Based on "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra," a 1911 novel by the French author of detective fiction, Gaston Leroux, and transformed into a musical composed, co-written and produced by Englishman Andrew Lloyd Webber (now Baron Lloyd-Webber), "The Phantom of the Opera" was first produced in London in 1986 and went on to be a huge hit worldwide.
It has been playing on Broadway since it opened in 1988 and holds the record for the longest-running show ever at that mecca of musicals. It's truly a monster-class stage hit.
The sequel to what is unequivocally the strongest musical in history appeared in 2010. Lloyd-Webber himself had spent long years planning the piece and naturally it arrived with plenty of buzz. However, when long-anticipated "Love Never Dies" opened in London, the reviews were not so sweet.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.