U.K's "Phantom" is cutting half of orchestra when performances resume. Will Broadway do the same?

(Photo: Evening Standard)

When The Phantom of the Opera returns to the stage in June, it will do so with a dramatically smaller orchestra than it had before the pandemic.

News broke today that among the many supposed changes to the show, one of which is that the orchestra will be cut from 27 musicians to just 14.

According to The Stage,

Instruments being cut include an oboe, percussion, harp, trumpets and horns. The number of violins will also be reduced.

All 27 members previous members of the orchestra were released from their contracts last year when the production closed due to the pandemic, allowed for refurbishments to the theatre.

In a statement following the announcement Cameron Mackintosh Ltd and Really Useful Group said,

"These orchestrations are just as thrilling and rich as the original but would not have been possible with the technology available in 1986. The new Phantom orchestra will remain one of the largest in the West End - the orchestration featuring a contemporary line-up of top-flight soloists with modern instrumentation which will give this timeless score the freshness of a new musical to ensure that the music of the night will soar for decades more."

The Musicians' Union general secretary Horace Trubridge says the union is "sad and disappointed" with the decision.

In my opinion, while I certainly don’t like to see any theatrical professional lose their job, especially after being out of work for more than a year, this was a change I thought would happen once the industry resumes.

Once the industry starts to resume, producers are going to be looking for ways to cut costs. Industry experts are saying that a stampede to buy tickets isn’t going to happen and that shows should plan on reduced seating and potential breaks in performances for at least the next year.

So, it makes sense that producers are going to try to save everywhere they can to make sure these shows can stay afloat as long as possible. Sadly, this means a lot of jobs may not return once performances resume.

Will this happen on Broadway? I hope not but it’s more than likely. While unions like the American Federation of Musicians certainly will stand up for their musician members, it might not prevent an industry-wide change in how much employment would be available for these shows. I worry about the same when it comes to the many backstage workers from dressers, hair/makeup, and front-of-house staff.

If this does happen, I’m hoping it’s only a short-term practice and as audiences start flocking back into these theatres down the road, we can fully staff these productions like they were before.