PhantomoftheOpera Reviews & Ratings
 Phantom of the Opera - See it again & be inspired Of course, the staging makes for splendidly beautiful theatre, The opening remains a marvel of theatrical know-how and timing.
reviewed on 4/1/2010 3:21:58 PM by G. Perman
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The Phantom of the Opera is a highly acclaimed and very popular novel by Gaston Leroux and was adapted into two musicals – one written and adapted by Ken Hill in 1976 and the other by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1986. The story revolves around the obsession of a hideously disfigured Phantom with a talented and naïve singer, Christine.
Ken Hill’s musical adaptation created an atmosphere of mystery, murder and song. It was said to be a return to the original story and treated the Opera Ghost as a spirit that touches everyone who enters the fictional theater. Hill’s adaptation was the first musical version of the novel and was said to have greatly inspired the critically acclaimed version by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The 1986 musical adaptation of the book by Andrew Lloyd Webber is the longest running Broadway musical. Andrew Lloyd Webber composed the music while the lyrics were penned by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. This version focuses more on Christine, the beautiful soprano who became the object of obsession by the Phantom of the Opera.
The version by Andrew Lloyd Webber is the longest-running musical in Broadway and the second-longest running West End production in history which was both a critical and financial success.