of tickets to The Phantom of the Opera in New York is not an option. So take note of these tips. We are talking about a world-famous musical, so the best advice I can give you is to buy tickets online and well in advance.

If you follow these recommendations, the minimum price you can pay is 50 € and the highest price is about 500 € if you travel to New York at Christmas, yes, in the most exclusive area of the stage.

Christmas is a special time in New York and winter is the perfect excuse to take shelter from the cold and enjoy a good musical with the warmth of the theater. Here are the best tours to see the Christmas lights as you leave The Phantom of the Opera.

Another reason why I recommend you to buy your ticket online is to avoid waiting (and despairing) in the hellish queues in New York, especially in winter when temperatures drop to 2 degrees. This way you will only have to enjoy the fantastic duet from your seat, which you will have gotten at the best price and with better visibility than if you had bought it at the last minute at the box office.

The rule to save money is very easy: the more in advance, the less you will pay for your tickets and the better visibility you will have. Pure mathematics. If you know in advance that you will be traveling to New York, ideally you should buy your tickets two to three months in advance to get the best price. The 1 p.m. performances are much cheaper than the evening ones.

In this case, an excellent site to buy tickets is Hellotickets because you can see the stage virtually, pay in euros and read the information in Spanish, which will make your life easier if you are not fluent in Shakespeare's language.

Seeing the musical in one seat or another can make the difference between the performance being a bummer because you don't appreciate it or an unforgettable experience. The good news is that the Majestic Theater does not have balconies (balcony), which is usually the section farthest from the stage and with the worst views and, therefore, also the cheapest.

Here are the two kinds of seats available, from the cheapest to the most exclusive:

• Mezzanine (from 50 €): this section covers the second floor of the theater and is the cheapest. Within this area you have two options: the sides and the central area. If you want a great panoramic view of the stage at a good price, your preferred option will be the central seats.

• Orchestra (from 100 €): if you are a demanding traveler, appreciate culture, quality and don't mind spending a lot of money, this will be your favorite area. The ideal is to be placed from the fourth row (as in the cinema) which are the premium seats. This way, you will have an incredible view of the stage with a wide and very complete perspective, more than if you place yourself in the front row.

Nuria's Traveller Tip

The Majestic Theater is one of the largest on Broadway with about 1,700 seats. Choose your seat very well and make sure it is not too far from the stage!

This classic is performed at the Majestic Theatre, one of Broadway's oldest theaters with almost a century of history and, for me, one of the most beautiful. It is considered a New York City landmark.

Did you know that the theater's stage was also enlarged to accommodate the complex scenic elements of the show? Subsequently, the walking corpse has toured the boards halfway around the world: Madrid, Buenos Aires, Mexico... Bad guy never dies!

Location of the Majestic Theater: 245 West 44th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue

Nuria's Traveller Tip

Don't miss the impressive ceiling of the Majestic Theater!

• Monday: 8 p.m.
• Tuesday: closed on some Tuesdays (not all)
• Wednesday: 7 p.m.
• Thursday: 7 p.m.
• Friday: 7 p.m.
• Saturday: 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Sunday: 5 pm

The Phantom of the Opera is performed every day of the week (except Tuesdays). It runs for a total of eight performances a week and lasts two and a half hours with an intermission - ideal for refreshments at the theater bar or to stretch your legs!

The Phantom of the Opera, which has won seven Tony Awards (which are like the Oscars of American theater), including Best Musical, is a magnificent theatrical adaptation of the novel by French writer and journalist Gaston Leroux, a pioneer of the popular mystery novel and famous for his tales of the detective and horror genre.

The musical tells the story of a disfigured ghost with his face covered by a half-mask who wanders through the Paris Opera House and spreads terror among the audience. The ghost falls in love with a young soprano and vows to make her a new opera star. To do so, he will mold the young girl's extraordinary talents and use every weapon at his disposal (including abducting her) to keep her by his side. Throughout this tale of obsession and jealousy there will be death, revenge... And a lot of emotion!

The best: the impressive orchestra on stage

What can you expect from the musical? What will surprise you most, without a doubt, is the impressive live orchestra - you'll feel like you're in one of the great European operas! In addition, the songs, sung with care in an intimate atmosphere, will give you goose bumps. The costume changes, the irony and humor of the main character, the surprises, the candles... Everything is impressive!

Did you know that...?

To create the famous character, Leroux was inspired by real events that he investigated as a journalist, whose investigations were published for five months in the French newspaper Le Gaulois.

If your guts are growling after the show, I suggest you refuel with a good American burger and lots of rock and roll. My favorite place on Broadway is the Hard Rock Cafe.

The place has a lot of memorabilia from legends like The Beatles, the King of Rock, Elvis Preysler, and more recent stars like Madonna. Here you'll find some of their iconic costumes! The relics found in this bar are more famous than the food itself.

• Prices: starting at 25 euros per person.
• Where: in Times Square at 1501 Broadway.
• Hours: open daily from 11am to 10pm.

Should I have dinner before the musical?

As the saying goes, "Where you go, do as you please", a famous piece of advice that recommends adapting to the customs and habits of a place. In the U.S. they eat dinner very early, between 5 and 7 pm, so think that it might be worthwhile to have a snack before the musical, because when you leave you may find a good number of restaurants closed.

A movie restaurant (literally) on Broadway

If you are more into the seventh art I am sure you will love the Bubba Gump restaurant, inspired by one of my favorite movies, Forrest Gump. In this case, its specialty is not chocolate bonbons as for the protagonist of the film, but seafood.

And if you are still hungry, I leave you a complete gastronomic guide of the 10 best places to eat in New York. Enjoy!

Prices: from 17 € per person on average.Where: in Times Square, at 1501 Broadway.Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 11:30 am to 9 pm. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

If after this post, you still have doubts about whether you will like The Phantom of the Opera, here is a list of the 10 best Broadway musicals for the 2024 season in New York. Check them out!

• Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the most Christmassy musical.
• The Lion King, my favorite choice.
• Aladdin, ideal for all audiences.
• Chicago, considered one of the longest-running American musicals in the history of the industry.
• Cats
• Wicked
• Moulin Rouge