The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical): Difference between revisions

The Phantom of the Opera
Logo
Music	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics	Charles Hart Richard Stilgoe (additional)
Book	Andrew Lloyd Webber Richard Stilgoe[1]
Basis	1910 book Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux
Productions	1986 West End 1988 Broadway 1991 First US Tour 1992 Second US Tour 2004 Film Adaptation 2011 25th Anniversary Concert 2012 UK Tour Various international and amateur productions
Awards	Oliver Award for Best New Musical Tony Award for Best Musical

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.^[2]

The music is composed by Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart. Additional lyrics are by Richard Stilgoe. The book was written by Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe.^[1] The central plot revolves around a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius.

The Phantom of the Opera opened in the West End in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Michael Crawford (in the title role) won the 1986 Olivier and 1988 Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical.^[3] It is the longest-running Broadway show by a wide margin (celebrating its 10,000th performance on Broadway on February 11. 2012), the second longest-running West End musical, and the third longest-running West End show overall.^[4][5][6]

With total worldwide box office receipts of over $5.1 billion (£3.5 billion),^[7] including a record-setting Broadway gross of US $845 million,^[8] Phantom is the highest-grossing entertainment event of all time and the most financially successful theatrical show in history.^[9][10] It had been seen by over 130 million people in 145 cities in 27 countries by 2011, the most successful entertainment project in history.^[9]

In 1984 Lloyd Webber contacted Cameron Mackintosh, the co-producer of Cats and Song and Dance, to propose a new musical. He was aiming for a romantic piece, and suggested Gaston Leroux's book The Phantom of the Opera as a basis. They screened both the 1925 Lon Chaney and the 1943 Claude Rains motion picture versions, but neither saw an effective way to make the leap from film to stage. Later, in New York, Lloyd Webber found a second-hand copy of the original, long-out-of-print Leroux novel, which supplied the necessary inspiration to develop a musical:

I was actually writing something else at the time, and I realized that the reason I was hung up was because I was trying to write a major romantic story, and I had been trying to do that ever since I started my career. Then with the Phantom, it was there!"^[11]

Lloyd Webber first approached Jim Steinman to write the lyrics because of his "dark obsessive side", but he declined in order to fulfill his commitments on a Bonnie Tyler album.^[12] Alan Jay Lerner was then recruited, but he became seriously ill after joining the project and was forced to withdraw; none of his contributions (mostly involving the song "Masquerade") are credited in the show.^[13][14] Richard Stilgoe, the lyricist for Starlight Express, wrote most of the original lyrics for the production. Charles Hart, a young and then-relatively unknown lyricist, later rewrote many of the lyrics, along with original lyrics for "Think of Me". Some of Stilgoe's original contributions are still present in the final version, however.^[15]

Inspired in part by an earlier musical version of the same story by Ken Hill,^[16] Lloyd Webber's score is sometimes operatic in style but maintains the form and structure of a musical throughout. The full-fledged operatic passages are reserved principally for subsidiary characters such as Andre and Firmin, Carlotta, and Piangi. They are also used to provide the content of the fictional "operas" that are taking place within the show itself, viz., Hannibal, Il Muto, and the Phantom's masterwork, Don Juan Triumphant. Here, Lloyd Webber pastiched various styles from the grand operas of Meyerbeer through to Mozart and even Gilbert and Sullivan (Coveney, 1999). These pieces are often presented as musical fragments, interrupted by dialogue or action sequences in order to clearly define the musical's "show within a show" format. The musical extracts from the Phantom's opera, "Don Juan Triumphant", during the latter stages of the show, are dissonant and modern—suggesting, perhaps, that the Phantom is ahead of his time artistically (Snelson, 2004).

Maria Björnson designed the sets and over 200 costumes, including the elaborate gowns in the "Masquerade" sequence. Her set designs, including such indelible elements as the chandelier, subterranean gondola, and the sweeping staircase, set a standard for stage spectacle seldom equalled, and earned her multiple awards.^[17][18] Hal Prince, director of Cabaret, Candide, Follies, and Webber's Evita directed the production, while Gillian Lynne, associate director and choreographer of Cats provided the integral musical staging and choreography.

