CRSEVENTS - Events

The Council Rock High School South Department of Performing Arts

Phantom of the Opera

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Charles Hart | Additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe
Book by Richard Stilgoe & Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on the novel Le Fantome 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.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s enthralling score includes “Think of Me,” “Angel of Music,” “Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You,” “Masquerade” and the title song.

History

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most successful pieces of entertainment of all time, produced in any media.

Directed by Harold Prince, with sets and costumes by Maria Björnson and starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, Phantom opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on October 9, 1986, where it continues to captivate audiences nearly 40 years later. The Broadway transfer officially opened at the Majestic Theatre on January 26, 1988, closing on January 9, 1998 after 13,981 performances, making it the longest-running show in Broadway history.

Phantom won the 1986 Olivier and 1988 Tony Awards for Best Musical, with Michael Crawford taking home Best Actor in a Musical at both ceremonies. The show has played to over 140 million people in 35 countries in 166 cities around the world, winning over 70 major theatre awards, grossing an estimated $6 billion.