The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)

The Phantom of the Opera first appeared on stage on the 9th of October 1986 at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End, marking the beginning of a theatrical phenomenon that would redefine the genre. The production was a collaboration between composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricists Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel. The story centers on Christine Daaé, a chorus girl with a haunting voice, who becomes the obsession of a disfigured musical genius living beneath the Paris Opera House. The musical opened with a prologue set in 1919, where an auction of theatre memorabilia sets the stage for the unfolding mystery. Among the items sold was a broken chandelier, a symbol of the Phantom's power and the disaster that had once struck the opera house. The chandelier, which had been renovated with electrical wiring, was turned on by the auctioneer, and as the overture played, it flickered to life and ascended to the ceiling, transitioning the audience back in time to 1881. This opening sequence, designed by Maria Björnson, was a visual masterpiece that set the tone for the entire production. The chandelier, a central element of the show, was not just a prop but a character in its own right, representing the Phantom's influence and the dark forces at play within the opera house. The production was directed by Harold Prince, who brought his extensive experience from shows like Cabaret and Evita to the project. The choreography was handled by Gillian Lynne, known for her work on Cats, and the sets and costumes were designed by Maria Björnson, who created over 200 costumes and elaborate set pieces that would become iconic. The original cast included Michael Crawford as the Phantom, Sarah Brightman as Christine, and Steve Barton as Raoul. Crawford, a classically trained actor, brought a depth and vulnerability to the role that had never been seen before. Brightman, Lloyd Webber's then-wife, was a classical soprano who brought a purity and strength to Christine's character. Barton, an international stage performer, played Raoul with a charm and determination that balanced the darker elements of the story. The production was an immediate success, winning the 1986 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical. Crawford won the Olivier and Tony for Best Actor in a Musical, and the show went on to become the longest-running show in Broadway history, celebrating its 10,000th performance on the 11th of February 2012. The musical's financial success was unprecedented, with total estimated worldwide gross receipts of over $6 billion and total Broadway gross of over $1 billion, making it the most financially successful entertainment event until The Lion King surpassed it in 2014. By 2019, it had been seen by over 140 million people in 183 cities across 41 countries. The original West End production at Her Majesty's Theatre ended its run in March 2020 due to the shutdown of theatres resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. A scaled-down, revised staging opened in the same theatre in July 2021, with a smaller orchestra and redesigned set. The original Broadway production played its final performance on the 16th of April 2023, after 13,981 performances, exceeding its London counterpart by 62 performances. The show's enduring popularity is a testament to its ability to captivate audiences with its blend of romance, mystery, and music.

When did The Phantom of the Opera first appear on stage?

The Phantom of the Opera first appeared on stage on the 9th of October 1986 at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End. This date marked the beginning of a theatrical phenomenon that would redefine the genre.

Who composed the music for The Phantom of the Opera?

Andrew Lloyd Webber composed the music for The Phantom of the Opera. He collaborated with lyricists Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe on the project based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel.

What was the original Broadway production's final performance date?

The original Broadway production played its final performance on the 16th of April 2023 after 13,981 performances. This run exceeded the London counterpart by 62 performances.

How many countries has The Phantom of the Opera been produced in?

The Phantom of the Opera has been produced in over 40 countries on 6 continents. By 2019, it had been seen by over 140 million people in 183 cities across 41 countries.

When did the 25th anniversary performance of The Phantom of the Opera take place?

The 25th anniversary stage performance was held in London on the 1st and the 2nd of October 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall. The production was screened live in cinemas worldwide and released on DVD and Blu-ray in February 2012.

