The Phantom of the Opera was the title of a story written by Gaston Leroux. It was first published in serial form by the newspaper Le Gaulois with the first chapter being published on 23rd September 1909. Further chapters were published over the coming months. The book was then published as a novel but sales were poor.
In 1925 the book received fresh attention when Universal Studios made a silent film of the story. In 1929 Universal Studios added sound to the film. In 1962 a new film was made starring Herbert Lom.
In 1984 Andrew Lloyd Webber was looking for a story for a new romantic musical and found The Phantom of the Opera. The show premiered in the West End of London on 9th October 1986 where it received fabulous reviews. The show made its 10,000th performance in 2010 and is still running.
In America the show opened on Broadway in 1988 and made its 10,000th performance in January 2012. The show is still running on Broadway.
A musical film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Phantom’ was released in 2004 and received good reviews.