A preview of the first act was staged at Sydmonton (Lloyd Webber's home) in 1985, starring Colm Wilkinson (later the star of the Toronto production) as the Phantom, Sarah Brightman as Kristin (later Christine) and Clive Carter (later a member of the London cast) as Raoul. This very preliminary production used Richard Stilgoe's original unaltered lyrics, and many songs sported names that were later changed, such as "What Has Time Done to Me" ("Think of Me"), and "Papers" ("Notes"). The Phantom's original mask covered the entire face and remained in place throughout the performance, obscuring the actor's vision and muffling his voice. Björnson designed the now-iconic half-mask to replace it, and the unmasking sequence was added.^[15] Clips of this preview performance were included on the DVD of the 2004 film production.^[19]

Phantom began previews at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End on September 27, 1986 under the direction of Hal Prince, then opened on October 9. It was choreographed by Gillian Lynne and the sets were designed by Maria Björnson, with lighting by Andrew Bridge.^[20] Michael Crawford starred in the title role with Sarah Brightman as Christine and Steve Barton as Raoul. The production, still playing at Her Majesty's, celebrated its 10,000th performance on 23 October 2010, with Lloyd Webber and the original Phantom, Michael Crawford, in attendance. It is the second longest-running musical in West End (and world) history behind Les Misérables, and third overall behind The Mousetrap.^[21][22]

A 25th-anniversary stage performance was held in London on 1 and 2 October 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall and was screened live in cinemas worldwide.^[23] The production was produced by Cameron Mackintosh, directed by Laurence Connor, musical staging & choreography by Gillian Lynne, set design by Matt Kinley, costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe and sound design by Mick Potter. The cast included Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess as Christine, Hadley Fraser as Raoul, Wynne Evans as Piangi, Wendy Ferguson as Carlotta, Barry James as Monsieur Firmin, Gareth Snook as Monsieur Andre, Liz Robertson as Madame Giry and Daisy Maywood as Meg Giry. Lloyd Webber and several original cast members, including Crawford and Brightman, were in attendance. A DVD and Blu-Ray of the performance was released in February 2012,^[24] and it began airing in March 2012 on PBS's "Great Performances" television series.^[25]

Phantom began Broadway previews at the Majestic Theatre on January 9, 1988 and opened on January 26.^[10][26] Crawford, Brightman, and Barton reprised their respective roles from the West End. The production continues to play at the Majestic, where it marked its 24th anniversary in January 2012, and on February 11 became the first Broadway musical in history to surpass 10,000 performances.^[8] It is, by over 2,500 performances, the longest-running show in Broadway history.^[20]

The original casts of the major productions of The Phantom of the Opera:^[27][28]

† The role of Christine Daaé is double-cast in most professional productions. The secondary actress performs the role twice a week (on Broadway, Thursday evening and Saturday matinée).^[29]

‡ Three roles (The Phantom, Christine, and Carlotta) were double-cast in the original Las Vegas production, with the two actors in each pair singing alternate performances.^[30] Las Vegas casting is now identical to that in the Broadway production, with single casting for all characters except Christine.^[31]

Notable West End replacements

• Phantom – Dave Willetts, Martin Smith, Peter Karrie, Peter Polycarpou, Simon Bowman, Peter Cousens, John Owen-Jones, Earl Carpenter, Ramin Karimloo, Peter Jöback
• Christine – Claire Moore, Rebecca Caine, Myrra Malmberg, Rachel Barrell, Leila Benn Harris, Robyn North, Gina Beck
• Raoul – Michael Ball, Robert Meadmore, John Barrowman, Simon Burke, Clive Carter, Simon Bowman, Ramin Karimloo, Oliver Thornton, Killian Donnelly
• Carlotta – Julia Goss, Margaret Preece, Shan Cothi

Notable Broadway replacements

• Phantom – Timothy Nolen, Steve Barton, Mark Jacoby, Davis Gaines, Thomas James O'Leary, Hugh Panaro, Howard McGillin, Brad Little, John Cudia, Gary Mauer
• Christine – Patti Cohenour, Rebecca Luker, Lisa Vroman, Rebecca Pitcher, Jennifer Hope Wills
• Raoul – Hugh Panaro, Brad Little, Gary Mauer, John Cudia, Tim Martin Gleason
• Monsieur André – George Lee Andrews

