The Final Curtain Call of Broadway’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera’
By Brook Joyner and Clint Alwahab, CNN
Broadway’s longest-running show, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, had its final curtain call on Sunday.
After an impressive 35 years and nearly 14,000 performances, this iconic musical is concluding its run due to declining ticket sales. However, international productions of the show will continue to grace stages worldwide.
A Musical Legacy
This Tony Award-winning musical, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, first opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York in 1988. Based on a novel by Gaston Leroux, it narrates the tale of a mysterious figure haunting a Paris opera house, who falls in love with a captivating young singer.
‘Phantom’ is featured on a stack of Playbill magazines in 2008. The show opened 20 years prior and won seven Tony Awards.
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Meghan Picerno, one of the actresses who has played Christine Daaé, applies makeup before a final dress rehearsal in 2021.
Caitlin Ochs/Reuters
Michael Crawford prepares for the show’s Broadway debut in 1988. Crawford won a Tony for his role as the titular Phantom.
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The raising and crashing of the chandelier is one of the most memorable features of the show.
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Hugh Panaro performs as the Phantom in 2012. Panaro is one of the few actors to have played both the roles of the Phantom and Raoul de Chagny.
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times/Redux
Broadway advertisements for ‘Phantom’ and other shows plaster a New York street corner.
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In 2014, Norm Lewis became the first Black actor to play the Phantom on Broadway.
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‘Phantom’ composer Andrew Lloyd Webber hugs actress Emmy Rossum, who played Christine in the 2004 film adaptation of the musical.
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Actors wait in the wings during a 2006 performance. Mark Peterson/ReduxIn 2006, ‘Phantom’ surpassed ‘Cats’ as the longest-running show in Broadway history.
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A crew member looks at a rigging chart backstage in 2021.
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All Broadway shows were suspended in early 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Actor Ben Crawford wears the phantom mask and a face mask during a fitting in 2021.
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Lloyd Webber, right, and theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh hold the Tony Award that ‘Phantom’ won for best musical in 1988.
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In 2022, Emilie Kouatchou made history as the first Black actress to play Christine on Broadway.
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A crew member holds phantom masks backstage. Mark Peterson/ReduxA hairstylist preps wigs in 2006. Mark Peterson/ReduxAudience members wear phantom masks during a 2021 performance. Caitlin Ochs/ReutersThe pit orchestra plays during a curtain call in February 2023. ‘Phantom’ features Broadway’s largest pit and includes 27 full-time musicians.
Todd Heisler/The New York Times/Redux
Cast and crew take a bow as confetti is released after the final performance of the Phantom of the Opera, which closed after 35 years on Broadway, in New York City, on April 16.
