PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to Celebrate 25th Birthday at Royal Albert Hall

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The Stage News reports this morning that the special 25th Anniversary performance of The Phantom of the Opera will take place at the Royal Albert Hall in London this October. The show's original choreographer, Gillian Lynne will stage the production. Cameron Mackintosh Ltd and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group will produce. While production details have yet to be released, it has been confirmed that Love Never Dies co-stars Raimon Karimloo and Sierra Boggess will play the Phantom and Christine.

Says Karimloo of the experience in The Stage: "It's going to be great and I will treat it like the Les Mis anniversary concerts, which I recently appeared in and where, because it was performing a part I had played before, I could tap into the work I had done prior. But I will also use it as a chance to try something new. More importantly, though, it's a celebratory performance. We're there not for us, but to celebrate the product and why we all love it."

As BroadwayWorld exclusively reported last week, Colm Wilkinson has been tapped to participate in the concert spectacular. Word is still out on if he will be joined by other previous Phantom heavyweights.

To read the full report, click here.

The Phantom of the Opera opened in the West End in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988. It is the longest-running musical in Broadway history after overtaking Cats in 2006, and the second-longest-running West End musical.

Phantom won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Michael Crawford (as the phantom) won the 1986 Olivier and 1988 Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical. The show has been seen in 149 cities in 25 countries, and has played to over 100 million people. With total worldwide box office receipts of over £3.5bn ($5.1bn), Phantom is the highest-grossing entertainment event of all time. The New York production alone has grossed US $715 million, making it the most financially successful Broadway show in history.

For more on The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and in the West End, visit www.thephantomoftheopera.com.