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The Phantom of the Opera is now a musical phenomenon which has played all over the world, but the show originally opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London on 9th October 1986 with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman playing the leading roles of The Phantom and Christine.

Phantom is now the most financially successful musical of all time. Based on the novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, written by French author Gaston Leroux, the musical is set in the Paris Opera House in the late Nineteenth Century and tells the story of Christine Daaé; her lover Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny; and the mysterious masked figure who lives beneath the Opera House – the Phantom of the Opera.

Within months of opening, the show – described as “Fantastic, fabulous and phantasmagorical!” by The Daily Mirror and “A gorgeous operatic extravaganza that is a thrill to the blood and a sensual feast for the eye” by the Sunday Express – scooped the 1986 Oliver Award for Musical of the Year, with Michael Crawford winning the Outstanding Performance in a Musical Award. Phantom also won the 1986 Evening Standard Award for Best Musical.