The Creation of a Musical Masterpiece

The genesis of The Phantom of the Opera can be traced back to 1984, when Andrew Lloyd Webber approached Cameron Mackintosh, the co-producer of Cats and Song and Dance, to propose a new musical. Lloyd Webber was aiming for a romantic and tragic piece, and suggested Gaston Leroux's book The Phantom of the Opera as a basis. They screened both the 1925 Lon Chaney and the 1943 Claude Rains motion picture versions, but neither saw any effective way to make the leap from film to stage. Later, Lloyd Webber found a second-hand copy of the original novel, which supplied the necessary inspiration to develop a musical. He stated, I was actually writing something else at the time, and I realised that the reason I was hung up was because I was trying to write a major romantic story, and I had been trying to do that ever since I started my career. Then with the Phantom, it was there! The creative team behind the musical was a star-studded lineup. Lloyd Webber first approached Jim Steinman to write the lyrics because of his dark obsessive side, but he declined in order to fulfill his commitments on a Bonnie Tyler album. Alan Jay Lerner (1918, 1986) was then recruited, but he became seriously ill after joining the project and was forced to withdraw; none of his contributions, mostly involving the song Masquerade, are credited in the show. Richard Stilgoe, the lyricist for Starlight Express, was then hired and wrote most of the original lyrics for the show. However, Charles Hart, a young and then-relatively unknown lyricist, later rewrote many of the lyrics, along with original lyrics for Think of Me. Some of Stilgoe's original contributions are still present in the final version nevertheless. The score was inspired in part by an earlier musical version of the same story by Ken Hill. Lloyd Webber's score is sometimes operatic in style but maintains the form and structure of a musical throughout. The full-fledged operatic passages are reserved principally for subsidiary characters such as André and Firmin, Carlotta, and Piangi. They are also used to provide the content of the fictional operas that are taking place within the show itself, viz., Hannibal, Il Muto, and the Phantom's masterwork, Don Juan Triumphant. Here, Lloyd Webber pastiched various styles from the grand operas of Meyerbeer through to Mozart and even Gilbert and Sullivan. These pieces are often presented as musical fragments, interrupted by dialogue or action sequences in order to clearly define the musical's show within a show format. The musical extracts from the Phantom's opera, Don Juan Triumphant, heard during the latter stages of the show, are dissonant and modern, suggesting, perhaps, that the Phantom is ahead of his time artistically. In the musical's title song, the signature, chromatic five-note descending eighth-note run from the major root to the flat 6th below is directly similar to a riff created by Pink Floyd for the track Echoes on their 1971 album Meddle, something noted with indignation by Pink Floyd's Roger Waters in a 1992 interview. The design, direction, and choreography were equally impressive. Maria Björnson designed the sets and over 200 costumes, including the elaborate gowns in the Masquerade sequence. Her set designs, including the chandelier, subterranean gondola, and sweeping staircase, earned her multiple awards. Hal Prince, director of Cabaret, Candide, Follies, and Lloyd Webber's Evita, directed the production, while Gillian Lynne, associate director and choreographer of Cats, provided the integral musical staging and choreography. A preview of the first act was staged at Sydmonton Court, Lloyd Webber's home, in 1985, starring Colm Wilkinson as the Phantom, Sarah Brightman as Kristin, and Clive Carter as Raoul. West End star David Burt was also featured as Monsieur Firmin and Jeff Shankley played opposite him as Monsieur André. This very preliminary production used Richard Stilgoe's original unaltered lyrics, and many songs sported names that were later changed, such as What Has Time Done to Me to Think of Me, and Papers to Notes. The Phantom's original mask covered the entire face and remained in place throughout the performance, obscuring the actor's vision and muffling his voice. Maria Björnson designed the now-iconic half-mask to replace it, and the unmasking sequence was added. Clips of this preview performance were included on the DVD of the 2004 film production.