At the fictionalized Opera Populaire (based on the Paris Opéra House^[32]) in 1905^[33][34], an auction of old props is underway. Lot 665, purchased by the elderly Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, is a music box in the shape of a monkey; he eyes it fondly, noting that its details appear "exactly as she said." Lot 666 is a shattered chandelier that, the auctioneer says, has a connection to "the strange affair of the Phantom of the Opera…a mystery never fully explained." As the chandelier is uncovered, it illuminates and slowly rises over the audience to its old position in the rafters. The years roll back and the opéra returns to its 1880s grandeur. ("Overture")

It is now 1881.^[35] As Carlotta, the Opéra's resident soprano prima donna, rehearses for that evening's performance, a backdrop collapses without warning. "The Phantom! He's here!" the anxious cast members whisper. The Opera's new owners, Firmin and André, try to downplay the incident, but Carlotta refuses to continue and storms offstage. Madame Giry, the Opéra's ballet mistress, tells Firmin and André that Christine Daaé, a Swedish chorus girl and orphaned daughter of a prominent violinist, has been "well taught", and could sing Carlotta's role. With cancellation of the performance their only alternative, the owners reluctantly audition Christine, and to their surprise she is equal to the challenge. ("Think of Me")

Backstage after her triumphant début, Christine confesses to her best friend Meg (Madame Giry's daughter) that she knows her mysterious teacher only as an invisible "Angel of Music" ("Angel of Music"). The new patron, Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny, finds Christine, his old childhood playmate, in her dressing room. ("Little Lotte") Christine reminds Raoul about the "Angel of Music" stories that her late father used to tell them, and confides that the Angel has visited her, and taught her to sing. Raoul laughs at her "fantasies", and invites her to dinner. He exits, and a jealous Phantom appears in Christine's mirror in the guise of The Angel of Music ("Angel of Music/The Mirror"). Christine begs him to reveal himself. The Phantom obliges, then guides her into a ghostly underground realm ("The Phantom of the Opera"). They cross a subterranean lake to his secret lair beneath the opéra house. He then explains that he has chosen Christine to sing his music and serenades her ("The Music of the Night"). During the song, she sees a mannequin resembling herself in a wedding dress. When the mannequin suddenly moves, Christine faints and The Phantom carries her to a bed and expresses his love for her.

As the Phantom composes music at his organ ("I Remember…"), Christine awakens to the sound of the monkey music box. She slips up behind the Phantom, lifts his mask and beholds his face, although the audience does not see it. The Phantom rails at her curiosity and chases her about the lair then ruefully expresses his longing to look normal and to be loved by her ("Stranger Than You Dreamt It"). Christine returns his mask and he takes her back to the opéra.

Meanwhile inside the opéra house, Joseph Buquet, the Opéra's chief stagehand who, like Madame Giry, inexplicably knows much about the Phantom, regales everyone with tales of the "Opéra Ghost" and his terrible Punjab lasso ("Magical Lasso"). Madame Giry warns Buquet to exercise restraint. In the managers’ office, Madame Giry delivers a note from the Phantom: he demands that Christine replace Carlotta in the new opera, Il Muto. ("Notes…") Firmin and André assure the enraged Carlotta that she will remain the star ("Prima Donna") but during her performance, disaster strikes ("Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh"): The Phantom reduces Carlotta's voice to a frog-like croak. A backdrop lifts to reveal the corpse of Buquet, hanging from the rafters by the Punjab lasso.

In the ensuing mêlée, Christine escapes with Raoul to the roof where she tells him about her subterranean rendezvous with the Phantom. Raoul is skeptical ("Why Have You Brought Me Here?/Raoul, I've Been There") but swears to love and to protect her always ("All I Ask of You"). The Phantom, who has overheard their conversation, is heartbroken. He angrily vows revenge against Raoul ("All I Ask of You (Reprise)") and the Opéra's mighty chandelier crashes to the floor as the curtain falls.

Six months later in the midst of the gala masquerade ball, the Phantom makes his first appearance since the chandelier disaster. ("Masquerade/Why So Silent?") He announces that he has written an opera entitled Don Juan Triumphant. He demands that it be produced immediately, with Christine, who is now engaged to Raoul, in the lead role. He then seizes Christine's engagement ring and vanishes. Raoul demands that Madame Giry tell him about the Phantom. She reluctantly replies that he is a brilliant musician and magician born with a terrifyingly deformed face, who escaped from captivity in a traveling freak show and disappeared.

