Usher seen “The Phantom of the Opera” 9,000 times

New York - An usher at New York City’s Majestic Theatre says she has seen “The Phantom of the Opera” 9,000 times since it opened on Jan. 26, 1988. Usher Sylvia Bailey, 86, began working at the theater two years before the play premiered. She will turn 87 the week before “Phantom” plays its 10,000th performance. Bailey watches the show five nights a week from an empty seat in the back or a folding chair she keeps by the orchestra if there is an empty house. Occasionally she is asked by theatergoers if the production ever changes. “It’s been the same since Day 1,” she tells them. “No changes. Just different people.” More