The Phantom of the Opera Celebrates 40 Years on the West End
As The Phantom of the Opera marks its 40th anniversary on the West End this month, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterly musical continues to draw audiences seeking an intoxicating theatrical experience.
Origins and Creation of the West End Landmark
When producer Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber first started talking about the project in 1984, it was only ever meant to be a fun producing project. Having liked Ken Hill’s staging at the Stratford East theatre, the pair visited various charity shops before managing to secure a copy of Gaston Leroux’s original novel. They uncovered an eerie, dark narrative centered on a disfigured musical mastermind hiding under the Palais Garnier Parisian opera house who charms soprano Christine Daaé through his musical prowess while wreaking havoc on the performers above.
As Lloyd Webber and Mackintosh dug further into their investigation, they began uncovering the distinct qualities that would define their new Phantom. Their version absolutely wasn’t going to be a gothic horror story in the manner of Lon Chaney’s striking silent movie, nor was it going to be a pastiche. This Phantom was going to be lighter, more beautiful, and a lot more romantic. The score was very much inspired by Sarah Brightman, whom Lloyd Webber was married to at the time. Mackintosh noted that the relationship triggered something special in her, bringing an emotional intensity to the show that had never been there before in any other version.
Creative Elements Clicked on First Preview Night
Despite the eventual triumph of the score, the show only clicked on the first night of previews. Mackintosh described the preceding creative process as a watch running really slowly, until the audience was completely swept into another world on that first preview night. Maria Björnson’s design, Hal Prince’s ability to shape pictures on stage, and Gillian Lynne’s choreography all came together to look and sound as one. The production involved various discarded ideas during early rehearsals, including a white horse to carry the Phantom into his lair and scores of manufactured glowing rats beneath the stage that ultimately proved funny rather than frightening.
Of all my productions, it’s the most beautiful show I’ve ever created, where every individual element contributed to its beauty.
Today, the production remains a pillar of musical theatre, having been revamped and revitalised during the Covid theatre closures while preserving the core elements established more than 40 years ago. Sierra Boggess, playing Carlotta in the 40th-anniversary production, spoke about the lingering spirits of original director Hal Prince and Gillian Lynne. Jordan Donica, starring as the Phantom in the West End, described Lloyd Webber’s music by stating it feels like heaven to me. John Owen-Jones, who has played the Phantom more than anyone else in the West End, reflected on his long-term history with the production, noting that he possesses a picture of himself in full Phantom get-up holding his baby daughter.
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