Always wanted to catch THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA on Broadway? On Monday, July 4, 2011, PHANTOM will be the only show running on Broadway with one performance at 8pm. While most Broadway shows are "dark" on Mondays (serving as the company's day off), MAMMA MIA!, ROCK OF AGES, PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, CHICAGO and GHETTO KLOWN do regularly perform on Mondays along with PHANTOM, however are celebrating an altered schedule this week to accommodate the holiday.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Produced by Cameron Mackintosh/Really Useful Group, Inc. and directed by Harold Prince, is in its 24th year in New York, playing at The Majestic Theatre.
PHANTOM stars Hugh Panaro (The Phantom), Sara Jean Ford (Christine), Kyle Barisich (Raul), Michele McConnell (Carlotta), Jessica Bishop (Meg Giry), George Lee Andrews (Monsieur André), David Cryer (Monsieur Firmin), Marilyn Caskey (Madame Giry) and Evan Harrington (Piangi). At certain performances, Marni Raab plays Christine.
On Broadway, since its debut on January 26, 1988, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has grossed over $812 million, making it the highest-grossing show in Broadway history. Total attendance is over 14.3 million and it is the winner of 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The production reached milestone performance #9,500 in November 2010 and celebrated its 23rd Anniversary in January 2011. Now in its phenomenal 24th Year, the Broadway production remains a box office camp and continues to play with no end in sight.
There are currently six productions around the world: London, New York, Budapest (Hungary), Nagoya (Japan), Seoul (Korea) and a revised production in Las Vegas at The Venetian. The original cast-recording, with over 40 million copies sold worldwide, is the best-selling cast recording of all time. The London production reached 10,000 performances in October 2010 and will celebrate its 25th Anniversary this coming October. Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical Love Never Dies, which continues the PHANTom Story, opened in London on March 9, 2010.
Based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de L'Opéra by Gaston Leroux, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents and by employing all of the devious methods at his command.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and is directed by Harold Prince. Lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has production design by the late Maria Björnson, lighting by Andrew Bridge and sound design by Mick Potter with original sound by Martin Levan. Musical staging and choreography is by Gillian Lynne. Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
