Stars past and present fete 'Phantom' record

Actor Michael Crawford, the original star of the musical The Phantom of the Opera, was among the alumni on hand to celebrate its record-breaking performance Monday night.

Andrew Lloyd Webber, the hit composer behind Phantom, told Reuters he was "totally overwhelmed" after receiving a lengthy standing ovation from the packed black-tie crowd that witnessed the show's 7,486th performance at Broadway's Majestic theatre.

Lloyd Webber was joined onstage during the curtain call by Crawford, who told reporters he had never before watched the show as an audience member. They were then joined by dozens of other actors who have appeared in the production over the years, and by producer Cameron Mackintosh, director Harold Prince and choreographer Gillian Lynne.

New York's production of The Phantom of the Opera, which debuted on Jan. 26, 1988, now holds the title for the longest-running show in Broadway history.

Two other Mackintosh productions hold second and third place: Cats, which closed in 2000 after 7,485 shows, and Les Misérables, which closed in 2003 after 6,680 performances.

Phantom 's special curtain call Monday saw a slinky white feline from Cats dance with current Phantom Howard McGillin.

A lavish, masked ball at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel extended the celebrations late into the evening and was attended by hundreds of people involved with the show over the years.

Phantom, which has been seen by more than 50 million people worldwide, in more than two dozen countries, is also one of the world's most successful entertainment ventures — making more than $3 billion US since its debut in London's West End in 1986. In 2004 a movie version of the show was released.

McGillin described the evening as "thrilling" in an interview with the Associated Press.

"To be just a part of it would have been fantastic," he said at the ball. "To play the Phantom was just a dream."