Broadway Features and Reviews
Phantom Of The Opera Sequel Bows In London
By Shaina Gopen, Broadway Magazine
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, debuted in 1988 and since then it has broken one record after another. It is the highest-grossing show in Broadway history, grossing over $750 million, the most successful entertainment venture of all time, grossing $5 billion internationally and, after its 18th year, it surpassed Cats as the longest-running show in Broadway. The show ran 14 years before the TKTS ticket booth in Times Squares ever offered a single ticket...and did we mention it won 7 Tony Awards?
The haunting musical, which turned 22 on January 26th, added a new triumph to the list in its birthday month. The epoch show, currently playing at the Majestic Theatre, broke the theater's house record and its own with the best weekly gross in the production's history.
The week ending January 1, 2006, the production grossed $1,374,874.96 for 8 performances. While its extensive run persists, the Tony Award winning musical continues to shine. "Even after more than two decades, Phantom shows no evidence of wear, thanks to successively fine casting," raved veteran critic John Simon of Bloomberg News.
This year, audiences will have an additional Phantom treasure to feed their enthusiasm. Set ten years after the mysterious disappearance of The Phantom" from his Paris haunting ground, Webber's new production, Love Never Dies, will continues the tale of the beloved original.
Ramim Karimloo will be playing The Phantom, a role he already played in The Phantom of the Opera for two years on the London stage. Fans of Joel Schumacher's 2004 movie version of the hit might also recognize Karimloo as Christine's father in the film. Webber tapped Sierra Boggess to play Christine, as he did for Phantom-The Las Vegas Spectacular in 2005. Boggess might be most well known for creating the role of Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid, her Broadway debut.
Previews for Love Never Dies start in London on February 20. The new musical's world premiere opening will takes place in London's Adelphi Theater on March 9, 2010 and will come to New York on November 11, 2010. The album releases on Wednesday, 10 March 2010 and according to its star it will be worth the wait.
On the website for The Really Useful Group (RUG), Webber's international entertainment company, Sierra shares "What Andrew has written for the piece, is some of the most beautiful, passionate and fulfilling music I have ever had the pleasure of singing, and I cannot wait to perform it every night!"
You can catch more about the elusive yet ubiquitous Broadway Phantom right here on Broadway.tv and in Broadway Magazine.
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