STAGE TUBE: On This Day 1/19- Michael Crawford

Welcome to BWW's New Daily ON THIS DAY Series celebrating theatrical birthdays, openings and special events that took place on this day in theatre history!

Happy Birthday Michael Crawford! In 1981, Crawford starred in the Original London production of Cy Coleman's Barnum (1981) as the illustrious American showman P. T. Barnum. He is best known for starring opposite Sarah Brightman in the original cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera as the title character. In 1986, Crawford began his performance in London, continuing on to Broadway in 1988, and then Los Angeles a year later, in 1989. He played the role for 2½ years and over 1,300 performances, winning an Olivier Award (Best Actor in a Musical) and a Tony Award (Best Performance By An Actor in a Lead Role, Musical). Beginning in February 2011, Crawford has played the role of the Wizard in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical version of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

In celebration of this day, we bring you his performance of 'The Music of the Night' from the Los Angeles production of Phantom, followed by 'Wonders of the World' from The Wizard of Oz. Click below to check it out!

More Articles by This Author...