THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Tour Welcomes New 'Christine' Tonight in Alberta

Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group announced recently that Eva Tavares and Kristie Dale Sanders would join the cast of the spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera currently on tour in North America.

With newly reinvented staging and stunning scenic design, this new version of PHANTOM, one of the most successful musicals of all-time, is performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this one of the largest productions on tour.

Beginning July 18, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Kristie Dale Sanders took over the role of 'Madame Giry.' Tonight, July 26, Eva Tavares will take over the role of 'Christine Daaé' at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, Alberta.

They join current cast members Derrick Davis as 'The Phantom,' Jordan Craig as 'Raoul,' Trista Moldovan as 'Carlotta Giudicelli,' David Benoit as 'Monsieur Firmin,' Edward Staudenmayer as 'Monsieur André,' Phumzile Sojola as 'Ubaldo Piangi' and Emily Ramirez as 'Meg Giry.'

Eva Tavares hails from Vancouver, BC and trained at the UBC Opera Program and the Banff/Citadel Theatre Professional Training Program. Credits include the world premiere of Sousatzka, West Side Story and A Little Night Music. Her choreography has been seen most recently in Die Fledermaus (Vancouver Opera).

Kristie Dale Sanders has been seen on Broadway in Cabaret, Evita, Next Fall, Urinetown and The Phantom of the Opera. Off-Broadway: Dream of the Burning Boy; Johnny Guitar; A Class Act; Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh. She can also be seen on "All My Children" and "The Wire."

The Ensemble includes Adam Bashian, Steve Czarnecki, Daniella Dalli, Kaitlyn Davis, Dan Debenport, Sarah DeBiase, Mark Emerson, Jordan Ensign, Jim Hogan, Robert Anthony Jones, Edward Juvier, Ted Keener, Jay Lusteck, AdRyan Moorefield, Sarah Mossman, Constantine Pappas, Adam Rogers, Travis Taylor, Carmen Vass, Jessica Wagner, Victor Wallace and Marguerite Willbanks. The Corps de Ballet includes McKenna Birmingham, Julie Eicher, Daniela Filippone, Abigail Mentzer, Lily Rose Peck, Ally Taylor Sacks, Tara Sweeney and Micki Weiner.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said, "Having received great critical acclaim in the U.K. and North America, I am really pleased that Laurence Connor's new production of PHANTOM will continue to tour the U.S. playing in tandem with the Broadway production which soon celebrates 30 years."

Cameron Mackintosh said, "With PHANTOM still the reigning champion as the longest-running production on Broadway after 29 phenomenal years, with no end in sight, I'm delighted that this spectacular new production of PHANTOM has been as well-received in the U.S. as the brilliant original and has already been seen by over 2.5 million people across North America since it opened in November 2013. With an exciting new design and staging, retaining Maria Björnson's amazing costumes, the new PHANTOM is thrilling audiences and critics alike all over again. With the production continuing to be such a success, we are delighted to welcome our exciting new stars to keep the music of the night soaring for many years to come."

Cameron Mackintosh's spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera is presented by Cameron Mackintosh, The Really Useful Group, and NETworks Presentations. Directed by Laurence Connor (who co-directed the new production of Les Misérables that just finished a hugely successful two and a half year revival on Broadway and will start a North American tour in the fall of 2017, directed the award-winning new production of Miss Saigon coming to Broadway in 2017 and national tour in 2018, and also directed the stage version of the movie School of Rock now playing at Broadway's Winter Garden and in London's West End at the New London Theatre), with choreography by Scott Ambler, set design by Paul Brown, Tony Award®-winning original costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Tony Award®-winner Paule Constable, sound design by Mick Potter, and musical supervision by John Rigby. The production is overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh. The Phantom of the Opera: music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe); book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber; orchestrations by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

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.

Cameron Mackintosh's brilliant original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera continues performances at Her Majesty's Theatre in London and in its recording-breaking run at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway and many other cities around the world.