Phantom’s Farewell II : ‘Phantom’ Fans Again Ponder Life Without Their Michael

Father of all Phantoms, Michael Crawford, who turned a murderous madman into the romantic heartthrob of thousands of women in “The Phantom of the Opera,” is passing the mask Sunday for the last time . . . again.

Feel like you have read this story before? Well, you have. Sort of.

At his last last performance a year ago at the Ahmanson Theatre, Crawford said it was the end, fine , over, finis . Then, the actor who has been to “Phantom” what Rex Harrison was to “My Fair Lady” and Yul Brynner was to “The King and I,” came back in December.

Now he’s bidding his Los Angeles audience farewell once again.

So the scene repeats. Daily lines at the Music Center of gaga Crawford devotees deserting homes and jobs to wait for canceled tickets, frenzied fans expounding on Crawford’s “sensual hand gestures,” scalpers selling tickets to the highest bidder for the next last performance.

Does what appears to be a love of leaving portend a third coming?

“I don’t think I’ll return to L.A.(to play the role), but I might do it somewhere else, like London, or New York,” Crawford said after a recent performance. “I think your instinct knows when to call it a day. I love playing the role, so it’s not out of the question that I’d come back to it.”

Crawford left the production last year to play the Phantom in a film version of the musical that is being produced by Warner Bros. But the production is on hold, and Crawford declines to discuss his future career plans in detail, but he is considering film, TV and stage offers.

Such ambiguity offers threads of hope that send Crawford adulators reeling and writhing with optimism. For some, life after Michael is just too awful to contemplate. (Davis Gaines will succeed Crawford Tuesday night.)

“I will have withdrawal pains (when Crawford leaves),” said Barbara Morrow, a fur and diamonds clad Palm Desert matron who has seen the show 108 times. “Michael is the Phantom, he’s not playing the Phantom. It’s a miracle what he can do on stage. I’ll have to find a way to fill the void--until he comes back again.”

Morrow holds the record for “Phantom” sightings among the cadre of devotees who have spent their days camped out at the Music Center box office since last Sunday waiting and hoping to buy canceled tickets.

This week, there were 66 tickets returned and resold.

Cate Girskis drove in from Corona every day. She copped a ticket for tonight’s show, but is still hoping for a Sunday ticket too.

The play is “like a special friend,” she gushes. “When I saw it on New Year’s Eve, my entire life made sense to me. The addiction just hits. I have every reason to drive over 100 miles each day for a week, sit outside in all types of weather in the cancellation line for over 30 hours, rearrange and devote my life for just one more incredible opportunity to experience this phenomenon.”

Dede Miller, a member of the Michael Crawford International Fan Assn. took a week’s vacation from work to wait in line for tickets, says wistfully: “To me, he’s the only Phantom. (After he leaves) I’m going to get a life.”

Margaret Burdin, a four-time veteran, says of the Phantom-mania: “Thank God this madness will be over.”

Betty Combs, who’s seen it 16 times says: “I’m going to go back to reality I guess. I’d go with him (Crawford) in an instant--that is if I were Christine of course.”

No one is more astounded by his success than Crawford, who says the play’s appeal is “ pure romance and it’s without (Christine) ever being touched.”

“I never touch her,” he says, his hands stroking the air seductively. “No matter what your size or shape, whether you have a big back end or not--it allows you to feel that way.”

And, judging from the number, plenty of Southern California women agree. The Phantom phenomenon is making theater history. Since its start in Los Angeles in May, 1989, “The Phantom of the Opera” has grossed almost $70 million. On June 1, “Phantom” will become the longest-running show in L.A. theater history, surpassing “Hair.”

Indubitably, Crawford cultism has affected ticket sales. The day following the February announcement that he was leaving, $467,265 in tickets were sold, nearly $300,000 more than the average daily ticket sales(not all were for dates before Crawford’s departure), said the spokeswoman.

Ellen Fay, general manager of the Music Center says: “We will miss him. We haven’t experienced a tremendous drop in business yet. But I’m sure there will be one-there was one when Mr.(Robert) Guillaume took over. The demand for tickets before April 28 (the final performance) is fierce.”

Fred Ross, co-owner of Front Row Center Tickets in Westwood, says of sales: “The demand for tickets is down about 50% without Michael Crawford. People call for tickets (to see Crawford) and we have to tell them that we can’t get them tickets for his performance. We have been unable to sell tickets for the other dates. The strangest thing is that in almost every case the ones trying to get tickets have been someone who has already seen it.”

For a couple of weeks, classified ads advertised tickets at inflated prices, but they still don’t equal the $1,200 to $1,500 per ticket sellers were able to get for Crawford’s previous departure. (Two final-performance tickets auctioned off for charity last year by KABC-TV Channel 7’s “A.M. Los Angeles” went for a whopping $27,500.)

Andrea Bovee, who has seen “Phantom” 21 times and will see the final one, is selling tickets for Crawford’s last performance advertised at $850 each: “I have four tickets for the last performance. I’m going myself and selling the others. I’m just waiting to see what I can get for them.”

THE NEW PHANTOM: F10