The curtain and the famed chandelier came down one last time Sunday for Broadway’s “Phantom of the Opera” — though maestro Andrew Lloyd Weber hinted the beloved show may eventually come back.
Throngs of devotees filled the sidewalks on W. 44th St. ahead of the final performance of the show, taking photos and straining for a glimpse of stars walking the red carpet outside the Majestic Theatre.
Mega-fan Sarah Rosenau, 36, waited at the front of the line of ticket holders, wearing a floor-length gown and a tiara. The Texan said she has seen the show 45 times, since she was 11 years old.
“I love it. It’s been a part of my life,” she said, getting teary at the idea that it’s over. “It’s not easy. It’s really super emotional to lose it.”
Amid fan screams during the curtain call, Weber made an unscheduled appearance and dropped some tantalizing remarks.
“It may come back. You never know,” he said. “But what I would like to say, though, is if it was going to go out with a bang, it couldn’t have gone out with a better performance.”
Actress Sarah Brightman, who once starred as the show’s leading lady Christine Daaé, was on hand for the emotional occasion. She voiced conviction that “Phantom” will return to the stage, saying fans should take heart.
“I think that they don’t have to worry because it’s going to come back,” the actress asserted. “It’s a classic, and classics always come back.
“It’s been lovely to be part of it,” she added. “It touches on all human emotions all the way through.”
Sunday’s show was the 13,981st since it opened in 1988.
“I don’t think anybody, any of us thought that the ‘Phantom’ would go out with quite the bang it has,” Weber said on stage.
The blockbuster musical about love and obsession by Andrew Lloyd Webber has shattered records for advance sales, capitalization, total gross, total attendance and longevity, according to its producers.
Fan Jamie Samson, 38, especially admires the elaborate sets and opulence.
“I love the attention to detail. It’s just perfection,” he said outside the theater as he sported a Red Death costume derived from the show.
“Phantom” was the first show Samson ever saw on Broadway, where he now works making costumes.
“It’s a proper send-off,” he said. “It’s one big full-circle moment for me.
“It’s a thrill. It’s a joy,” he added. “It’s bittersweet, it’s thrilling, it’s devastating — all of the feelings all in one. It’s an end of an era.”
“Phantom” became Broadway’s longest-running show more than 17 years ago, in January 2006, and the glitzy production has employed an estimated 6,500 people, including 450 actors, since it opened.
Stars in the audience included Glenn Close.
“It was incredibly moving,” she remarked after the performance.