After nearly 12 years on the boards, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera marks another milestone this holiday season -- 5,000 performances on Broadway. The fifth-longest running Broadway musical of all time (after Cats, A Chorus Line, Oh! Calcutta and Les Miz), the romantic thriller has grossed over $400 million and been seen by some 8 million people.

Howard McGillin currently leads the cast in the title role. He was Tony and Drama Desk-nominated for The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Anything Goes. Other Broadway credits include The Secret Garden, Sunday in the Park With George, She Loves Me and Kiss of the Spider Woman. McGillin also originated the role of Si Morley in San Diego's Old Globe production of Time and Again. McGillin's voice is featured on the recordings of Anything Goes, As Thousands Cheer, "The Swan Princess" and "South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut."

The current cast of Phantom also features Adrienne McEwan as Christine, Gary Mauer as Raoul, Liz McCartney as Carlotta, Leila Martin as Madame Giry, Jeff Keller as Monsieur Andre and George Lee Andrews as Monsieur Firmin. Sarah Pfisterer plays Christine at certain performances.

Previous Broadway Phantoms include Michael Crawford, the originator of the role, Kevin Gray, Mark Jacoby, Davis Gaines and Hugh Panaro.

The Phantom of the Opera celebrated its tenth anniversary on Broadway Jan. 26, 1998. For tickets call (212) 239-6200. -- By Christine Ehren