As Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera marks a landmark 40th anniversary at its original West End home, here’s everything you need to know about one of the most beloved and spectacular musicals ever staged: from its haunting story and iconic score to its star-studded birthday-season cast.
Four decades on from the night a chandelier first swung over the stalls of His Majesty’s Theatre, The Phantom of the Opera remains one of the most spectacular and enduring musicals in the world.
Now celebrating its landmark 40th anniversary in 2026, Cameron Mackintosh‘s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s masterpiece continues to play in its original London home. Whether you’re returning to the music of the night or discovering it for the very first time, here’s everything you need to know.
View live availability for The Phantom of the Opera here
Key dates and venue
- Theatre: His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QL
- Booking: Now booking into 2027
- 40th anniversary performance: 9 October 2026
What is The Phantom of the Opera about?
Deep beneath the Paris Opera House lurks a mysterious masked figure, a brilliant but disfigured musical genius known only as the Phantom. When a young soprano, Christine Daaé, is plucked from the chorus to replace the company’s temperamental prima donna, the Phantom becomes obsessed, determined to make her the star of the opera and the object of his love.
As Christine is torn between her shadowy, all-consuming mentor and her childhood sweetheart Raoul, a tale of love, jealousy and obsession unfolds against the sumptuous backdrop of nineteenth-century Paris. The Phantom will stop at nothing to possess Christine’s heart and voice, and as his demands grow ever more dangerous, tragedy edges closer.
Romantic, thrilling and ultimately heartbreaking, The Phantom of the Opera is a gothic love story of extraordinary emotional power, staged with some of the most bombastic spectacle in theatre history.
The history of The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera opened at His Majesty’s Theatre (then Her Majesty’s) on 9 October 1986, directed by Harold Prince and starring Michael Crawford as the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine.
It was an immediate sensation and has never closed, making it the second-longest-running musical in West End history, surpassed only by Cameron Mackintosh’s other great phenomenon, Les Misérables.
Its success has been truly global. Since 1986, the show has played to over 160 million people in 217 cities across 52 territories and 23 languages, winning more than 70 major theatre awards including the Olivier Award for Best New Musical and, following its 1988 Broadway premiere, seven Tony Awards.
The Broadway production ran for an astonishing 35 years, becoming the longest-running show in Broadway history before closing in 2023.
Based on the 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by French writer Gaston Leroux: itself inspired by real events and rumours surrounding the Paris Opera House, the musical has become a cultural touchstone, its imagery and music recognised the world over.
Who is in The Phantom of the Opera?
For its 40th anniversary season, the production is led by a star-studded international cast:
- The Phantom: Jordan Donica (from 8 September 2026): the Broadway star making his West End debut in the title role
- Christine Daaé: Beatrice Penny-Touré reprising her acclaimed performance
- Raoul: Rhys Whitfield returning to the production
- Carlotta: Sierra Boggess one of the show’s most celebrated Christines, returning as the prima donna
- Monsieur André: Joseph Millson
- Monsieur Firmin: Ian Pirie
- Madame Giry: Joanna Riding
- Ubaldo Piangi: Matt Bateman
- Meg Giry: Millie Lyon
During certain performances, the role of Christine is played by Colleen Rose Curran.
The anniversary casting has been a particular talking point thanks to the return of Sierra Boggess. One of Broadway’s great leading ladies and among the most beloved Christines in the show’s history, she first played the role in the 2006 Las Vegas production, originated Christine in Lloyd Webber’s sequel Love Never Dies in 2010 (earning an Olivier nomination), and starred in the celebrated 25th anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
Now she returns to the show that defined her career as the comic prima donna Carlotta. Leading man Jordan Donica, meanwhile, brings his own Phantom pedigree, having twice played Raoul on Broadway before taking on the title role.
