Marking the Phantom’s Disappearing Act

The Scene: A sort of pre-closing bash for “The Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running musical in Los Angeles history (clocking in at four years, three months), which closes Sunday afternoon at the Ahmanson Theatre. At the City Club on Bunker Hill on Monday night, cast members sang a number of Andrew Lloyd Webber show tunes. The Phantom himself (Davis Gaines) didn’t sing, but he attended; the object of his desire, Christine (Dale Kristien) did not.

Finances: Money raised from the $125 admission price and from live and silent auctions of “Phantom” paraphernalia and hotel weekends went to Project Angel Food, a local organization that provides meals for homebound people with AIDS. Many members of the “Phantom” cast and crew volunteer to deliver meals for the charity and others have been on the receiving end. Absolut Kurant, the charity scene’s omnipresent vodka, and Private Clubs magazine sponsored the event.

Quoted: “I’ve been the Phantom for two years and four months. When I close on Sunday, it will be 942 performances,” said Gaines with a sigh. No vacations? “No vacations.”

Noted: Regarding performance No. 942, “We have tubs of people from Utah coming,” said Claudia Stepp, president of the Davis Gaines Fan Club in Fort Worth, Texas. “And I’d say there’s 25 from Texas and a lot from Arizona.”

The Cliffhanger: The live auction of two tickets to the final performance went on for a good 20 minutes. To up the ante, Gaines promised to throw in his mask from the last show, and stage manager Ray Gin added an invitation to the private cast party and a third ticket. The package went for $4,500.

Overheard: “You can’t take this stuff for granted. It is an investment. Just think about it folks,” said auctioneer Dawn Cotsonis, appealing to fiscally minded yuppies, in order to raise the bidding on a pair of red shoes worn by Michael Crawford, the musical’s original star. The final price was $1,000.

Chow: A buffet, er, station party, as in sushi station, pasta station.