Phantom of the Opera: 15 Things You Didn’t Know

15. Second longest-running West End musical!

Phantom of the Opera is the second longest-running musical in the West End (first place going to Les Misérables). On the other side of the pond, The Phantom of the Opera is the longest-running Broadway show in history, having played for 35 years from 1988 until its closure in 2023.

14. Played to over 160 million people

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera has become a global phenomenon, with productions playing to more than 160 million people across 219 cities, 54 territories and 23 languages, making it one of the most successful and widely produced musicals of all time.

13. The album was the first of its kind to chart at number 1

The original cast recording of the Phantom of the Opera was the first in British musical theatre history to enter the charts at number one. It is still a hugely successful album today with album sales now exceeding 60 million.

12. It’s the biggest box office hit!

Having played around the world in vast productions, and remaining one of the most popular musicals today, it's no surprise that the musical is successful. But did you know the box office revenues are higher than any film or stage play in history? It has an estimated gross of $6 billion!

11. Phantom has played over 15,000 performances in the West End!

Phantom of the Opera opened at the West End’s Her Majesty’s Theatre back in 1986, with an official opening night on 9 October. 

10. Phantom of the Opera is a multi-award-winning musical!

The musical has won over 70 major theatre awards which include 3 Oliver Awards, 7 Tony Awards, an Evening Standard Award, 7 Drama Desk Awards and 5 Outer Critic Circle Awards.

9. The West End has had over 30 Phantoms!

The role of the Phantom is one of the most prolific today and was originated in the West End and Broadway by Michael Crawford and since then the role has been played by various actors including, Martin Smith, Peter Karrie, Dave Willetts, John Owen-Jones, Peter Joback, Simon Bowman, Earl Carpenter, Marcus Lovett, Peter Cousens, Peter Polycarpou, Ben Forster, Ben Lewis, Tim Howar, Geronimo Rauch, Mike Sterling, David Thaxton, Killian Donnelly, Ramin Karimloo and Jordan Donica.

8. It takes 2 hours to become the Phantom!

That is, that it takes 2 hours to put on the Phantom’s makeup. The process includes the face being moisturised, closely shaved, prosthetics fitted and makeup applied after which 2 wigs, 2 radio microphones and 2 contact lenses are put into place.

7. The Phantom mask is custom made!

Each actor who plays the Phantom has a mask made just for them. It is custom made from a mould of their face.

6. There are 230 costumes in each performance

Each performance of Phantom of the Opera has 230 costumes with 14 dressers! There are also 111 wigs that are made of human, yak and synthetic hair.

5. Phantom of the Opera uses 250kg of dry ice for each performance

The musical has 281 candles per performance as well as using 250kg of dry ice combined with 10 fog and smoke machines, to create that haunting atmosphere.

4. The boat doesn’t always work…

Sometimes the boat that takes the Phantom and Christine across the underground lake malfunctions before completing the journey. If this happens then the Phantom will lead Christine the rest of the way on foot.

3. The replica of the Paris Opera House chandelier is made up of 6000 beads!

The chandelier has 35 beads per string. It is 3 metres wide and weighs a whopping one ton. The original version was built by 5 people in 4 weeks.

2. The musical has played in 23 different languages

Phantom of the Opera has been performed in multiple languages, including English, French, German, Japanese, Danish, Polish, Swedish, Castilian, Hungarian, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Mexican, Spanish, Estonian and Russian.

1. Each performance has 120 people directly involved

The musical is a huge feat and there are approximately 120 cast, crew and orchestra members involved directly with each performance.

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