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It's been a while since Andrew Lloyd Webber has had a major hit on Broadway, but no matter: He's the reigning champion of the Great White Way. Last night, his "Phantom of the Opera" played its 7,486th performance - making it Broadway's longest-running show ever.
The champion dethroned by "Phantom" was the legendary "Cats" - also with music by Lloyd Webber.
To have the longest-running show ever on Broadway is accomplishment enough; to have written the two top-running shows is, well, astounding.
It hardly matters that critics have skewered the "Phantom" score - or even that Lloyd Webber had to settle a lawsuit by the estate of Giacomo Puccini over some fairly blatant plagiarism from the composer's famous operas.
Simply put, this show struck a chord with theater-goers, and has been thrilling audiences ever since it opened in 1988 - back when Ronald Reagan was president and Ed Koch was mayor.
That's quite a run by any standard - and deserves the acclaim that Andrew Lloyd Webber once again is receiving.
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