And yep, saw him as Firmin on April 13, 1994

I'm a huge Orioles fan now, but that didn't really happen until the mid-2000s. (You know, when the Orioles were in their heyday.) I liked them before that, but wasn't, you know, a huge fan. I remember when Cal Ripken was about to tie and break Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak back in 1995. Because I was in high school, and because of everything that goes with that, I was all, "Pft. Whatever. I mean, you never hear about people who are in Broadway shows that run forever." Which...OK, you can't really compare them. And I appreciate what Cal did a lot more now than I did then. But still...people don't appreciate casts of long-running shows.

So I was happy to see an article posted by Entertainment Weekly about George Lee Andrews leaving Phantom of the Opera. (The New York Times also has a story, with more information.) He's been with the show from the very beginning, back in 1988. Cal played in 2,632 games consecutively (3,001 games total, not including postseason) (yes, the O's DID make it to the postseason back then); Andrews performed in Phantom 9,382 times. He's been doing that show for over 23 years. First of all, it is amazing that the show's still running. And second...holy crow. He did take some breaks, including 3 months to do Paradise Found in London in 2010. But honestly, it's just amazing.

What's sad is that it wasn't his choice. I can understand wanting new blood, but unless they're totally recasting the show, I don't really get it. Is the guy playing one of the Opera managers really holding back the production? I can't believe it. But at least Andrews seems to have accepted it, and I can only wish him luck in the future. (And it's kind of sweet that the role is being taken over by his son-in-law.)

In any case, I'd say that Andrews's record is as unbreakable as Cal's.