The Phantom of the Opera musical has ended its Broadway run after 35 years. The final show was held on Sunday in New York, and the original stars of the musical appeared alongside the current cast to take their final bow.
The show’s composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, dedicated the final performance to his son Nicholas, who passed away last month from gastric cancer. In a speech after the show, Lloyd Webber spoke of his gratitude for the show’s success and suggested that it might return in the future.
The Phantom of the Opera is based on a novel by Gaston Leroux and tells the story of a young opera singer named Christine Daae who is mentored by a mysterious figure known as the Phantom. The story takes a dark turn when the Phantom becomes obsessed with Christine and she falls in love with another man.
The musical has been a Broadway staple since it debuted in 1988, with almost 14,000 performances and over 70 major awards. The show’s original stars, including Sarah Brightman, joined the cast for the final performance.
Brightman spoke about the show’s enduring popularity and the passion and understanding of the human soul that went into its creation. She also predicted that the show would eventually return to the Broadway stage, saying that people will miss it too much to let it go.
