Phantom takes second place in Broadway record books

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera will become the second-longest-running Broadway musical of all time early tomorrow – a record surpassed only by another of his hits, Cats.

Phantom will chalk up its 6,681st performance, to take second place from Les Miserables.

Only Cats, another Lloyd Webber classic, has had more shows on Broadway - 7,485 before it closed after 18 years.

Last week Phantom had its 16th birthday on Broadway, where it has been seen by 10 million people.

More than 100 million theatre-goers have seen the show worldwide and it has grossed nearly €2.6bn.

The New York Post praised the show as “not simply one of the longest-running Broadway musicals – it is, more importantly, one of the all-time best Broadway musicals”.

Since Michael Crawford first sang The Music of the Night, there have been 10 other Phantoms on Broadway.

Based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, Phantom tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, terrorising all who inhabit it.

He falls in love with a young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to nurturing her extraordinary talents.

The musical had its world premiere on October 9, 1986 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London.

It went on to win every major British theatre award including the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards.

The New York production opened on January 26, 1988 with a then-record advance of nearly €14.6m.

The musical went on to sweep the 1988 Tony Awards, winning seven, including Best Musical.

The original London cast recording was the first in British musical history to enter the charts at number one.

It has since gone both gold and platinum in Britain and the US, selling more than 25 million copies worldwide.

The 6,681st performance gets under way at the Majestic Theatre in Manhattan at 1am tomorrow morning British time, directed by Harold Prince and featuring Hugh Panaro and Sandra Joseph in the star roles.