The creators
- Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Lyrics: Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe
- Book: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe
- Original Director: Harold Prince
- Producer: Cameron Mackintosh
The Phantom of the Opera is the work of the two most successful figures in modern musical theatre. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber: the man behind Cats, Evita, Sunset Boulevard and Starlight Express, created its lush, romantic, instantly recognisable score, while producer Cameron Mackintosh, who also produced Les Misérables, Miss Saigon and Hamilton in the West End, brought it to the stage.
The original production was shaped by the legendary Broadway director Harold Prince, with iconic designs by Maria Björnson that remain central to the production to this day.
The score
The Phantom of the Opera boasts one of the most famous and enduring scores in all of musical theatre. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sweeping, romantic music has become synonymous with the West End itself, and the show’s songs are known and loved around the world.
Highlights include the thunderous title song, the sublime The Music of the Night, the soaring duet All I Ask of You, the show-stopping ensemble number Masquerade, and the achingly beautiful Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.
Performed by a large cast and full orchestra, and staged with lavish period spectacle, the score is a huge part of why the show has endured for four decades and why, as producer Cameron Mackintosh notes, it is now being “excitedly discovered by new generations.“
Why The Phantom of the Opera matters
Forty years after it opened, The Phantom of the Opera remains a benchmark for what large-scale musical theatre can achieve.
The show helped define the era of the “mega-musical” in the 1980s, pairing an emotionally direct, opera-influenced score with staging of unprecedented ambition, and its influence on everything that followed is impossible to overstate.
But the Phantom’s longevity comes down to something simpler: it is a gloriously satisfying night at the theatre. Romantic, thrilling and spectacular, it continues to draw audiences of all ages, and the recent surge of interest from younger fans discovering Lloyd Webber’s score has given the show a striking new lease of life.
To see it in its original home, at the theatre where it began four decades ago, is to experience a genuine piece of theatrical history.
What to expect on the night
Expect grand romance, gothic drama and some of the most famous spectacle in theatre: including the celebrated chandelier and the atmospheric journey to the Phantom’s subterranean lair.
This is lavish, large-scale musical theatre with a full orchestra, sumptuous period design and a sweeping score, building to a genuinely moving and dramatic finale.
- Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes, including one 20-minute interval
- Age guidance: Recommended for ages 8+. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult (18+). Under-4s will not be admitted.
- Content notes: Contains some scenes that may frighten very young children, along with atmospheric effects including haze, smoke and pyrotechnics
Is The Phantom of the Opera worth seeing?
Without a doubt. Few shows offer this combination of soaring romance, unforgettable music and sheer theatrical spectacle, and its status as one of the longest-running and most-loved musicals in history is thoroughly deserved.
The 40th anniversary season adds real occasion, with a stellar cast: Jordan Donica’s title debut, Beatrice Penny-Touré’s Christine and the much-loved Sierra Boggess returning as Carlotta, and the chance to see the show in the very theatre where it began in 1986.
Whether it’s your first visit or your fiftieth, this is essential West End viewing, and the anniversary year makes 2026 a special time to go.
Book tickets to The Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theatre here
Plan your visit
- Theatre: His Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QL
- Booking: Now booking into 2027 (40th anniversary performance 9 October 2026)
- Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes (including interval)
- Age guidance: Recommended 8+ (under-16s must be accompanied by an adult; under-4s not admitted)
- Getting there: Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines) and Charing Cross (Northern and Bakerloo lines) are both a short walk away
His Majesty's Theatre, London
Related News
Cats Reviews: Drew McOnie’s Regent’s Park revival casts a magical spell
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS brings the Jellicle Ball to Regent’s Park: see the brand-new production images now
Full casting announced for upcoming CATS UK tour, following Regent’s Park Open Air run
Everything you need to know about Les Misérables, the West End’s longest running musical
Latest News
Broadway legend Patti LuPone returns to the London Coliseum for Valentine’s Day 2027
Helen of Troy never got to tell her side. Watch the trailer for the play that does
After a sell-out world tour, The Choir of Man returns to the West End this Christmas
