Phantom of the Opera premieres at Her Majesty’s Theatre on London’s West End in 1986. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is the first successful musical made from a classic horror novel and the second longest-running musical in theater history. In London, it runs for nearly 34 years and 13,629 performances before its closure in 2020. The Broadway production at The Majestic Theater begins in 1988 and runs more than 35 years before closing in Feb. 2023. The productions would make Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford stars and win multiple Olivier and Tony awards. The musical adaptation was made into a film in 2004.
This Day in Halloween: The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Phantom of the Opera" premieres at Her Majesty’s Theatre on London’s West End in 1986. / Illustration by CJ Byford
