The Longest-Running Show in Broadway History Opened on This Date in 1988. Read Why Its Legacy Is So Controversial

When The Phantom of the Opera opened on January 26, 1988, there was no way to know that it would become the longest-running show in Broadway history.

Created by English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who based his beloved musical on Gaston Leroux’s novel of the same name, Phantom is the story of a gifted soprano, Christine Daaé. Following a successful performance at the Paris opera house, Christine confesses that she’s been tutored by an “Angel of Music,” who turns out to be a mysterious “phantom” who lives in—and perhaps curses—the theater. From there, the storyline unfolds as a love triangle among the Phantom, Christine and Raoul, Christine’s childhood friend.

Lloyd Webber made his Broadway debut with Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971, followed by popular musicals like Evita in 1979 and Cats in 1982. Less than two years after opening on London’s West End in October 1986, Phantom debuted in New York City at Manhattan’s Majestic Theatre. It starred English actor Michael Crawford as the Phantom and Sarah Brightman, Lloyd Webber’s then-wife, making her Broadway debut as Christine.

The show became an instant hit. In its first year, it took home seven Tony Awards, including the award for Best Musical. By the early ’90s, it was still playing to standing-room-only crowds and producing record-breaking box-office sales. For over three more decades, Phantom “phans” flocked to see this spectacle-based production—which included trap doors, a masked ball and an elegant one-ton chandelier that comes crashing down to the stage for the musical’s first-act finale—some of them catching dozens of performances throughout its tenure.

In 1989, Phantom launched its first national tour, putting on more than 3,000 performances as part of its touring circuit that lasted until 2010.

But the Covid-19 pandemic spelled trouble for Broadway’s Phantom. In March 2020, Phantom temporarily closed, staying shuttered for 586 days before reopening on October 22, 2021. The show’s audience never returned to its pre-pandemic attendance levels. Less than a year later, producers announced the production’s record-breaking run would end in February 2023.

But when patrons learned that the musical was leaving Manhattan, a surge in ticket sales led to a two-month extension. By the time the show closed on April 16, 2023, Phantom had played 13,981 Broadway performances.

CNN called Phantom “the most enduring relic of the ’80s era of musicals built on spectacle,” which also included “mega-musicals” like Miss Saigon and Cats. But the show is not without its controversy, especially in the era of the #MeToo movement. Its storyline focuses on the Phantom’s dangerous obsession with his protégée, Christine: one in which he sabotages her rival, threatens the life of her love interest and even kidnaps her.

But the show’s plotline has long been eclipsed by its sheer dazzle—a spectacle that still fuels its popularity despite its Broadway demise. “It’s no exaggeration to say that Lloyd Webber and The Phantom of the Opera have changed the trajectory of musical theater,” writes Sage Young in a post for uDiscoverMusic. “The show’s crossover impact introduced millions of new fans to the art form, and more than a few musicals that came afterward owe their sense of scale and spectacle to the international hit.”