Andrew Lloyd Webber's world famous musical "The Phantom of the Opera" celebrated its 30th birthday! This 1986 musical is the longest running musical on Broadway. To commemorate the anniversary of one of the most successful pieces of entertainment of all time, West End put on a 30th anniversary performance at
Her Majesty's Theatre this week. The evening on October 10th featured current company, members of the original cast, and special guests, including creator Andrew Lloyd Weber. The current cast, led by Ben Forster in the title role, with Celine Shoenmaker as Christine Daae and Nadim Naaman as Raoul, was accompanied by members of the original cast such as Michael Crawford.
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| From left to right: Ben Forster (Phantom of the Opera), Andrew Lloyd Webber (Music), Michael Crawford (Original Phantom of the Opera) and Celinde Shoenmaker (Christine Daae) during the curtain call |
Her Majesty's Theatre in London is the only location where the show has been playing for 30 years, putting on over 12,000 performances. This theatre is where the Phantom of the Opera first opened in 1986. The
website references 4 theaters on the site of Her Majesty's since 1705. Though the building has changed over the years, its early history as an opera house makes it the perfect location for The Phantom of the Opera.
To celebrate the milestone, West End engaged Phantom of the Opera fans from across the globe by live streaming the event. Thousands of fans tuned in to see the red carpet before the show and the musical's finale streamed live from London. Choosing to live stream parts of the anniversary show brings this timeless classic into the 21st century, and includes audiences who wouldn't have had the opportunity to see it otherwise. Fans could view the live streaming event through the
@PhantomOfTheOpera Facebook page, which increased that page's online presence. West End social media managers did a great job of keeping viewers from around the world informed, updating them when the show's tune-in time changed due to delays. "#Phantom30th" was used in reference to the event.
The box revenues for the classic musical are higher than any film or stage play in history, including Titanic, ET, Star Wars and Avatar. The Phantom of the Opera has played to over 140 million in 35 countries and 164 cities around the world. The original cast recording was the first in British musical history to enter the charts at #1, and the show has won over 70 musical theatre awards. The Phantom of the Opera has earned widespread acclaim, leading to great success of the live stream anniversary event on October 10th.
