Phantom of the Opera

SYNOPSIS

The Phantom of the Opera

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera is in a class of its own. No other West End show matches it for visual drama or emotional punch, and it certainly beats the competition hands down in the popularity stakes. Since the musical opened at Her Majesty's Theatre in London on October 9, 1986 not a performance has gone by when a seat in the auditorium has not been sold. In fact, across its 21 years in London, The Phantom of the Opera has, on every performance, played to crowds that have been in excess of 99% of the theatre's capacity. It is an enviable record, and one that cast, crew and Andrew Lloyd Webber himself are very proud of.

The story of the Phantom of the Opera

The Show begins in 1911 with the auctioning of the contents of the Paris Opera House. On displaying the Opera House chandelier the auctioneer recites the legend of the Phantom of the Opera. In a flash of light the audience are transported back in time to the heyday of the Paris Opera House, and the story of Christine Daaé - a lowly chorus girl who is thrust into the limelight with more than a little help from her 'mysterious' teacher.

Through the first Act we discover that her teacher is none other than the Phantom of the Paris Opera House. He idolises Christine and makes demands of the Opera management to cast her in the lead role of the new opera, Il Muto. When the Opera manager, Raoul, refuses, the Phantom wreaks havoc on stage. Act I ends with the Phantom escaping his pursuers after sending the Opera House's chandelier crashing to the ground.

Act II opens with the grand Masquerade Ball. It is six months later and no one has heard again from the Phantom. Christine and Raoul are now secretly engaged, but the Phantom makes a dramatic return. We see him make new demands of the Opera House and attempt to win back the affection of Christine. In a final confrontation the Phantom gives Christine an ultimatum: join him or Raoul dies. Her decision lays to rest the story of the Phantom of the Opera.

Development, Cast and Crew

The Phantom of the Opera is adapted from the French novel 'Le Fantome de l'Opera', which was written by Gaston Leroux, and translated into English for publication in 1911. Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music and originally commissioned Richard Stilgoe to write the lyrics. It was however decided that Charles Hart's rewrite would form the basis for the musical's stage production.

Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman took the lead roles of the Phantom and Christine Daaé respectively when it opened in the West End in 1986. They reprised their roles in the Broadway version in New York, which opened to rave reviews in 1988.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the staging of Phantom of the Opera, all seats may have restricted view during parts of the performance. Pillar seats in the Stalls and Royal Circle and the side seats in the Grand Circle are particularly affected.

Please note that the performance on Saturday 24th March 2007 matinee at 2.30pm and the performance on Saturday 31st March 2007 at 2.30pm shall be audio described and captioned performances.

Picture shows Earl Carpenter as The Phantom and Katie Knight-Adams as Christine. Photo by Clive Barda.