Key to the City of New York Presented as The Phantom of the Opera — Broadway’s Longest-Running Show — Ends Run This Weekend
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today awarded a Key to the City of New York to Broadway legend Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. Mayor Adams presented the key to Lloyd Webber as the composer’s musical, The Phantom of the Opera — the longest-running Broadway show in history — will close out its run this Sunday, April 16th, and as his latest musical, Bad Cinderella, has begun its Broadway run.
“For more than 50 years, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music has defined Broadway,” said Mayor Adams. “From Jesus Christ Superstar to The Phantom of the Opera — Broadway’s longest-running show — to Bad Cinderella, Andrew’s legacy has inspired countless generations and attracted tens of millions of people to our city. Although he may come from across the pond, Andrew’s story is a New York City story. An EGOT winner, a Knight, a Lord — and now I am proud to add one more honor to that long list — recipient of the Key to New York City.”
“For nearly five decades, Broadway has acted as my second home, dating all the way back to 1971 with Jesus Christ Superstar,” said Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. “I am honored to receive a Key to the City of New York, a symbol of how pivotal New York City is to my personal life and professional career in theater. I thank Mayor Eric Adams for this gift and with Bad Cinderella, I’m looking forward to performing my work under Broadway’s iconic lights once again.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the most successful composers of musical theater in history. He has been nominated for 23 competitive Tony Awards, winning six, as well as a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. He has also been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, winning three. With his 1996 Oscar and his 2018 Emmy Award, he became one of just 16 people to achieve EGOT status (winning at least one of each: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony). In 1992, Lloyd Webber was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
The Key to the City of New York was first awarded in 1702 by New York City Mayor Phillip French, when he offered “Freedom of the City” to Viscount Edward Cornbury, governor of New York and New Jersey. By the mid-1800s, it became customary to award the Key to the City of New York as a direct symbol of the city’s wish that a guest feel free to come and go at will. Today, the Key to the City of New York is a beloved symbol of civic recognition and gratitude reserved for individuals whose service to the public and the common good rises to the highest level of achievement.
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