Masquerade: Phantom of the Opera’s new Immersive Experience officially opens on Broadway

Andrew Lloyd Webber's beloved The Phantom of the Opera has been transformed into an extraordinary immersive experience that has opened to audiences in New York City. This bold reimagining, titled Masquerade, directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus, breaks down the traditional barriers between stage and audience, drawing theatregoers into an atmospheric world unlike anything seen before on Broadway.

Rather than remaining seated in a conventional auditorium, audiences are guided through multiple floors of a historic Broadway venue, with each space meticulously designed to evoke the grandeur of the Opera Populaire, bringing fans closer to the Phantom's world than ever previously imagined.

As this is a spectacular theatrical event, guests are expected to dress accordingly with formal or cocktail attire in a palette of black, white, or silver. Guests must also wear a masquerade mask in black, white, or silver: to be worn throughout the performance. Guests are encouraged to bring their own—an opportunity to express personal style, however masks are also available from the venue.

The production employs an ingenious system where six separate audiences (referred to as "pulses" by theatre staff) move simultaneously through the same evocatively designed spaces.

These pulses are spaced 15 minutes apart, with six different lead actors playing both the Phantom and Christine. Through careful choreography and timing, these groups navigate the Opera Populaire setting without ever intruding upon one another's experience—a remarkable feat of theatrical engineering.  

Masquerade represents a thrilling evolution in musical theatre, offering audiences not just a show to watch, but a world to inhabit.

The show has been the opening of the season, and the reviews are in:  

“The very notion of this reimagining - created by Lloyd Webber and director Diane Paulus - is surprising; perhaps even more surprising is that, somehow, they pull it off.”
— Time Out New York

“The proximity is a thrill… Masquerade may feel like the rapture.”
— The Washington Post

“This reconfigured Phantom... gives you a close-up look at a lot of terrific craft.”
— The Guardian

“The real treat… is the exquisite singing - and being so close to the singing.”
— The Daily Beast

Masquerade runs through February 2026. Don’t miss the return of the Phantom to New York.