While its reputation as the ultimate romantic musical precedes it, watching the show in the #MeToo era throws up for a few uneasy moments.

As he tells her how she's been chosen to perform his work-in-progress opera, she lifts his mask to reveal his gruesomely disfigured face, and this begins a tale of jealousy and control. Taught, it turns out, by the 'Angel of Music', the Phantom whose voice rings around in her head.ĭuring her triumphant performance, an old friend Raoul rekindles his love for Christine, while the Phantom reveals himself to Christine, luring her to his underground lair. During rehearsals for the company's latest offering, an unknown chorus girl, Christine, is forced to thrust into the lead role, with the producers assured she has been taught well. There's no question that it's a complete classic: the story tells of the titular phantom who haunts an opera house, the tales of his presence in the building are now common gossip amongst the casts. The latter has been impressively running non-stop at Her Majesty's Theatre for over 3 decades now, but does Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical still have the same sense of wonder as it did all that time ago. Stop a person on the street and ask them to name a West End musical, they'll probably say one of two things: Les Mis, or The Phantom of the Opera.

Phantom of the opera cast 2018