In January 2006, Phantom of the Opera took over from Cats to hold the title of the longest-running show ever on Broadway. The A-Type, supplied and serviced over the years by Masque Sound Inc, has proved itself as the most enduring element within the sound system, requiring no more than regular maintenance to maintain its performance night after night.
Estimates from The Really Useful Group indicate that the show has been seen by more than 80 million people worldwide, bringing in over $3.2 billion in ticket sales. Looking back over the years, Masque Sound's director of technical services, Dennis Short, regards the A-Type as the lynchpin in the show's system: "Phantom has seen lots of different operators, but only one console - which is amazing when you consider the number of performances and other changes the show has been through. The A-Type really hasn't caused us any problems.
We give it a regular service, and on it goes - it would be amazing to try and calculate just how many miles those faders have covered in 18 years! It is fitting that the longest running musical on Broadway should have an A-Type built by Cadac Electronics, one of the Great White Way's seasoned supporters, at the heart of its design."
Phantom's popularity with Broadway audiences appears set to endure, with the show continuing to play to near capacity houses at The Majestic and consistently making it onto the list of highest-grossing shows. Featuring the original sound design by Martin Levan, the current sound team includes Jason Strangfeld as the lead mixer, accompanied by Jason McKenna and Charlie Grieco at the A-Type's controls. Jon Weston is the production sound supervisor for both Broadway and the North American National Tour, and along with Ron Vitteli backstage, has been associated with Phantom since the opening. The final member of the team backstage is Stephen Carey. Cadac also reports that another A-Type - on the London show - has also been operating faultlessly since Phantom opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on 27 September 1988.
(Lee Baldock)
