Blast - 20 years of “Phantom”

Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway — the longest running show in history.

The longest-running show in Broadway history opened on this day in 1988 — “The Phantom of the Opera.” Adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber from the classic French novel by Gaston Leroux, the musical tells the story of the tortured soul who haunts the Paris Opera House, and his love for one of its young singers.

A runaway success, Phantom of the Opera is in production at many places around the world on a continual basis. In 2006, it became the longest-running show in Broadway history. Each year on Broadway, there are nearly 40 new productions. These and long-running shows draw almost 12 million people each year into theaters along the Great White Way.

Material from the US Census Bureau was used in this report.

Blast is The Online Magazine

In Entertainment, Theater on January 26, 2008 at 13:59