‘The Phantom Of The Opera’ Opened 40 Years Ago Today, And London Is Bringing Back Its Alumni For One Night

Forty years ago tonight, a chandelier rose over a London audience and musical theater changed. The Phantom of the Opera opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on October 9, 1986.

Michael Crawford wore the mask and Sarah Brightman sang Christine. Four decades later, The Phantom of the Opera is still playing in the same building, and tonight the theater is throwing it a party.

How ‘The Phantom Of The Opera’ Conquered The World

Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music, and Hal Prince directed. Charles Hart supplied the lyrics with additional words by Richard Stilgoe. The show won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical that first season.

Broadway followed on January 26, 1988. The New York production won seven Tony Awards and ran for 13,981 performances before closing in April 2023. It remains the longest-running show in Broadway history.

Crawford became closely identified with the part, and many fine actors followed him. One was Benson star Robert Guillaume, who took over the role in Los Angeles.

The numbers today are hard to picture. About 160 million people have seen the show in 217 cities, according to WestEndTheatre.com. It has been performed in 23 languages.

A Gala Night And A Restored Recording

The London production is marking the date with a gala performance at what is now His Majesty’s Theatre. Alumni from across the four decades will join the current company on stage for a special curtain call.

The evening will also do some good. Proceeds will be matched by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and the Mackintosh Foundation to fund a new scholarship program for performing arts students in Britain.

Fans at home have a gift waiting too. Lloyd Webber went back to the original analogue tapes of the 1986 London cast recording and remixed the score for the first time, BroadwayWorld reports. The full digital album arrives today.

The restoration also uncovered material that fans have never heard on the original album. Of the 11 original two-inch tape reels recorded at London’s Abbey Road Studios in 1986, eight survived intact and were used for the new mix. The expanded release includes previously omitted sections of the score, while preserving the original vocal and orchestral performances. The original cast recording has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and became the first musical cast album to debut at number one on the British charts.

The title song with Crawford and Brightman was released first, on September 18. Crawford is 84 now and Brightman is 66. On the restored recording they are forever the Phantom and his pupil, descending to the lake as the organ thunders.