During rehearsals, Raoul hatches a plan to use Don Juan Triumphant as a trap to capture the Phantom. ("Notes/Twisted Every Way") However Christine, torn between her love for Raoul and the Phantom's lust for her, does not want any part in the plot because she's afraid the Phantom will capture her. She visits her father's grave, longing for his guidance. ("Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"). The Phantom appears, again under the guise of the Angel of Music ("Wandering Child"). Christine easily succumbs to his spell but Raoul arrives and awakens her from her trance. The Phantom taunts and throws fire at him ("Bravo Monsieur") until Christine begs Raoul to leave with her. Furious, the Phantom sets fire to the cemetery.

Don Juan Triumphant débuts, with Christine and Ubaldo Piangi, the Opéra's principal tenor, singing the lead roles. ("The Point of No Return") During their duet, Christine suddenly realizes that she is singing not with Piangi, but with the Phantom himself. He expresses his love for her and gives her his ring, but Christine rips off his mask, exposing his deformed face to the audience. As Piangi is found strangled backstage, the Phantom snatches Christine and flees the theatre, pursued by an angry mob led by Meg. Madame Giry tells Raoul how to find the Phantom's subterranean lair—and warns him to beware the Punjab lasso.

In the lair Christine is compelled to don the mannequin's wedding dress. ("Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer") Raoul finds the lair, but the Phantom snares him in the Punjab Lasso. He tells Christine that he will free Raoul if she agrees to stay with him forever; if she refuses, Raoul will die. ("Final Lair") Christine tells the Phantom he is not alone and kisses him passionately. The Phantom, having experienced kindness and compassion for the first time, sets them both free. Christine returns the Phantom's ring to him, and he tells her he loves her. She cries, forces herself to turn away, and exits with Raoul. The Phantom, weeping, claims, "It's over now, the music of the night!" before huddling on his throne and covering himself with his cape. The mob storms the lair and Meg pulls away the cape—but the Phantom has vanished; only his mask remains.^[36]

The 27-piece orchestra is substantially larger than those used in most modern musicals:^{[citation needed]}

A pre-recorded track (organ, synthesisers, drum machine, electric guitars, and bass guitar) supplements the live orchestra during the overture and title song to prevent the noisy motorized props operating in the Journey to the Lair sequence from being amplified by the actors' microphones. The conductor and drummer listen to a click track on headphones to keep the live musicians synchronised with the track. Most of the Phantom's offstage voiceovers are pre-recorded, as is Christine's final note of the title song.

To reduce touring expenses, a downscaled orchestral arrangement was developed that included a third keyboard in lieu of the brass section, reduction of the woodwind section to three instruments, and a smaller string section. The smaller arrangement is also used in the Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular production.

Cast recordings have been made of the London,^[37] German,^[38] Canadian,^[39] Austrian, Japanese, Mexican, Korean, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, and Hungarian productions.^{[citation needed]}

The recording of the 1986 original London cast, released by Polydor Records in 1987, became the first album in British musical history to enter the UK albums chart at #1.^{[citation needed]} It was released in both a single CD Highlights From The Phantom of the Opera and a two CD Phantom of the Opera, both of which have been certified 4× Platinum in the US.^[40] Phantom was also certified 3× Platinum in the UK.^[41] The Canadian cast recording went 2× Platinum in Canada.^[42] In Switzerland, Phantom was certified 3× Platinum and Highlights was certified 2× Platinum.^[43] Recordings of the Vienna cast and the Hamburg cast were certified Gold and triple Platinum, respectively, in Germany.^[44]

A live recording of the October 2011 25th anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London was released in the UK on November 15, 2011 and subsequently in the U.S. and Canada on February 7, 2012,^[45] along with Blu-Ray and DVD videos, and a collectors' box set of the Royal Albert concert, the original cast recording, and the sequel, Love Never Dies.^[45][46]

In 1987, the heirs of Giacomo Puccini charged in a lawsuit that the climactic phrase in "Music of the Night" closely resembled a similar phrase in the sequence "Quello che tacete" from Puccini's opera Girl of the Golden West.^[47][48] The litigation was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.^[49][50]

