"Phantom of the Opera" closes after historic 35-year run on Broadway
NEW YORK -- Sunday marked the final bow for Broadway's longest-running show.
"Phantom of the Opera" is closing after more than three decades, nearly 14,000 performances and seven Tony Awards.
CBS2 was on the red carpet before the show speaking to the cast, including some from the original production.
FLASHBACK: "Phantom of the Opera" to close on Broadway in early 2023, ending 35-year run
It was an emotional glittering farewell to the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway at the Majestic Theater, which was the home of the musical for 35 years.
A stage filled with glorious music sets costumes and thrills gave way to a rousing standing ovation. The moment the creator of the legendary musical, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, joined the cast at curtain call brought many to tears.
"I hope you won't mind if I dedicate this performance to my son," Lloyd Webber said.
"Nick, we love you very much," said Sarah Brightman, who played "Christine" in the original production.
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Brightman was at Lloyd Webber's side, helping him through the pain of his recent loss of his eldest son, Nicholas, to cancer at age 43.
The composer talked to the audience about gratitude and the end of a record-shattering run. He described it as a triumph.
"The last few months I don't think anybody, any of us thought the fact that it would go out with a bang it has," Lloyd Webber said.
Howard McGillin is in the record books for the most performances as the "Phantom."
"I started sobbing the minute I came in," McGillin said. "We're all part of this family and we will always be. It's a wonderful thing."
On the red carpet, two Christines spoke to CBS2 -- Brightman, who first stepped foot on stage at the Majestic in 1988, and Emilie Kouatchou, the Christine who brought down the house Sunday night at the end.
"It's full circle, starting with a bang and we're ending with a bang, too," Kouatchou said.
"It's very much a spiritual production because everyone connects to it. They connect to the characters," Brightman added. "It's very special to me, very personal."
"I'm not going to say that I'm not a little bit melancholy. We all feel that way. Those of us who are in the show love to show so much [that] it's a family and it's been a home," said Laird Mackintosh, who played "Phantom" during the final Broadway run.
Sunday night's show was not the last one. The Phantom of the Opera's Broadway run is done. The Majestic Theater will remove it from the marquee, but everyone here predicts the same thing, that it will be back.
The Phantom of the Opera continues to play worldwide in nine separate productions. The original Phantom, Michael Crawford, had hoped to be in the audience Sunday night. In a letter to the company, he said he had a dental emergency and he thanked everyone involved in the production.