Everything You Need to Know About THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

The story

Deep in the bowels of the Paris Opera House lurks a brilliant but disfigured musical genius, a mysterious masked man known only as the Phantom. When promising young soprano Christine Daae replaces the company’s prima donna as the lead in the opera house’s new show, the Phantom becomes obsessed with her. Christine finds herself torn between the desires of her musical mentor and the love of her childhood sweetheart Raoul, but the Phantom will stop at nothing to claim Christine’s heart as well as her voice. What unfolds is a dramatic story of passion, obsession, jealousy, and desire.

The musical

Based on French writer Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera first opened at His Majesty’s Theatre (then Her Majesty’s Theatre) in 1986, with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman originating the roles of the Phantom and Christine. It never closed, making it the second-longest running musical in the West End. It ran on Broadway for 25 years, making it the longest-running show in Broadway history, and won an Olivier Award for Best New Musical as well as seven Tony Awards.

Why do we love The Phantom of the Opera?

The Phantom of the Opera is a timeless, thrilling musical that combines all the ingredients we look for in a good story: drama and intrigue with moments of heart-stopping horror and jaw-dropping spectacle, a lush and gothic setting in the haunted Paris Opera House, a love triangle with a twist, and unforgettable, complex, and heartbreaking characters.

Fashion lovers will die for the lavish and grand costume design, from the Phantom's iconic white half-mask to Christine's gorgeous gowns, like her jewel-encrusted, multi-textured Hannibal slave costume. The Phantom of the Opera is a story about performance and illusion, and it doesn't hold back when it comes to a sense of dramatic spectacle and theatricality, filled with dizzying ensemble numbers and special effects that evoke the story's haunting atmosphere.

And of course, the score - you don't need to be a musical theatre buff to immediate recognise the show's dramatic overture. Aside from the epic title track, the timeless soundtrack includes beloved tracks like 'The Music of the Night', the Phantom's dark, seductive lullaby to Christine; 'All I Ask of You', Christine and Raoul's sweet romantic duet; 'Masquerade', the gleefully high-octane ensemble number - and so many more.

The Company of The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Johan Persson.

40 years of The Phantom of the Opera

The show is celebrating forty glorious years in the West End with a special birthday performance on October 9 2026 at His Majesty's Theatre. It also kicked off the 2026 Olivier Awards ceremony with a special medley featuring Andrew Lloyd Webber himself on the organ! A special and star-studded anniversary cast has also been announced, including: Broadway star Jordan Donica as The Phantom and Beatrice Penny-Touré as Christine Daaé, with Rhys Whitfield returning as Raoul. Sierra Boggess, one of Phantom's most beloved Christines (who also played Christine in Love Never Dies) will return as Carlotta, with her co-star from Love Never Dies, Joseph Millson, playing Monsieur Andre, and Matt Bateman as Piangi.

What is Love Never Dies?

That’s right, The Phantom of the Opera has a sequel! It takes place ten years after the end of the original. The Phantom has escaped to America with the help of Madame Giry and her daughter Meg, and opened a lavish amusement park on Coney Island. He lures Christine, now married to Raoul with a young son, to come sing at his park, reigniting their cat and mouse game of desire and obsession.

Love Never Dies played in the West End from 2010-11, and returns now as a special concert event as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, with Jamie Muscato playing the Phantom and Celinde Schoenmaker returning as Christine. So if you were left heartbroken by the Phantom's tragic ending in the original, here's your chance to see his story continue.

Ashley Gilmour as Raoul The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Johan Persson.

The Phantom and Christine - a love story?

It's one of the most hotly debated topics among fans of the show. Christine is drawn to the charismatic Phantom and feels great pity for him, while the Phantom is fervently obsessed with possessing her - but how romanticised their dynamic is depends on the staging. Ultimately it's a story of obsession rather than love, but it very much plays into the tropes of gothic romance. From Nosferatu to Dracula to Frankenstein to Beauty and the Beast, literature and fiction as a whole have always been fascinated by the idea of a monstrous man falling in love with a human woman - a fascination that inevitably gave way to the modern romance genre with its sexy vampires and werewolves. Although the Phantom is a human man, there's something otherworldly and ethereal about him - which, for some, might make him a more enticing love interest than the more straight-laced Raoul. Regardless, the relationship between Christine and the Phantom continues to be the most haunting, tragic, and fascinating aspects of the musical, and the chemistry between the actors playing them can make or break a show.

Fun Facts

• There's no denying that Phantom is a big show in every sense of the word, with every performance featuring 230 costumes, 14 dressers, 120 automated cues, 22 scene changes, 281 candles, 250 kg of dry ice and 10 fog and smoke machines.
• The Phantom's make-up takes 2 hours to put on and 30 minutes to take off. The process includes the face being moisturised, closely shaved, prosthetics fitted and makeup applied after which 2 wigs, 2 radio microphones and 2 contact lenses are put into place.
• The iconic Paris Opera House chandelier is a work of art itself - 3 metres wide, weighing one ton, and made up of 6000 beads. The original version was built by 5 people over 4 weeks.
• Speaking of which... the show's famous chandelier disaster was actually inspired by a real-life incident, when a counterweight fell through the ceiling during a performance at the Paris Opera in 1896.

If you haven't seen The Phantom of the Opera yet, consider it a crucial addition to our theatre bucket list. It has everything we look for in a great musical - visually stunning, with a beautiful score and a dramatic story - as evidenced by how it's stood the test of time.

If you're interested in a breakdown of other popular West End musicals, check out our 5 Reasons to Watch Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Everything You Need to Know About Les Miserables.

The Phantom of the Opera Tickets