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Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber dedicated the
final Broadway performance to his son Nicholas, who died of
gastric cancer last month.
"In the last few months I don't think... any of us thought that
'The Phantom' would go out quite with the bang it has. And so
maybe it may come back, you never know...," Lloyd Webber told a
packed audience from the stage after the show.
"It couldn't have gone out with a better performance."
His production, whose closure date was set last year following a
sharp drop in ticket sales, is based on a novel by Gaston Leroux.
It was originally directed by Harold Prince and Broadway legends
including Michael Crawford, who was the first to play the
Phantom, Sarah Brightman and Judy Kaye have taken lead roles.
Set in the 19th century, it tells the story of aspiring opera
singer Christine Daae who is taught by the mysterious Phantom to
hone her vocal skills. However, things take a dark turn when the
Phantom chooses Christine as his muse, and she falls in love
with arts benefactor Raoul.
A staple of the Broadway world with nearly 14,000 performances
since it debuted there in 1988, the show has won over 70 major
awards.
Brightman, who joined cast members on stage on Sunday, described
the production as "a very special piece".
"Being there at its inception, it was written with a huge amount
of love and passion and understanding of the human soul,
actually. So, I think this is why people are so connected to
it," she told Reuters on the red carpet.
"I think that people will miss it so much that... it will reopen
at some point. That's my instinct about it."
(Reporting by Alicia Powell; editing by John Stonestreet)
(Photo: Cast and crew members take a moment to applause after
their final performance of the Phantom of the Opera, which
closes after 35 years on Broadway, in New York City, U.S., April
16, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)
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