Legendary playwright Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber receives Key to the City

NEW YORK — Legendary playwright Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber received a Key to the City on Friday before the final curtain falls on “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway. 

Mayor Eric Adams presented Webber with the key and reminisced about growing up in New York City and listening to Webber’s musicals. 

Adams said Webber defined the genre for more than 50 years. 

“We are looking at the, really, the greatest of all time,” said Adams. 

“Broadway is the reason that so many people come to New York and I felt very, very much a part of the community even though I’m British. But I still feel that this is the home of musicals and where I want to be,” said Webber.

“The Phantom of the Opera” premiered in 1988 and is the longest-running show in Broadway history.

Actors who originated the roles of the Phantom and Christine are expected to attend the final performance at the Majestic Theatre on Sunday.