The Phantom's Dark Legacy

The Phantom of the Opera has left an indelible mark on the world of theatre, with its influence extending far beyond the original productions. The musical has been translated into several languages and produced in over 40 countries on 6 continents. With some exceptions like the 25th Anniversary UK and US Tours, these productions have all been clones, using the original staging, direction, sets, and costume concepts. Notable international productions include those in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Thailand, and the United States. The show has also been adapted into various formats, including a film adaptation directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, Minnie Driver as Carlotta, and Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry, which opened on the 22nd of December 2004 in the US. An anime film adaptation was announced in August 2025, with Qubic Pictures and Lloyd Webber's LW Entertainment overseeing the project. A remake of the 2004 film is also in the early stages of development, with Lloyd Webber suggesting that he'd like to see somebody who is in their early 40s play the Phantom in the new film. The sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, written by Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth and Glenn Slater, is called Love Never Dies. It was loosely adapted from the 1999 novel The Phantom of Manhattan, by Forsyth. Set in 1907, a decade after the conclusion of The Phantom of the Opera according to the production's announcement, but actually 26 years later, as the original show was set in 1881, Christine is invited to perform at Phantasma, a new attraction at Coney Island, by an anonymous impresario. With her husband Raoul and son Gustave in tow, she journeys to Brooklyn, unaware that it is the Phantom who has arranged her appearance at the popular beach resort. The original production was directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell with set and costume designs by Bob Crowley, and opened at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End starring Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess on the 9th of March 2010. Though it ran for over 17 months and closed on the 27th of August 2011, the production received mixed reviews. A scheduled Broadway opening in November 2010 was postponed until Spring 2011 and later cancelled. A revamped Australian production, starring Ben Lewis and Anna O'Byrne, opened on the 21st of May 2011 at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne to more favourable notices. After the Melbourne run ended on the 12th of December 2011, the production moved to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney where it played from January to April 2012. A West End revival concert starring Norm Lewis and Celinde Schoenmaker at Theatre Royal Drury Lane ran on the 21st and the 22nd of August 2023. The musical has also been the subject of legal battles, with allegations of plagiarism. In 1987, the heirs of Giacomo Puccini charged in a lawsuit that a recurring two-bar passage in Music of the Night closely resembled a similar phrase first heard in the aria Quello che tacete from Puccini's opera La fanciulla del West. The litigation was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. In 1990, a Baltimore songwriter named Ray Repp filed a lawsuit alleging that the title song from The Phantom of the Opera was based on a song that he wrote in 1978 called Till You. After eight years of litigation, including an unsuccessful countersuit by Lloyd Webber claiming that Till You was itself a plagiarism of Close Every Door from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the jury found in Lloyd Webber's favour. Former Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters has claimed that the signature descending/ascending half-tone chord progression from Phantom's title song was plagiarised from the bass line of a track on the 1971 Pink Floyd album Meddle called Echoes. He avoided taking legal action, saying, Life's too long to bother with suing Andrew fucking Lloyd Webber. The musical has also been the subject of various adaptations and revivals, including a 25th-anniversary stage performance held in London on the 1st and the 2nd of October 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall and was screened live in cinemas worldwide. The production was produced by Cameron Mackintosh, directed by Laurence Connor, musical staging and choreography by Gillian Lynne, set design by Matt Kinley, costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, and sound design by Mick Potter. The cast included Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess as Christine, Hadley Fraser as Raoul, Wynne Evans as Piangi, Wendy Ferguson as Carlotta, Barry James as Monsieur Firmin, Gareth Snook as Monsieur Andre, Liz Robertson as Madame Giry, and Daisy Maywood as Meg Giry. Former West End Phantom Earl Carpenter played the Auctioneer. Lloyd Webber and several original cast members, including Crawford and Brightman, were in attendance, as well as Colm Wilkinson and Anthony Warlow who originated the role of the Phantom in Canada and Australia respectively. A DVD and Blu-ray of the performance was released in February 2012, and it began airing in March 2012 on PBS's Great Performances television series. In March 2012, a new production directed by Laurence Connor began a UK and Ireland tour to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the show, beginning at the Theatre Royal Plymouth and travelled to Manchester, Bristol, Dublin, Leeds, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, and Southampton. John Owen-Jones and Earl Carpenter alternated as the Phantom, with Katie Hall as Christine and Simon Bailey as Raoul. In November 2019, the co-producers of The Phantom of the Opera, Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group (RUG), announced that the show would again tour the UK and Ireland, but this time with a return to the original production rather than the 2012 production. Although this announcement stated that the tour would be an exact replica of the musical on Broadway and in the West End, alterations were made to the set design in order to make the tour lighter. These included a scaling down of the production's false proscenium, with the centrepiece Angel statue designed by Maria Björnson removed. Performances of this latest 2020 tour were suspended from the 16th of March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Mackintosh and RUG announced the premature closure of the tour as a result. Rather than resume the tour following the end of COVID-19-related shutdowns, the producers installed that production into Her Majesty's Theatre in London in July 2021, where it replaced Hal Prince's original production. The show has also been the subject of various legal and creative challenges, including a cancelled French production that was originally planned for the first ever French production in Paris at the Mogador Theatre in September 2016. Sierra Boggess was set to reprise her performance as Christine and Garðar Thór Cortes was cast as The Phantom. A few days before the premiere, a fire damaged the stage floor and most of the backdrops and set pieces leading to the cancellation of the production. The musical has also been the subject of various adaptations and revivals, including Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular, which opened on the 24th of June 2006 at The Venetian Las Vegas. The show starred Brent Barrett and Anthony Crivello as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess and Elizabeth Loyacano as Christine, and Tim Martin Gleason as Raoul. The theatre was built specifically for the show to resemble the Opéra Garnier in Paris. The production ran 95 minutes with no intermission, and was directed and choreographed by Harold Prince and Gillian Lynne, with scenic designs by David Rockwell. The show featured updated technology and effects, including a re-engineered chandelier capable of reassembling in midair during the overture while the entire interior of the venue (not merely the stage) returned to its 1880s halcyon days. Almost 45 minutes' worth of material was eliminated, such as the Don Juan Triumphant rehearsal, Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh while The Point of No Return were significantly shortened. Other changes resembled those in the 2004 film, such as staging the chandelier crash at the plot's climax (during performance of The Point of No Return) rather than mid-story. Due to economic reasons, the Las Vegas production closed on the 2nd of September 2012, after five years and almost 2,700 performances. The musical has also been the subject of various legal and creative challenges, including a new North American tour based on the revised London production, and an untitled immersive musical production that was widely rumoured to be a remount of Phantom. After extensive speculation, the completely new production Masquerade was announced in mid-2025, performing off-Broadway at 218 West 57th Street, custom renovated for the show, where guests traverse through a multistory experience presented in an intimate immersive format. While rosters of the cast and creative teams did not identify who would take which role, Diane Paulus is confirmed to direct, with the cast containing at least three former Phantoms in Hugh Panaro, Jeremy Stolle, and Cooper Grodin, as well as two former Christines in Eryn LeCroy and Kaley Ann Voorhees, and one former Raoul in Paul Adam Schaefer. Other notable performers in the cast include Nik Walker, Kyle Scatliffe, Telly Leung, Jeff Kready, and Quentin Earl Darrington.

