The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest-running show, officially closed on Sunday night after a 35-year run.
The musical revolves around a disfigured composer called The Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House and falls in love with a beautiful young “prima donna,” an opera singer named Christine Daaé. The show is well known for the mask The Phantom wore and the signature gold chandelier that crashed to the stage floor during each performance.
Phantom first opened in London in 1986 and instantly became a major hit. Since then, it has been performed over 70,000 times in 183 cities and has been seen internationally by more than 145 million people.
The musical debuted on Broadway on January 26, 1988, with the first of a record-breaking 13,981 shows that grossed $1.36 billion over the years. More than 20 million people have seen The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.
Although it has been one of the most popular musicals of all time, Phantom began to struggle due to increasing inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic, per Voice of America. Since it relied heavily on audiences visiting Broadway for the first time, COVID shutdowns and travel restrictions took a heavy toll on the already expensive show.
Emilie Kouatchou, who played Christine in the final performance, said that the night was cause for celebration.
“We get to celebrate at the end of this,” said Kouatchou, per Voice of America. “We get to all come together and drink and laugh and talk about the show and all the highs and lows. It’s ending on a big note.”
Attendance at the finale was by invitation only. The audience included Broadway lovers, former actors from the show, those who helped contribute to the popularity of Phantom, and fans who won a lottery, according to The New York Times.
One of the most well-known songs from the piece, “The Music of the Night,” was performed by the current and former cast members, as well as crew members, during the final curtain call, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Following the final dropping of the curtain, the show’s stagehands were invited out to receive a round of applause from the audience. The final performance also featured a video presentation that honored former and current cast members who had played major roles throughout the years.
Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote Phantom’s score, came on stage to dedicate its last show to his son, who died at the age of 43 last month after battling gastric cancer.
“I hope you won’t mind if I dedicate this performance to my son,” said Webber, per USA Today. “When he was a little boy, he heard some of this music and he loved it.”
Sarah Brightman, who played Christine in the show’s original cast, spoke about the musical and its future, offering hope that it would return to Broadway one day.
“I don’t feel it’s the end,” said Brightman, per USA Today. “It’s become a classic, and you know this because you watch all the new generations coming up and they’re really enjoying it. The fact that so many people from this generation want to see this, it means it’s going to be back.”
