phantom of the opera phantom of the opera lyrics

When the show got the Theatre Royal Stratford East, Sarah Brightman-who created the role of Christine in the Lloyd Webber version-was famously asked to perform the role of Christine in the 1984 cast but she turned it down, leaving the role for the opera singer Christina Collier.Īndrew Lloyd Webber, who at the time was married to Brightman, and Cameron Mackintosh attended a performance of Ken Hill’s Phantom of the Opera at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. In between, the show had two very brief runs at the New Tyne Theatre in Newcastle and the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton - neither of those productions did very well. This updated version of The Phantom of the Opera was produced in a joint production by the Newcastle Playhouse and the Theatre Royal Stratford East, and premiered at the Newcastle Playhouse on 3 April 1984, before shortly moving to the Theatre Royal Stratford East.

By placing them to opera arias by Verdi, Gounod, Offenbach, Mozart, Weber, Donizetti, and Boito, he created a musical that reflected the era in which the original novel was written. Consequently, he discarded the modern score by Ian Armit and wrote original English lyrics that told Leroux’s tale.

This time though, he wanted to add the kind of music that would have been heard at the Opéra Garnier in the late 19th century. In 1984, Hill revived his musical version of The Phantom of the Opera. It differed from the later version of Ken Hill’s musical, in having a modern musical score by Ian Armit (who also worked with Hill on his production of The Curse of the Werewolf) in addition to excerpts from the opera Faust by Charles Gounod. It was directed by John Blackmore, designed by Clare Lyth, with musical direction by Gary Yershon. This first production was produced at The Duke’s Playhouse in Lancaster on 26 July 1976, where it proved to be a hit.

The show started off as a production at Morecambe Pier as the first staged musical version, and then when Hill was working as Director of Productions for the Newcastle Playhouse. Īs Ken Hill rummaged through a used bookstore, he picked up a copy of Leroux's novel and eventually produced it as a stage musical. Hill's musical inspired the multi- Tony Award-winning 1986 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the story. Hill’s Phantom of the Opera was the first musical version of the story by Gaston Leroux and has enjoyed financial success.

Phantom of the opera phantom of the opera lyrics