The Phantom's Musical Evolution

The musical has undergone significant changes over the years, reflecting the evolving tastes and technologies of the theatre world. The original orchestrations were written by David Cullen and Lloyd Webber, and there are several orchestrations: 27-piece (the original score, used on Broadway and until 2020 in London, also used for the 2022 Australian production), 29-piece (the original Broadway score), 14-piece (used on tour, most international productions from 2012 onwards, the 2020 UK Tour and in London from 2021), and 45-piece (used for the 25th anniversary). The Broadway production originally used a 29-piece pit orchestra, with Reed I: flute/piccolo, Reed II: flute/clarinet, Reed III: oboe/English horn, Reed IV: B-flat clarinet/bass clarinet/E-flat clarinet, Reed V: bassoon, French horns I, III, Trumpets I, II, Trombone, Percussion I-II, Keyboards I, II: piano, synthesizer, Violins I-VIII (currently only six violins), Violas I, II, Cellos I, II, String bass, Harp, and Percussion split between two books , regular percussion and mallets: 2 timpani, suspended cymbals, crash cymbals, snare drum, triangle, tambourine, bass drum, Glockenspiel, xylophone, vibes, marimba, tubular bells, bell tree, woodblock, gong, guiro, finger cymbals. The original London score is as the Broadway score but with 1 percussion part and 7 violins. The most recent Broadway orchestration is licensed by R&H Theatricals for amateur and professional productions. The only difference between the Broadway 29- and 27-piece orchestras is the smaller orchestra's lack of Violins VII & VIII. The current 14-piece orchestration, used in London and on tour, eliminates approximately half of the original orchestra's parts while adding an extra keyboard. Cut books include the original Reed III, harp, percussion, all the brass except one French horn, and most of the string doubles, leaving three violins and one of each other string instrument. The musical has also been the subject of various legal and creative challenges, including a new North American tour based on the revised London production, and an untitled immersive musical production that was widely rumoured to be a remount of Phantom. After extensive speculation, the completely new production Masquerade was announced in mid-2025, performing off-Broadway at 218 West 57th Street, custom renovated for the show, where guests traverse through a multistory experience presented in an intimate immersive format. While rosters of the cast and creative teams did not identify who would take which role, Diane Paulus is confirmed to direct, with the cast containing at least three former Phantoms in Hugh Panaro, Jeremy Stolle, and Cooper Grodin, as well as two former Christines in Eryn LeCroy and Kaley Ann Voorhees, and one former Raoul in Paul Adam Schaefer. Other notable performers in the cast include Nik Walker, Kyle Scatliffe, Telly Leung, Jeff Kready, and Quentin Earl Darrington. The musical has also been the subject of various legal and creative challenges, including a new North American tour based on the revised London production, and an untitled immersive musical production that was widely rumoured to be a remount of Phantom. After extensive speculation, the completely new production Masquerade was announced in mid-2025, performing off-Broadway at 218 West 57th Street, custom renovated for the show, where guests traverse through a multistory experience presented in an intimate immersive format. While rosters of the cast and creative teams did not identify who would take which role, Diane Paulus is confirmed to direct, with the cast containing at least three former Phantoms in Hugh Panaro, Jeremy Stolle, and Cooper Grodin, as well as two former Christines in Eryn LeCroy and Kaley Ann Voorhees, and one former Raoul in Paul Adam Schaefer. Other notable performers in the cast include Nik Walker, Kyle Scatliffe, Telly Leung, Jeff Kready, and Quentin Earl Darrington.

