The Phantom of the Opera 1986 - Articles Page 3

They say there's no business like show business. Well, they should change that to there's no show quite like The Phantom of the Opera! The infamous story of the opera ghost and his on/off love affair with the soaring soprano lands as well today as it did back in 1986.

In this comedy about love and diplomacy, Sally Adams, the unconventional ‘queen of Washington society’, is appointed US ambassador to the tiny Grand Duchy of Lichtenburg. She’s intent on refusing to shore up that country’s finances with American money. That is, until she meets Cosmo Constantine, the Lichtenburg foreign minister, and finds his charms irresistible.

And they're off! London theatres have been open for several weeks now, and the reviews once again are coming hard and fast as a glance at this very site will confirm. Quick off the mark have been the smaller-sized shows: solo plays like Cruise or Harm or a three-person West End entry like Amy Berryman's Walden (though that title was beset by pre-opening dramas of its own, more of which below). But as the big musicals prepare their own re-emergence on to a scene marked out already by the producer Sonia Friedman's RE:EMERGE season (of which Walden is the first of three to open), excitement is in the air. The question now remains as to who, precisely, the audience is likely to be for these shows, given the difficulty for many in travelling to the UK.

The fabled date is getting nearer!  For months, May 17 has loomed large in the calendar of London theatreland as the signal for playhouses to reopen their doors after a five-month lockdown - a period of closure that has, of course, been much longer in New York for the simple reason that London theaters did at least flicker partially to life last autumn.

The Phantom of the Opera’s orchestra will be cut in half upon the production's return to the West End. The orchestra previously consisted of 27 musicians and now will include just 14.

May 17 has long held near-sacrosanct status in and around London theatreland. That's the date earmarked for a return to live performance, albeit to limited audiences, with a further diary entry worth marking of June 21 (the summer solstice no less) when all restrictions on social contacts will be removed and playhouses may - one stresses the word may - be allowed to return to something resembling pre-pandemic capacity.

The criteria are that these shows have been nominated for Best Musical from the 3rd Tony Awards (the ceremony that started the Best Musical category) in 1949 to the nominations of what will now be the 74th Tony Awards in 2021. I will be determining their signs based upon their Broadway premiere date. With those rules in mind, here we go!

March is the month in which both Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim celebrate their birthdays and on the same date (March 22), albeit 18 years apart. To mark the occasion, we are givng over four weeks to honour some of their finest moments on the London stage, taking each composer in turn to fete five memorable productions and then five outstanding performances. And so, below are five Lloyd Webber stagings that I shall long remember, several of which (COVID permitting) may be back amongst us in due course.

This week's Theater Stories features The Minskoff Theatre! Learn about the stars to have graced the Minskoff stage, including Debbie Reynolds, Debbie Allen, Bette Midler, Glenn Close & more; the theater's longest-running show, The Lion King, and much more!

On this day in 2013, producer Cameron Mackintosh, original star Sarah Brightman, and director Hal Prince accepted a Proclamation from the city of New York naming January 26 The Phantom Of The Opera Day! 

In honor of the 34th birthday of The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber caught up with original Phantom Michael Crawford for a video chat conversation!

On Friday August 28, 2020, the Ed Mirvish Theatre will celebrate its 100th year. This storied venue opened exactly a century ago as the Pantages Theatre.

150 days since the last performance of The Phantom of the Opera in the West End, the most recent actor to play Christine has said it came as a massive shock when the cast, crew and orchestra were released from their contracts with the news that the show would be overhauled with a new version of the original production.

While theaters across the country have been closed due to coronavirus, musical fans can find comfort in listening to their cast recordings. We've gathered the Top 10 Cast Albums on the Billboard chart, so that you can learn more about each album and more importantly- jam out to them all!

In this time of social distancing and remaining responsibly indoors, we are all looking for ways to brighten our days and get moving any way we can! In the spirit of celebrating theater and providing motivation to get up and get shakin', we're taking a look back and paying tribute to some of the greatest dance numbers in musical theater history!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 101 greatest scenes in cinema from 1901 to 2020. See if your favorite movie moments made the list!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best musical theatre characters from 1940-2020; see if your favorites are on our list of the best characters from Broadway musicals.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Shows Must Go On! continues this week with The Phantom of the Opera this Friday Aprl 17 at 7pm GMT!

Andrew Lloyd Webber has been bringing beautiful music to us all from his home during these times of social distancing. 

How do we make a list of the 101 greatest show tunes from the past 100 years? Well, we did the near-impossible task.  Check out our full list here! 

Visit our list of the best musicals & shows you can watch from home! We've got you covered with all the must-sees on streaming sites including Tony-award winners, favorite stars and top performances.

Broadway star Howard McGillin brings his 'Never Been Younger' cabaret to Club Helsinki Hudson on Sunday, April 26, at 7pm, as part of the Helsinki on Broadway series presented by Showstoppers NY in association with Gary DiMauro. The two-time Tony Award nominee is best known for his record-setting run playing the title role in 'The Phantom of the Opera.'

The North American tour of Phantom of the Opera has made its way across the country with stops in Dallas, Cleveland, Denver and more!

BroadwayWorld has learned that Spectra Musique will present a concert version in French of the musical THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in Montreal. In a staging by Etienne Cousineau, 20 singers and an orchestra of 40 musicians will share the stage to give life to the characters inspired by the famous novel by Gaston Leroux and the musical work of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

On October 23 the Lied Center for Performing Arts will be filled to the magnificent chandelier with glorious sets, costumes, music, and 52 cast members and musicians, making this one of the largest touring productions. Derrick Davis, the first African American Phantom on national tour, is an artist who has realized his dream from childhood.