海角大神

On a midweek night, Noah Boice is one of the first people waiting in line outside the Majestic Theatre. He鈥檚 flown here from Detroit to see 鈥淭he Phantom of the Opera.鈥� After 35 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber鈥檚 epochal musical is about to end its historic run on Broadway.聽

鈥淚鈥檝e wanted to see it ever since I was a little kid,鈥� says the chef. 鈥淚n high school I wanted to audition for 鈥楶hantom.鈥� I didn鈥檛 get the role, unfortunately, because I don鈥檛 have the voice.鈥�

Dressed for the occasion in a tartan suit that complements his red beard, he鈥檚 taking in the scene of his pilgrimage. Above the theater marquee, a digital billboard displays the most recognizable iconography on Broadway: a white mask next to a red rose. They symbolize the love story of a beautiful singer and a 19th-century musical genius who secludes himself because of his disfigured face.聽

鈥淏asically, the main story of it is don鈥檛 judge a book by its cover,鈥� says Mr. Boice.

鈥淧hantom鈥� will leave behind a formidable legacy. An early prototype of the megamusical, it helped transform Broadway into a magnet for overseas tourists. The Majestic opted to shutter 鈥淧hantom鈥� due to slow ticket sales after the pandemic. Ironically, the announcement of the musical鈥檚 closing created a surge in demand that, as of mid-March, has made 鈥淧hantom鈥� the highest grossing musical on Broadway. The original end date was pushed back from February to April 16. For its many fans 鈥� or Phans 鈥� the production鈥檚 enduring popularity comes down to its memorable melodies and a universally relatable story about whether true love is skin deep.

鈥淭here鈥檚 just so many stories you hear at the stage door from people [about] the ways the show relates to them,鈥� says Ben Crawford, who has played the titular character on Broadway since 2018, in a phone interview. 鈥淧eople who think they can resonate with the phantom if they feel different or they鈥檙e treated differently. There鈥檚 a connection there. So there鈥檚 a lot of things that people can personalize in the show.鈥�

Thirty-five years ago, Broadway audiences were predominantly locals from the New York area. As productions became more expensive to mount, the theater industry was eager to internationalize its audience. Cue the dramatic organ fanfare (DUHN dun dun dun DUHN) and enter 鈥淧hantom.鈥澛�

Mr. Lloyd Webber had already established himself a household name with mass appeal hits such as 鈥淛esus Christ Superstar,鈥� 鈥淓vita,鈥� 鈥淛oseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,鈥� and 鈥淐ats.鈥� 鈥淭he Phantom of the Opera鈥� eclipsed them all.聽

The love duet 鈥淎ll I Ask of You鈥� and 鈥淭he Phantom of the Opera鈥� 鈥� both Top 10 hits on the U.K. singles chart 鈥� are firmly embedded in millions of mental jukeboxes. It also spawned a 2004 movie version, starring Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler, as well as several cast recordings from various stage productions 鈥� including the very first one in London in 1986.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a show that doesn鈥檛 date itself,鈥� says Jessica Sternfeld, author of 鈥淭he Megamusical.鈥� 鈥淭here鈥檚 enough of a sense of classical music about it that it doesn鈥檛 quite holler, 鈥業鈥檓 from the 1980s,鈥� the way other shows do.鈥�

Long before 鈥淭he Lion King鈥� roared on stage, 鈥淧hantom鈥� employed Disney-like branding with a worldwide reach, says Elizabeth Wollman, author of 鈥淭he Theater Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical, from Hair to Hedwig.鈥� In New York, where tourists accounted for 65% of pre-pandemic聽Broadway audiences, the $1.3 billion grosses for 鈥淧hantom鈥� overall have only been surpassed by 鈥淲icked鈥� and 鈥淭he Lion King.鈥澛�

To understand the longevity of 鈥淧hantom,鈥� Dr. Wollman suggests putting yourself in the mind of a first-time visitor to Broadway: 鈥淚鈥檓 with my family. I don鈥檛 know New York very well. I want something that鈥檚 comfortable that I鈥檝e heard of before, that I think we鈥檙e all going to understand. That鈥檚 not going to be too risqu茅 for my children. That鈥檚 not going to bore me to tears.鈥澛�

Standing outside the Majestic, Zack and Sarah Inman from Bowling Green, Kentucky, are quick to praise Emilie Kouatchou, the first Black woman to play the role of Christine.

