The musical first opened at her majesty’s theatre 9th of October in 1986, the leading roles had then been Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Its now on its 36th year running continuing to enrapture the audience with its ground-breaking effects and enchanting music by Andrew Lloyd Webber bring the tragic love story to life. The leads today now belong to Killian Donnelly and Lucy St Louis.

 

Phantom of the Opera portrays the story of a phantom who has been forced to feel ashamed due to his physical appearance hiding beneath the establishment that is the Paris Opera House, haunting the majestic building that it is. However, he holds all his love for Christine Daae and his love for has is too strong to resist no matter how strong she is. 

 

From the very beginning of the show, you are almost witnessing an auction where we learn about the chandelier that looked down upon the opera house while the phantom haunted it. The chandelier is then lit and lifted into the sky lighting up the theatre and transporting us to a dress rehearsal that is taking place at the opera house. We see the urgency and chaos that must go into such production. 

 

The soundtrack, effects, acting, everything, held a constant captivating grasp over the audience throughout the musical. You could see the raw emotions of the characters being portrayed beautifully allowing the audience to connect and feel empathy towards them and allow them to understand and experience their pain and struggles. It’s something to see, to witness such a tragic love story in such a delicate was an enchanting experience.