Highlights:

The Phantom of the Opera has been performed over 74，000 times in 145 cities in 27 countries around the world. It has been seen by over 130 million people.

The Phantom of the Opera has won over 50 major theater awards including three Laurence Olivier Awards, an Evening Standard Award, seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards and three Outer Critic Circle Awards.

The Phantom of the Opera has box office revenue of $5.6 billion, higher than any film or stage play in history, including Titanic, ET and Star Wars.

The original cast recording was the first in British musical history to reach the top of the charts. Album sales reached gold and platinum in the UK and the US.

The original production of The Phantom of the Opera was staged on October 9, 1986, at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. It starred Michael Crawford as The Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine Daaé. So far, there are 16 global versions of the production.

Summary:

The Phantom of the Opera tells a story of a "ghost" lurking in the shadow of the Palais Garnier. This mysterious "ghost" is a bizarre genius of music, obsessed with the talent and beauty of a young opera singer Christine. The "ghost" induces her to become his disciple and later falls in love with her. However, Christine loves Raoul, a young aristocrat. This brings a series of incidents reflecting jealousy, madness and vengeance.

Creators：

With wonderful music, breathtaking plots and a perfect setting, The Phantom of the Opera is an eternal masterpiece. It and Webber’s other works such as Cats, Evita and Sunset Boulevard have won a worldwide reputation and status for British musicals. The Phantom of the Opera, however, is undoubtedly Weber’s most successful work. Many of its songs, including Think of Me, Angel of Music, That’s All I Ask of You and the Music of the Night are very popular.

Fun Facts:

Palais Garnier

The Palais Garnier was built in 1860 and has nearly 2,200 seats. It has the world's largest theater stage which can accommodate up to 450 actors. It has exquisite decor with many sculptures, paintings and small touches. The magnificent chandelier hanging above the hall weighs up to 6 tons. The plot device of the falling of the chandelier is a true historical event -- a small part of the chandelier once fell down and killed a member of the audience. It is also true that there is an underground lake in the opera house. The 6-meter-deep lake on the ground floor is said to balance the stage movements. The mysterious Box No 5 indeed has hollow pillars, and is the box of the Phantom in the story.

Love

Webber was in love with Sarah Brightman during the creation of The Phantom of the Opera. Her beautiful soprano gave Webber a lot of inspiration. The musical is tailored for her and she has become the eternal Christine by virtue of her initial and stellar performance.

Leading Actors

Brad Little

Brad Little has performed in the play on Broadway and across the world. He has played the Phantom over 2,500 times. Little is one of the four most successful performers of the lead role in the history of the musical.

Little has twice played the Phantom in China. He also participated in the Ultimate Broadway in Shanghai in 2011. He is well-known for starring in Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story, Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast, Evita, Kiss Me, Kate, South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Anything Goes.

Emilie Lynn

Emilie Lynn is gifted in many ways and can sing in English, French, German, Italian, Latin and Spanish. She is known for her roles in Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, Evita, My Fair Lady, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Hair, Rent, Hello, Dolly!, West Side Story  and The Music Man.

Reviews:

This is definitely the musical of life! - Daily Mirror

This is the biggest-selling Broadway show. --The New York Times