On Wednesday, January 26, 2011, the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera celebrated an unbelievable (and unmatched) 23rd anniversary. This beloved New York staple has played nearly ten thousand performances at The Majestic Theatre since its 1988 opening, and it is as popular as ever. After the curtain call at the matinee performance on the 26th, Broadway's Phantom, Hugh Panaro, gave a speech before presenting a cake shaped like the number 23. Hal Prince, the famed director of Phantom, also spoke before making the first cut.