The Phantom's Global Impact

The Phantom of the Opera has had a profound impact on the global theatre scene, with its influence extending far beyond the original productions. The musical has been translated into several languages and produced in over 40 countries on 6 continents. With some exceptions like the 25th Anniversary UK and US Tours, these productions have all been clones, using the original staging, direction, sets, and costume concepts. Notable international productions include those in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Thailand, and the United States. The show has also been adapted into various formats, including a film adaptation directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, Minnie Driver as Carlotta, and Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry, which opened on the 22nd of December 2004 in the US. An anime film adaptation was announced in August 2025, with Qubic Pictures and Lloyd Webber's LW Entertainment overseeing the project. A remake of the 2004 film is also in the early stages of development, with Lloyd Webber suggesting that he'd like to see somebody who is in their early 40s play the Phantom in the new film. The sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, written by Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth and Glenn Slater, is called Love Never Dies. It was loosely adapted from the 1999 novel The Phantom of Manhattan, by Forsyth. Set in 1907, a decade after the conclusion of The Phantom of the Opera according to the production's announcement, but actually 26 years later, as the original show was set in 1881, Christine is invited to perform at Phantasma, a new attraction at Coney Island, by an anonymous impresario. With her husband Raoul and son Gustave in tow, she journeys to Brooklyn, unaware that it is the Phantom who has arranged her appearance at the popular beach resort. The original production was directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell with set and costume designs by Bob Crowley, and opened at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End starring Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess on the 9th of March 2010. Though it ran for over 17 months and closed on the 27th of August 2011, the production received mixed reviews. A scheduled Broadway opening in November 2010 was postponed until Spring 2011 and later cancelled. A revamped Australian production, starring Ben Lewis and Anna O'Byrne, opened on the 21st of May 2011 at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne to more favourable notices. After the Melbourne run ended on the 12th of December 2011, the production moved to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney where it played from January to April 2012. A West End revival concert starring Norm Lewis and Celinde Schoenmaker at Theatre Royal Drury Lane ran on the 21st and the 22nd of August 2023. The musical has also been the subject of legal battles, with allegations of plagiarism. In 1987, the heirs of Giacomo Puccini charged in a lawsuit that a recurring two-bar passage in Music of the Night closely resembled a similar phrase first heard in the aria Quello che tacete from Puccini's opera La fanciulla del West. The litigation was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. In 1990, a Baltimore songwriter named Ray Repp filed a lawsuit alleging that the title song from The Phantom of the Opera was based on a song that he wrote in 1978 called Till You. After eight years of litigation, including an unsuccessful countersuit by Lloyd Webber claiming that Till You was itself a plagiarism of Close Every Door from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the jury found in Lloyd Webber's favour. Former Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roger Waters has claimed that the signature descending/ascending half-tone chord progression from Phantom's title song was plagiarised from the bass line of a track on the 1971 Pink Floyd album Meddle called Echoes. He avoided taking legal action, saying, Life's too long to bother with suing Andrew fucking Lloyd Webber. The musical has also been the subject of various adaptations and revivals, including a 25th-anniversary stage performance held in London on the 1st and the 2nd of October 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall and was screened live in cinemas worldwide. The production was produced by Cameron Mackintosh, directed by Laurence Connor, musical staging and choreography by Gillian Lynne, set design by Matt Kinley, costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, and sound design by Mick Potter. The cast included Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess as Christine, Hadley Fraser as Raoul, Wynne Evans as Piangi, Wendy Ferguson as Carlotta, Barry James as Monsieur Firmin, Gareth Snook as Monsieur