In 1990, a Baltimore songwriter named Ray Repp filed a lawsuit alleging that the title song from Phantom was based on a song that he wrote in 1978 called "Till You." After eight years of litigation — including an unsuccessful countersuit by Lloyd Webber claiming that "Till You" was itself a plagiarism of "Close Every Door" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat^[51] — the jury found in Lloyd Webber's favor.^[52]

Roger Waters has repeatedly claimed in interviews that the signature descending/ascending half-tone chord progression from Phantom's title song was plagiarised from the bass line of a track on the Pink Floyd album Meddle called "Echoes."^[53] He has never taken any legal action ("Life's too long to bother with suing Andrew fucking Lloyd Webber"), but he did add an insulting reference to Lloyd Webber in his song "It's a Miracle": "We cower in our shelters/With our hands over our ears/Lloyd Webber's awful stuff/Runs for years and years and years/An earthquake hits the theatre/But the operetta lingers/Then the piano lid comes down/And breaks his fucking fingers./It's a miracle!".^[54]

Phantom has been translated into several languages and produced in over 27 countries on six continents. With only two exceptions (Hungary and Poland), these productions have all been “clones”, using the original staging, direction, sets and costume concepts.^[55] International productions include the following:

• Argentina: The Argentine production premièred in March 2009 at Buenos Aires' Teatro Ópera and closed 29 November 2009 after 194 performances.
• Australia: 1990 – 1998: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth; 2007 – 2009: Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Perth and Adelaide, both starring Anthony Warlow. Marina Prior starred as Christine in the original production. In the original Australian production, Rob Guest later took over the title role.^[56] The final leg of the more recent tour was staged in Adelaide in an arena format featuring giant screens on either side of the stage that presented footage shot simultaneously with the performance.
• Austria: The German language production premiered at the Theater an der Wien in December 1988.^[57]
• Belgium: The Dutch production toured to Belgium.
• Brazil: São Paulo, premièred at Teatro Abril in April 2005.
• Canada: The Toronto production of Phantom ran for just over ten years, ending abruptly when Livent collapsed. The Music Box Tour (Third U.S. National Tour) played dates across Canada in 2006 – 2007 including Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Saskatoon and Ottawa.
• Canadian International Touring Company: 11 March 1991 – October 1995 toured Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, Hong Kong and Singapore
• China: The Shanghai production played 97 performances at the Shanghai Grand Theatre
• Denmark: Det Ny Theater, Copenhagen (2000–2001, 2003–2004, 2009)
• Germany: There have been three German productions: Hamburg, Stuttgart and Essen.
• Hong Kong: First tour – at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre June to October 1995; Second tour – July to August 2006 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre.
• Hungary: Madách Theatre, Budapest. This production, which began in 2003, was the first to modify the original staging with new sets, costumes and direction.^[55] The five hundredth performance on 20 September 2007 featured four successive sets of casts. After the final curtain, three Christines and four Phantoms performed the title song once again.
• Japan: Shiki Productions produced the show in 1988, the first production performed in a language other than English. It was still running at the Dentsu Shiki Theatre "Umi" in Tokyo as of February 2012^[update].
• Korea: Opened in 2009 at Charlotte Theater in Seoul.
• Mexico: Mexico City, premiered at Centro Cultural Telmex in December 1999.
• Netherlands: At the Circus Theatre in Scheveningen. More than 1,000 performances (1993–1996) with Henk Poort as the Phantom.
• New Zealand: Auckland
• Poland: Warsaw production premiered in March 2008 at Teatr Muzyczny Roma, featuring original sets, costumes, and direction. Closed June 2010.
• Singapore: First tour at the Kallang Theatre from 26 February 1995 to 20 May 1995, 2nd tour at the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay from 23 March 2007 to 20 May 2007.^[58]
• South Africa: 2004, Cape Town, The South African State Theatre, Pretoria. 2011, Cape Town Artscape Theatre and 2012, Johannesburg Teatro at Montecasino.
• Spain: Madrid, premiered at Teatro Lope de Vega on 4 September 2002.
• Sweden: 1989 – 1995, Oscarsteatern, Stockholm. More than 1,000 performances. Starring Mikael Samuelson as the Phantom.
• Switzerland: Performed in both English and German at the Musical Theatre Messe Basel in Switzerland for over a year in 1996 – 1997.
• Taiwan: began on 18 January 2006 at National Theater and Concert Hall (Taiwan) and July 2009 at Taipei Arena, with Brad Little as the Phantom.
• United States: Los Angeles (1989–1993), San Francisco (1993–1999). A U.S. National tour commenced in 1991 in Los Angeles, and closed on 31 October 2010 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California. The closing-night tour performance was attended by many former cast- and crew-members, including Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sarah Brightman.^[59]

