New York : After 17 years on Broadway and 7,486 performances, The Phantom of the Opera becomes the longest running Broadway musical in history, and it shows no sign of letting up.
The leaders stand like this:The Phantom of the Opera (7,486 performances)Cats (7,485 performances)Les Misérables (6,680 performances)A Chorus Line (6,137 performances)Oh! Calcutta! (5,959 performances)
A special finale of the musical tonight will commemorate the milestone. All the details surrounding the event are not known, but it has been said that the performance "will be followed by a one-night-only onstage presentation being devised by the musical's creators to uniquely mark this historic occasion." A masquerade gala will be held at The Waldorf Astoria following the performance.
The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway on January 26, 1988. It continues to play London, and will open next year at The Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Since premiering the musical has grossed nearly $600 million, making it the highest grossing show in Broadway history. The worldwide gross of the musical stands at $3.2 billion making it the most successful entertainment venture of all time. The closest to it is the film Titanic at $1.2 billion. Broadway attendance is at 11 million and worldwide attendance stands at 80 million. On January 26, 2006 the musical will become the first Broadway production to celebrate its 18th anniversary.
Howard McGillian as The Phantom
The cast celebrating the occasion includes Howard McGillin as the Phantm (McGillin has played the role the most times), Sandra Joseph as Christine, Tim Martin Gleason as Raoul, George Lee Andrews as Monsieur André, Tim Jerome as Monsieur Firmin, Anne Runolfsson as Carlotta, Marilyn Caskey as Madame Giry, Larry Wayne Morbitt as Piangi, and Heather McFadden as Meg.George Lee Andrews, Mary Leigh Stahl, and Richard Warren Pugh have been with the production from the beginning.
Based on Gaston Leroux's novel, The Phantom tells the story of a deformed man haunts the underground of the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with a young woman, Christine, whom he is teaching to perfect her voice. He exerts a strange control over her especially when she begins to fall in love with the handsome Raoul, and causes mayhem when things do not go his way.
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