Phantom of the Opera Long-running Cast

Amazon review

Ten years after its premiere, what can we say about Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera? Are you saying it makes you angry because you see and hear it everywhere? Do you think it's a collection of various themes taken from the Italian opera repertoire and stitched together? Or that it's a critic-approved piece of popular entertainment that's probably still playing somewhere in the world as you read this? A megahit that almost surpassed ``Titanic'' in the pop culture pantheon, ``The Phantom'' went on to significantly redefine - for better or for worse - how modern musicals are conceived, staged, and marketed. Its influence extended far beyond traditional venues such as London and Broadway. Case in point: the abbreviated version that featured Los Angeles' longest run was a transvestite revue, complete with 14-inch chandeliers, and the lead role was "a man playing a woman playing a man." (Jerry McCulley, Amazon.co.uk)