BWW Interviews: PHANTOM's Marcus Lovett About NIGHT OF A THOUSAND STARS

Marcus Lovett is very much enjoying returning to the role of Phantom after his spell on Broadway several years ago.

"It's going very well. I think the creative team and the production staff have kept the show alive," he says.

"Putting one's personal stamp on a role like the Phantom isn't an overt act - no one singer's DNA is like another's, so I have certain freedoms to create a Phantom that is consistent with who I am."

And he's relishing being welcomed back by the Phans.

"The Phans have a favourite way of seeing the show, and the Phantom himself is only a small part of it. Everyone's performances change around the new cast, and the show must become different.

"I feel extremely well taken care of, actually. The support that we have is exciting. And of course now we can access audiences' opinions, and we're directly aware of what they're saying."

And he's taking a night off from the Phantom's mask on Sunday May 5 - and he'll be taking the stage with a musical theatre legend.

"I get to sing with Len Cariou!" he beams. "I've admired his work for years - and I don't just say that casually."

What exactly the pair will be doing is being kept tightly under wraps for the time being, in order to better thrill the audience for the Night of a Thousand Stars, the annual charity event raising money for the Caron Keating Foundation.

Lovett's participation in the gala has in one sense been over 20 years in the making. He worked with the show's director Hugh Wooldridge in 1990. "We had a great time, and we've continually talked about working together again on multiple occasions. So this year, well, I'm in town, so it's kismet."

The Night of 1000 Stars concert returns to the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday May 5 2013, fundraising for Gloria Hunniford's cancer support charity, The Caron Keating Foundation. This year the concert will celebrate the remarkable career of Harold Prince and will include musical items from Evita, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, The Phantom Of The Opera, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Follies, Company, Cabaret, Candide, Parade, and more.