Following a 19-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera reopened at the Majestic Theatre October 22. Directed by the late Harold Prince, the musical first opened on the Main Stem January 26, 1988, making it the longest-running Broadway production in history.
Based on Gaston Leroux’s horror novel, the musical tells the story of the Phantom, who haunts the stage of the Paris Opera and subsequently falls in love with a beautiful young soprano. The Broadway staging of the London-originated show won seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Returning to lead the cast are Ben Crawford as The Phantom, Meghan Picerno as Christine Daaé, and John Riddle as Raoul, with Bradley Dean as Monsieur André, Craig Bennett as Monsieur Firmin, Raquel Suarez Groen as Carlotta Giudicelli, Maree Johnson as Madame Giry, and Carlton Moe as Ubaldo Piangi. Sara Esty joins the company as Meg Giry.
Also joining the production in her Broadway debut is Emilie Kouatchou, who plays the role of Christine Daaé at certain performances. Kouatchou is the first Black actor to play the role of Christine in the Broadway production. Lucy St. Louis recently became the first Black actor to play the role when she reopened the London production of Phantom as Christine in July.
The ensemble includes Giselle Alvarez, Polly Baird, Janinah Burnett, Xiaoxiao Cao, David Michael Garry, Chris Georgetti, Kelly Jeanne Grant, Katharine Heaton, Satomi Hofmann, Ted Keegan, Kfir, Kelly Loughran, Scott Mikita, Greg Mills, Justin Peck, Patricia Phillips, Richard Poole, Jessica Radetsky, Lindsay Roberts, Janet Saia, Paul A. Schaefer, Carly Blake Sebouhian, Jeremy Stolle, Carrington Vilmont, Jim Weitzer, Elizabeth Welch, and Erica Wong.
The complete Phantom orchestra—Broadway’s largest—also returns, under the continued musical supervision of David Caddick with the musical’s original orchestrations.
The Phantom of the Opera has music by Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe), and a book by Stilgoe and Lloyd Webber. The production also features musical staging and choreography by Gillian Lynne, scenic and costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Andrew Bridge, and sound design by Martin Levan with Caddick as music director. Cameron Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber's The Really Useful Group serve as producers. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team.