Andre, Liz Robertson as Madame Giry, and Daisy Maywood as Meg Giry. Former West End Phantom Earl Carpenter played the Auctioneer. Lloyd Webber and several original cast members, including Crawford and Brightman, were in attendance, as well as Colm Wilkinson and Anthony Warlow who originated the role of the Phantom in Canada and Australia respectively. A DVD and Blu-ray of the performance was released in February 2012, and it began airing in March 2012 on PBS's Great Performances television series. In March 2012, a new production directed by Laurence Connor began a UK and Ireland tour to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the show, beginning at the Theatre Royal Plymouth and travelled to Manchester, Bristol, Dublin, Leeds, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, and Southampton. John Owen-Jones and Earl Carpenter alternated as the Phantom, with Katie Hall as Christine and Simon Bailey as Raoul. In November 2019, the co-producers of The Phantom of the Opera, Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group (RUG), announced that the show would again tour the UK and Ireland, but this time with a return to the original production rather than the 2012 production. Although this announcement stated that the tour would be an exact replica of the musical on Broadway and in the West End, alterations were made to the set design in order to make the tour lighter. These included a scaling down of the production's false proscenium, with the centrepiece Angel statue designed by Maria Björnson removed. Performances of this latest 2020 tour were suspended from the 16th of March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Mackintosh and RUG announced the premature closure of the tour as a result. Rather than resume the tour following the end of COVID-19-related shutdowns, the producers installed that production into Her Majesty's Theatre in London in July 2021, where it replaced Hal Prince's original production. The show has also been the subject of various legal and creative challenges, including a cancelled French production that was originally planned for the first ever French production in Paris at the Mogador Theatre in September 2016. Sierra Boggess was set to reprise her performance as Christine and Garðar Thór Cortes was cast as The Phantom. A few days before the premiere, a fire damaged the stage floor and most of the backdrops and set pieces leading to the cancellation of the production. The musical has also been the subject of various adaptations and revivals, including Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular, which opened on the 24th of June 2006 at The Venetian Las Vegas. The show starred Brent Barrett and Anthony Crivello as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess and Elizabeth Loyacano as Christine, and Tim Martin Gleason as Raoul. The theatre was built specifically for the show to resemble the Opéra Garnier in Paris. The production ran 95 minutes with no intermission, and was directed and choreographed by Harold Prince and Gillian Lynne, with scenic designs by David Rockwell. The show featured updated technology and effects, including a re-engineered chandelier capable of reassembling in midair during the overture while the entire interior of the venue (not merely the stage) returned to its 1880s halcyon days. Almost 45 minutes' worth of material was eliminated, such as the Don Juan Triumphant rehearsal, Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh while The Point of No Return were significantly shortened. Other changes resembled those in the 2004 film, such as staging the chandelier crash at the plot's climax (during performance of The Point of No Return) rather than mid-story. Due to economic reasons, the Las Vegas production closed on the 2nd of September 2012, after five years and almost 2,700 performances. The musical has also been the subject of various legal and creative challenges, including a new North American tour based on the revised London production, and an untitled immersive musical production that was widely rumoured to be a remount of Phantom. After extensive speculation, the completely new production Masquerade was announced in mid-2025, performing off-Broadway at 218 West 57th Street, custom renovated for the show, where guests traverse through a multistory experience presented in an intimate immersive format. While rosters of the cast and creative teams did not identify who would take which role, Diane Paulus is confirmed to direct, with the cast containing at least three former Phantoms in Hugh Panaro, Jeremy Stolle, and Cooper Grodin, as well as two former Christines in Eryn LeCroy and Kaley Ann Voorhees, and one former Raoul in Paul Adam Schaefer. Other notable performers in the cast include Nik Walker, Kyle Scatliffe, Telly Leung, Jeff Kready, and Quentin Earl Darrington.