The Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera will celebrate its tenth anniversary Jan. 26 in restrained style -- just family and friends.

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Harold Prince and other members of the creative team are expected to attend and be introduced from the stage at the musical, which has run nearly 4200 performances since opening at the Majestic Theatre in 1988.

But there will be little or none of the balloons and fanfare that accompanied the tenth anniversary of Les Miserables or the fireworks and proclamations that accompanied Cats becoming the longest-running show in Broadway history, both in 1997.

Instead, according to spokesperson Mark Thibodeau, the show will play to an invited audience of family, friends and backers -- plus some 500 "hard core fans" who have been writing the production "for a year and a half," or who indicated unusual interest in attending the performance through the Phantom newsletter and official website.

"We never announced it to the public," said Thibodeau. "Our intention was really to have just the die-hard fans." He said it's possible that an additional block of tickets may be made available to fans in the coming weeks. Playbill On-Line is one of the places that would be notified first, Thibodeau said.

POTO fans, stay tuned!