The Phantom of the Operais amusicalwith music byAndrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics byCharles Hart, additional lyrics byRichard Stilgoeand alibrettoby Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe. Based onthe novel of the same namebyGaston Leroux, it tells the tragic story of beautifulsopranoChristine Daa, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious but disfigured musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath theParis Opra House. The musical opened in London'sWest Endin 1986 and onBroadwayin New York in 1988, in a production directed byHarold Princeand starring English classical sopranoSarah Brightman(Lloyd Webber's then-wife) as Christine Daa, screen and stage starMichael Crawfordas the Phantom, and international stage performerSteve Bartonas Raoul. It won the 1986Olivier Awardand the 1988Tony Awardfor Best Musical, with Crawford winning the Olivier and Tony for Best Actor in a Musical.Afilm adaptation, directed byJoel Schumacher, was released in 2004. The Phantom of the Operawas thelongest running show in Broadway history, and celebrated its 10,000th performance on 11 February 2012, becoming the first Broadway production in history to do so.It is thesecond longest-running West End musical, afterLes Misrables, and the third longest-running West End show overall, afterThe Mousetrap.With total estimated worldwide gross receipts of over$6 billion and total Broadway gross of over $1 billion,The Phantom of the Operawas the most financially successful entertainment event untilThe Lion Kingsurpassed it in 2014.By 2019, it had been seen by over 140 million people in 183 cities across 41 countries.[12] The original West End production atHis Majesty's Theatre, London, ended its run in 2020,its run cut short by theCOVID-19 pandemic.A new production ofPhantomopened in the same theatre in July 2021. The original Broadway production played its final performance on 16 April 2023 16in x 24in LH BIN#2