The Phantom of the Opera is perhaps most well-known for its stage adaptation, which comes in the form of a musical. It is one of the most popular musicals of all time, and any Broadway fan has most likely seen it at some point. It is the longest-running Broadway show of all time, having been performed thousands upon thousands of times.
The novel was published in France in 1909, and translated to English 2 years later. It was met with little to no success. However, it gradually caught on over the years as word spread, and eventually it became hugely popular, prompting all sorts of adaptations. There have been countless movies, television series, book spin-offs, stage adaptations, comic strips, and other odes to the original novel.
The most famous stage adaptation of the Phantom of the Opera is the 1986 Broadway musical. It was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with writers Richard Stilgoe and Charles Hart contributing lyrics.
The musical closely follows the events of the book. The main character, Christine Daae, is a singer in the Opera Garnier in Paris. As she spends time in the opera house, she becomes the obsession of the titular Phantom. The tale that unfolds is dramatic, dark, and extremely memorable.
The musical has been extremely successful. At first the outlook was somewhat rocky due to poor critical reception. However, the musical has gotten enough attendance to show constantly since 1986. Profits are estimated at around 3.3 Billion USD, with over 80 million attendees.
So if you have an interest in Broadway musicals, you should definitely try to find a showing of the Phantom of the Opera near you. It is not just a great story – it is also a piece of Broadway history. So see this infamous play, and find out what all the fuss is about.