The Phantom Takes His Final Bow
It’s over now, the music of the night.
On Sunday, “The Phantom of the Opera,” Broadway’s longest-running show, closed its curtain and dropped its chandelier at the Majestic Theater for the final time in its current form.
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To celebrate the historic evening — more than 35 years and nearly 14,000 performances — the production hosted an invite-only red carpet and performance for former cast members, the creative team and other members of the “Phantom” family, aka the Phamily.
New York City’s and London’s original Christine Daaé — the leading female character — Sarah Brightman walked the carpet in a feather-embellished cream gown. Former Phantoms, including Hugh Panaro, Ted Keegan and Peter Jöback, reunited with friends and discussed their history with the show. Michael Crawford, who originated the titular role in London and New York, was not in attendance due to emergency dental surgery, though his name was lovingly hummed throughout the evening.
Sierra Boggess, a longtime Christine who played the role in The Las Vegas Spectacular, as well as at the Royal Albert Hall in London and at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway for both productions’ 25th anniversaries, sympathized with the disappointed “Phantom” fans, known as Phans.
“We’re all in this together. We’re all feeling the same things,” she said, noting that she needed to grab some tissues to get through the emotional evening.” Thank God there’s so many Phans, so that we’re not alone, and we’re going to get through this. Thank God this music lives forever. It lives forever.”
On the carpet, a slew of Broadway’s finest, as well as celebrities, gushed about their love of the show, including Glenn Close, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Gayle King. “Downton Abbey” and “Mamma Mia” actress Lily James slunk in quietly.
Members of the closing cast gladly posed on the carpet, including some who were celebrating major milestones in their own right: Jeremy Stolle and Paul Schaefer, ensemble members and understudies to the two leading males, boasted 5,067 and 5,043 performances, respectively. Some ensemble members had graced the stage over 8,000 times. Maree Johnson, who played Madame Giry since 2017, celebrated what she believes to be her last run with the show — she also played Christine in two Australian productions in the ’90s and took a leave from Broadway in 2022 to play Giry at the outdoor Sydney Harbour production.
Emilie Kouatchou, Broadway’s first Black Christine, stunned on the red carpet in a hot pink strapless gown, noting to reporters she felt overwhelmed to not only be performing the role for the final time but to also be closing the show. This energy was palpable, as she welcomed a minutes-long standing ovation following her rendition of “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” a ballad, in act two.
In true “Phantom” fashion, a last-minute surprise shocked the production. The show’s Phantom Ben Crawford, who has played the role since April 2018 boasting 1,054 performances, was on vocal rest per doctor’s orders, and was unable to perform during its closing. Laird Mackintosh, an understudy and on-and-off member of the cast since the ’90s, donned the mask in Crawford’s stead — who was in attendance to celebrate.
“There’s five of us who cover the Phantom in the show right now, and it could have gone to any one of those guys,” Mackintosh said on the carpet. “I’m the lucky one that it’s come to today. It means the world to me.…It’s been a role that I have loved all my life. I’m deeply honored to be apart of this production, deeply melancholy that it’s closing, as we all are. It’s been such a spectacular home for us.”
While Sunday’s performance was invite-only, Saturday was for the ‘phans.’ After the final public performance, audience members refused to leave the theater for 30 minutes after the curtain closed, chanting “one more song.”
After several minutes of chanting, members of the cast returned to the stage in their street clothes to greet the audience. Nehal Joshi, who played Monsieur André, one of the two managers, led the group singing “Happy Trails.”
“It was the craziest thing. I’ve never had a closing night where the audience refused to leave the theater. It’s about the love of this show. It’s about the undying affection for the ‘Phantom,’” he said, pointing to the crowds barricaded behind the red carpet, hoping to get a glimpse of the cast.
During that performance, he aimed to reassure the lingering audience joking, “You know the Phantom’s pesky, who knows when he’ll be back.”
Though the lights may have dimmed on the Majestic, attendees don’t believe New York City has seen the last of the opera ghost. When asked how it felt to be entering the theater to see the historical show for the last time, Brightman immediately said “I don’t think it is the last time.…It’s one of those evergreens, one of those classic pieces. It will stop for a little while and everyone will want it again, so it will come back. Everybody connects with it all over the world because it’s about human emotions.” This sentiment resonated throughout the night.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said, “It’ll be back. I betcha,” noting that it’s been a fixture of this city, as it endured some of the city’s toughest times, including 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
One passerby on the street even noted to her young child that it would be back soon and she would take them to see the show on Broadway one day.
The final performance was a reunion for many. Former cast members shouted across the theater to get the attention of a castmate they hadn’t seen in years. Throughout the performance, attendees clapped and screamed for their favorite characters and scenes. Some even noted at certain lines, ‘That was me!’ reminiscing about their time in the production, which grossed $1.3 billion, was seen by more than 20 million people and employed around 6,500 people.
During a closing presentation, which honored creatives who had passed including Hal Prince (director), Gillian Lynne (choreographer) and Maria Björnson (set and costume designer), the show’s composer Andrew Lloyd Webber took to the stage to say goodbye to the production.
“All I can say tonight is thank you to absolutely everybody who made this extraordinary run possible,” Lloyd Webber said, dedicating the final performance to his son Nick Lloyd Webber who recently passed away. “It’s just amazing really what has happened. In the last few months, I don’t think any of us thought ‘the Phantom’ would go out quite with the bang it has, and so maybe it may come back. You never know.”
“One question I keep being asked again and again and again: ‘Will “Phantom” return?’ Having been a producer for over 55 years, I’ve seen all the great musicals return,” said Sir Cameron Mackintosh, the musical’s producer.
“’Phantom’ is one of the greatest, so it’s only a matter of time.”
Launch Gallery: Closing Night of “Phantom of the Opera”
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