The 13,981th final show was performed for an invitation-only crowd—featuring many former Phantom cast members—who were treated to a moving video montage following the performance. The video, which can be viewed above, spotlighted all of the actors who have starred in the title role—from Tony winner Michael Crawford to Ben Crawford and Laird Mackintosh (who played the final weekend of performances)—as well as the artists who portrayed Christine Daaé—from Sarah Brightman through Emilie Kouatchou.
The Broadway staging of the London-originated show won seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Previews on Broadway began January 9, 1988, with an official opening January 26. The original Broadway cast featured Crawford, Brightman, Judy Kaye, and the late Steve Barton.
The Phantom of the Opera became the longest-running show in Broadway history January 9, 2006, when it surpassed the nearly 18-year run of Cats. The production’s nearly 14,000 performances were seen by 19.5 million people and grossed $1.3 billion.
The production will include Bernstein’s incidental music for Lillian Hellman’s adaptation of The Lark, and Menotti’s The Unicorn, The Gorgon, and The Manticore.
Based on the novel and film by Frank Cottrell Boyce, the new musical will reunite Guettel with Tony-winning Light in the Piazza director Bartlett Sher.