This show has everything: Romance, tragedy, fog machines, an ominous music box, a haunted opera house, an organ, a prima donna, a masquerade, an evil genius, a murder mystery, a gondola ride through a dungeon, and a chandelier that literally falls from the ceiling over the audience’s heads.
It doesn’t get more theatrical than that.
This might be why The Phantom of the Opera remains the longest-running Broadway musical ever. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic adaptation of the French novel by Gaston Leroux with lyrics by Charles Hart first opened in London’s West End in 1986 before coming to Broadway in ‘88. The original cast included Sarah Brightman as Christine and Michael Crawford as The Phantom.
Christine is a chorus girl at the Paris Opéra House who has recently lost her father, a renowned violinist. With help from the ballet mistress, Christine replaces the prima donna to sing for the sold-out opera house.
During her triumphant performance, Christine catches the eye of the Opera’s patron, Raoul, who was once her childhood friend. But we find out that Christine has been trained to sing by the elusive “Angel of Music,” who then lures her to his lair and confesses his love to her.
The Phantom’s musical genius has a hypnotic effect on Christine, and she removes his mask, wanting to see his face. His disfigurement is revealed, and the Phantom lashes out and then laments his loneliness. The interaction triggers the Phantom to begin wreaking havoc on the Opera House.
Over its 35-year history, this classic musical has been performed in 166 cities and seen by over 140 million people worldwide while its home base remained at the Majestic Theatre. The Phantom of the Opera has won dozens of major theater awards, including Best Musical and six other Tony Awards, as well as the 1986 Olivier Award for Best Musical.
Sadly, the number one longest-running Broadway show just closed earlier this year, but it’s still playing in the UK for a little while longer and the legendary favorite is likely to come back someday.