An edited production renamed Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular opened June 24, 2006 at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a theatre built specifically for the show to resemble the Opéra Garnier in Paris.^[60] The production runs 95 minutes with no intermission, and was directed and choreographed by Harold Prince and Gillian Lynne, with scenic designs by David Rockwell. The show features updated technology and effects, including a re-engineered chandelier capable of reassembling in midair during the overture while the entire interior of the venue (not merely the stage) returns to its 1880s halcyon days.^[30] Almost 45 minutes' worth of material was eliminated, such as the Don Juan Triumphant rehearsal. "Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh" and "The Point of No Return" were significantly shortened.^[30] Other changes resembled those in the 2004 film, such as staging the chandelier crash at the plot's climax (during performance of "The Point of No Return") rather than mid-story.^[31][61] The Las Vegas edition at The Venetian will close on September 2, 2012.

A film version, starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, Minnie Driver as Carlotta, and Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry opened in limited release on December 22 2004 in the U.S. and later in nationwide release on January 21, 2005.^[62]

In 2011 The Really Useful Group (copyright owners of Phantom) released certain rights to the play in celebration of its 25th anniversary. Any educational or non-profit organization, including schools and amateur dramatic groups, can now perform the musical without copyright fees. In May 2011 H. B. Beal Secondary School in London, Ontario, became the first school to perform Phantom under the new rights.^[63][64][65]

In March 2012 a new production directed by Laurence Connor began a UK national tour to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the show, beginning at the Theatre Royal Plymouth and traveling to Manchester, Bristol, Dublin, Leeds, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Cardiff and Southampton. John Owen-Jones and Earl Carpenter alternate as the Phantom with Katie Hall as Christine and Simon Bailey as Raoul.^[66]

The sequel to Phantom, written by Lloyd Webber, Glenn Slater and Ben Elton with lyrics by Slater, is called Love Never Dies.^[70] It was loosely adapted from the 1999 novel The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth in collaboration with Lloyd Webber. Set in 1907 (a decade after the conclusion of Phantom according to the production's announcement,^[71] but actually 26 years later, as the original show was set in 1881^[35]), Christine is invited to perform at Phantasma, a new attraction at Coney Island, by an anonymous impresario. With her husband Raoul and son Gustave in tow she journeys to Brooklyn, unaware that it is the Phantom who has arranged her appearance at the popular beach resort.^[71][72]

The original production was directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell with set and costume designs by Bob Crowley,^[70] and opened at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End on 9 March 2010.^[73] Though it ran for over 17 months and closed on 27 August 2011, the production received mixed reviews.^[74][75][76] A scheduled Broadway opening in November 2010 was postponed until Spring 2011^[77] and later canceled.^[78] A revamped Australian production, starring Ben Lewis and Anna O'Byrne, opened 21 May 2011 at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne to more favorable notices.^{[79][80][81][82]} After the Melbourne run ended on 12 December 2011 the production moved to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney where it played from January to April 2012.^[83][84]

• The Phantom of the Opera
• Phantom of the Opera (1976 musical)
• Phantom
• The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)
• Love Never Dies
• List of best-selling albums worldwide

• The official Phantom of the Opera Website
• ​The Phantom of the Opera​ at the Internet Broadway Database
• The Phantom of the Opera, an external wiki
• Annual Phantom Masquerade Ball
• Andrew Lloyd Webber's Official Website
• The Phantom of the Opera in Argentina, official website
• The Phantom of the Opera (The Guide to Musical Theatre)
• The Phantom of the Opera at R&H Theatricals
• Unusual aria singing - Artyom Semenov
• The Phantom of the Opera Website for South Africa