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Satire is what closes on Saturday night, George S. Kaufman famously said, and, when the curtain falls on the 8 PM Sept. 3 performance of Broadway's The Phantom of the Opera, it falls on two of that production's most conspicuous practitioners, George Lee Andrews and David Cryer.

Respectively, they play Monsieur Andre and Monsieur Firmin, the fussy, fastidious managers of the Opera Populaire in Paris during its chaotic ghost-haunted period (in the late 19th century), and, what's more, the two actors have played these roles longer than anyone.

Cryer played Monsieur Firmin for 13 years on the national tour — plus 2,144 more on Broadway opposite Andrews, making a combined U.S. total of more than 7,500. He's also Evita's longest-running Juan Peron, logging up more than 1,000 performances on Broadway, and has turned in more performances of The Celebrant in the Bernstein Mass than anyone (six different productions including The Met).

Since January 2006 they have shared a tiny, two-chaired dressing room on the third landing of the Majestic Theatre — "320 up and, luckily, 320 down," cried Cryer ,who has counted them — and that's where they were found prepping for one of their last outings. By the official decree of producer Cameron Mackintosh (who similarly "freshened" the 10th anniversary cast of Les Miserables, replacing about a third of the company), the 68-year-old Andrews and the 75-year-old Cryer did not get their six-month contracts renewed. Andrews' contract had been renewed 40 times, but, taking some of the sting out of this turn of events, is the fact Monsieur Andre will be played by his son-in-law, Aaron Galligan-Stierle, 31, which at least keeps the role in the family.

The actors spoke to us on Sept. 1, two days before their exit from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical.

So what does it feel like getting to the light at the end of the tunnel?

George Lee Andrews: Well, it's very all jumbled up right now. People keep asking me, "Well, how do you feel?" Right now, I just feel normal.

David Cryer: We feel like we've got a show to do.

GLA: Thank God! Okay, so I came in tonight and I made a joke about the fact that we got our paycheck and I said, "That's our last paycheck." I made a joke about it, but I thought, "This should be really hitting me," but I'm not emotionally attached to it yet. I guess I have to wait until Monday night when I'm watching my son-in-law do the role.

DC: No pressure!

Poor guy! Having to do a role his father-in-law did for the past 23 years! Is your daughter [Jennifer Lee Andrews] an actress?

GLA: She was an actress in college and just after college, but she's a teacher, really — a special ed teacher.

How did you get The Word that your contracts weren't being renewed?

DC: We got Post-It notes from our stage manager to see Steve Greer, who is our company manager, so I thought, "What is this about?" The next day we went into the office. I thought, "Well, it must be they're having the 25th anniversary of Phantom over in London, and we're being invited to represent America since we're the elder statesmen. [Not getting renewed] came as a big surprise. However, when David Caddick [the musical supervisor] came in with a kind of dour look on his face, we knew something was not right!

GLA: Hal [Prince] was on the phone. Hal was on a conference call in the office with us and the company manager and the production manager — and a letter from Cameron. That's how we were told. It was very respectful — shocking and sad.

How long ago was this?

DC: April 28. I will always remember it. Four o'clock — they were late, actually. [Laughs.] And if we're late, we get a letter.

But you must look back on this whole experience with a lot of affection.

DC: Oh, absolutely. We consider it a huge blessing and a gift.

When you do your scenes together, are you ever tempted to play games with each other?

DC: I respect the show too much to do that. I think it messes up the show when you start doing that. It gets confusing to the audience. We, actually, really concentrate on doing the show as best we can every night. That's what we both feel about doing the show, and that's what we do.

	David Cryer

What is it that you've found out about your characters in the years you've been doing them?

GLA: Just that there's always plenty to work on, that's all. There's not anything really earthshakingly different about them, except that there's always room for improvement — in many ways: comedy, the drama of the show, the singing, the working with the music, the movement. All those things definitely bear working on all the time.

DC: I have to say I think we've gotten better in the parts. I'm not going to tell George some of the things I think he does better, because it will ruin him for the last four performances. And I have a few things I know I'm doing better, and I don't want him to tell me.

How many Phantoms have you been through?

GLA: Me? I've had 12. Howard McGillin was in it for seven years and a couple of times, and Hugh Panaro has been in three times so people are in and out, but all told there have been 12 and something like four substitute Phantoms, who are phantoms but they weren't real phantoms. They were in for a limited run — and then untold understudies.

Do you remember the 1988 opening night party at the Beacon, George?

GLA: Yes. I remember it was a crazy night of fun. It was a wonderful cast, and we were already good friends at that point, having gone through the rehearsal process. Everybody was thrilled to be in Phantom. We knew we were in for a nice ride — a long ride, probably — and so everyone was feeling at the top of their game. I just remember it was all lights and swirling and black and white decor and tinsel.

Who were you playing then?

GLA: I played what I like to say as four featured roles, but they were all really one man. In the opera companies, they call him The First Singer. He's the man in the opera company who does the leads opposite the stars. The stars are brought in. This guy stays in the company and plays all the principal roles in each opera. In Hannibal, I'm the Lion Man. In Don Juan, I'm Passarino. In Il Muto, I'm Don Attilio. Then in the rehearsal, sitzprobe, I'm myself.

DC: I thought he was the funniest thing in the show when I saw it, when he was Don Attilio, the guy who sings the low notes. I was proud.