Tony winner Michael Crawford visits Huntington students after their performance of ‘Phantom’

British singer and actor Michael Crawford greeted student performers in Huntington Beach on Sunday afternoon as they wrapped up their six-performance run of “The Phantom of the Opera,� the show that earned their famous guest a Tony Award.

Crawford, who starred as the original Phantom when the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical debuted in London in 1986, as well as in the subsequent runs in New York and Los Angeles, visited with student players who attend the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts.

The 77-year-old Crawford fielded questions from members of the cast, crew, orchestra and audience, according to Stacy Robison, special program administrator for the academy.

Students had just completed their take on “Phantom,� adding a date due to demand for the first time in school history, according to the school’s Facebook page.

The performance, which featured “The Music of the Night� and other well-known numbers, took place in the Huntington Beach High School Theatre. The academy is on the high school campus.

Crawford’s visit was anticipated. He also sent the student performers an encouraging handwritten note before they performed.

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