London 'Phantom' Celebrates 21st Birthday Oct.9

The smash hit Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre in London will celebrate its 21st London birthday on October 9.

The Phantom of the Opera continues to star Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom, Robyn North and Leila Benn Harris as Christine and Alex Rathgeber as Raoul.  Wendy Ferguson plays Carlotta, Benjamin Lake (Piangi), James Barron (Monsieur Firmin), Sam Hiller (Monsieur André), Heather Jackson (Madame Giry) and Lyndsey Wise (Meg Giry).

The Phantom of the Opera became the longest running show in Broadway history on January 9, 2006 when it celebrated its 7,486th performance, surpassing the previous record holder Cats.  This coincided with the Broadway and the US national touring company celebrating an unprecedented 20,000 performances in the United States.  

The Phantom of the Opera has won over 50 major theatre awards, including seven Tonys on Broadway and three Olivier Awards in the West End.  It won the 'Most Popular Musical Audience Award', voted by the public, in the 2002 Laurence Olivier Awards.  The Phantom of the Opera, which opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on October 9, 1986 starring Michael Crawford as The Phantom, Sarah Brightman as Christine and Steve Barton as Raoul, is directed by Harold Prince and is produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group Limited. 

Worldwide, The Phantom of the Opera has grossed over £1.7 billion. It has been seen in 124 cities in 25 countries and played to over 100 million people.  The Phantom of the Opera is currently showing in London, New York, Budapest, Las Vegas, Singapore and Osaka. A touring production is playing at venues throughout the US and in Australia.

The Phantom of the Opera is currently booking in London until September 2008.

Performance times for the London production are Mondays to Saturdays at 7:30PM, with Tuesday and Saturday matinees at 2:30PM.  Tickets are priced from £20.00-£55.00 and are available from Her Majesty's Theatre box office on 0870 890 1106. Visit The Phantom of the Opera website www.thephantomoftheopera.com