The curtain is closing on "Phantom of the Opera," a fixture of Broadway for more than three decades.
"Phantom" ends its historic 35-year run on Sunday on a high note: the musical has been the highest grossing show on Broadway for the past 12 weeks. Tickets for its final performances went for as much as $4,000.
Initially, the beloved musical was set to take its final bow on Feb.18, soon after celebrating its 35th anniversary, but producers managed to extend the run for an additional eight weeks to April 16.
The longest-running show in Broadway history, "Phantom" opened at the Majestic Theatre on 44th Street in January 1988 and has played more than 13,000 performances to date. The closing performance will be No. 13,981.
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Winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, producers say the musical has been seen by 20 million people and grossed more than $1.4 billion.
Two days before the final curtain call, Andrew Lloyd Webber was awarded a key to the City of New York City by Mayor Eric Adams.
"I think it's very, very rare in a musical, very, very rare, for all of the ingredients to come together in the same way that Phantom did. The production, the lighting, the choreography." Webber told NBC's Lester Holt.
The legendary composer said the show costs about $1 million a week to run, which, combined with dwindling ticket sales, contributed to its closing.
It's estimated the production created 6,500 jobs in New York City, including those of 400 actors, some of which have been in the musical since opening night.
The final cast for Sunday's performance includes Ben Crawford (The Phantom), Emilie Kouatchou (Christine) and John Riddle (Raoul), with Nehal Joshi (Monsieur André), Craig Bennett (Monsieur Firmin), Raquel Suarez Groen (Carlotta), Maree Johnson (Madame Giry), Carlton Moe (Piangi), Sara Esty (Meg Giry) and Julia Udine (Christine at certain performances).
