At the final Broadway performance of The Phantom of the Opera on Sunday night, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber was obviously distressed.
The longest-running production on Broadway closed after 35 years and 14,000 performances at the Majestic Theatre. Since Nicholas Webber passed away in March from cancer, this was his first public appearance. Nicholas, according to rumor, is 43 years old.
Sarah Brightman, who originated the role of Christine, and Andrew Webber, her now-ex-husband, returned to the stage for the last curtain call. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside when Webber explained to his son that he was singing to him because they both loved music.
The Associated Press said that Webber added, “I hope you won’t mind if I dedicate this performance to my son,” during the evening’s event. The urban legend goes like this: “When he was a little boy, he heard some of this music, and he loved it.”
“Yes,” Brightman agreed. With Andrew around, he’ll be remembered in this light forever. Nick, your opinion matters a lot.
Webber said in March that he will be absent from the Broadway premiere of his new musical Bad Cinderella to be with his sick daughter.
According to the artist’s People interview, his family was “shattered” by the death of “my beloved elder son Nick” at Basingstoke Hospital. His cousin remarked, “His whole family is here, and we are all heartbroken.”
Webber responded to questions from the media with a simple, “For all your thoughts during this difficult time.”