鈥淪he was actually Christine when we saw it in 2021,鈥� says Ms. Inman. The couple have lost count of how many times they鈥檝e seen 鈥淧hantom鈥� either on tour or here in New York. 鈥淪even or eight,鈥� says Ms. Inman.

Emily Pringle, of Long Island, can boast an even higher number. She鈥檚 seen it 12 times. The first time was when she was 10 years old. Most recently, she attended the 35th anniversary performance on Jan. 26.

鈥淭hey had confetti at the end,鈥� says the student, who is at the theater filming a documentary about the show closing on Broadway.聽鈥淏en [Crawford] gave a really good speech at the end. Andrew Lloyd Webber was there.鈥�

Attendees milling in the lobby have flown in from places like Massachusetts, Texas, and Missouri. The excited voices include Russian and Chinese tourists.聽The merch stand is doing robust business. Its memorabilia include a teddy bear dressed in a tuxedo, cape, and a mask 鈥� probably not the kind of thing one gives a toddler at bedtime.

鈥淭here鈥檚 this intrigue to the character of the Phantom,鈥� says Yacine Ndaw, a New Yorker who first saw the show when she was 13. She鈥檚 drawn to a story that鈥檚 as unpredictable as the moment when the Phantom suddenly appears on a gangway high above the audience. 鈥淵ou watch the whole show and you understand a little bit more who he is.鈥澛�

The masked character is a musical composer who鈥檚 been ostracized because of his facial deformity. Hiding in the catacombs of a Paris opera house, he demands that its new owners stage his latest work, 鈥淔aust.鈥� He also insists that they cast a young singer, Christine, in the lead role. He鈥檚 infatuated with her. And he鈥檚 also jealous of Christine鈥檚 childhood friend, Raoul, who is wooing her. When things don鈥檛 go the Phantom鈥檚 way, he kills people. To some, the character is a troubling figure whose possessive stalking of Christine is abusive. Not to put too fine a point on it, but he is also a serial killer.

鈥淚f you just play him as the bad guy and the murdering sociopath, then you really lose a lot of the layers involved in the character,鈥� says Mr. Crawford.

鈥淵ou have to make sure that they understand the humanity aspect of him,鈥� he adds. 鈥淎nd I think if you can find a way to show that he鈥檚 lashing out because he鈥檚 been mistreated his whole life, you don鈥檛 condone his behavior, but you can at least understand it.鈥�

At the climax of the show 鈥� spoiler alert 鈥� Christine tells the unmasked composer, 鈥淭his haunted face holds no horror for me now. It鈥檚 in your soul that the true distortion lies.鈥� In an act of kindness, she embraces him.

He has a sort of revelation in that moment, it鈥檚 not the way he looks, but how he is, that makes him 鈥渦nfit to live among us,鈥� says Dr. Sternfeld, who is an associate professor of music at Chapman University in Orange, California.

At a February performance, it鈥檚 not the famous scene of a crashing chandelier that threatens to bring the roof down. It鈥檚 the extended applause during the encores. Afterward, Tony Bacigalupo stands outside the theater chatting with his wife, Christina, about the performance.聽

鈥淚 remember I leaned over to you at some point early on in the show and said, 鈥楲ook, we鈥檝e seen a lot of shows together, but this one is different,鈥欌�� says Mr. Bacigalupo, a New Yorker. 鈥淭hey clearly were going for it. With this one, there was no holding back.鈥�

Ms. Bacigalupo marvels at how the Phantom made her root for him despite his crimes. She 鈥渉appy cried鈥� at the end.

鈥淔or so many people, this got us into theater and wanting to come see more shows,鈥� says the one-time college theater major. 鈥淚t was nice to come and see it one last time and give it the respect it deserves.鈥�

Editor鈥檚 note: A previous version of this story included comments about how often 鈥淧hantom鈥� tours. 鈥淧hantom鈥� has had long stretches on tour, but the show is not yet available to community and regional theaters.