Broadway's The Phantom of the Opera Marks Its 31st Anniversary Tonight
The long-running Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera celebrates its 31st anniversary today. The musical opened at the Majestic Theatre, where it still runs, in 1988.
Over the course of its run, the production has played to 18.5 million people and grossed more than $1.1 billion on Broadway alone. It has become the largest single generator of income and jobs in Broadway and American theater history, employing more than 400 actors during its three-decade run. With no signs of slowing down, Phantom will mark its unprecedented 13,000th performance in April.
Ben Crawford currently heads the company in the title role, alongside Kaley Ann Voorhees as Christine and Jay Armstrong Johnson as Raoul. The principal company also includes Laird Mackintosh as Monsieur André, Craig Bennett as Monsieur Firmin, Raquel Suarez Groen as Carlotta, Maree Johnson as Madame Giry, Carlton Moe as Piangi and Kelsey Connolly as Meg Giry. At certain performances, Eryn LeCroy plays the role of Christine.
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.
Directed by Harold Prince, The Phantom of the Opera features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, and a book by Richard Stilgoe and Webber.
The production has musical staging and choreography by the late Gillian Lynne, with production design by the late Maria Björnson, lighting by Andrew Bridge, and sound by Mick Potter, with original sound by Martin Levan. Musical supervision and direction is by David Caddick and orchestrations are by David Cullen and Webber.