'The Phantom of the Opera' Celebrates 30 Years in London's West End

(image credit: reallyuseful)

Who knew when Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera' opened at Her Majesty's Theatre in London on October 9th, 1986 (how old were you back then?), that it will remain in the city at the same theatre 30 years later.

The show may outlive the current name of the theatre. When the next male British monarch ascends the throne, the name of the venue will be changed back to His Majesty's Theatre.

From Wikipedia:
The name of the theatre changes with the sex of the monarch. It first became the King's Theatre in 1714 on the accession of George I. It was renamed Her Majesty's Theatre in 1837. Most recently, the theatre was known as His Majesty's Theatre from 1901 to 1952, and it became Her Majesty's on the accession of Elizabeth II. The theatre's capacity is 1,216 seats, and the building was Grade II* listed by English Heritagein 1970. Really Useful Theatres has owned the building since 2000. The land beneath it is on a long-term lease from the Crown Estate.

Click the link below for a 45-minute video of the event posted by Time Out London:
Watch The Epic Finale For Phantom of the Opera's 30th Anniversary Performance.

It includes a look back at the thirty years of Phantom, a conversation with Lloyd Webber & producer Cameron Mackintosh, and performances from the show's past and present stars including Sierra Boggess, Michael Ball, Ben Forster and Michael Crawford. The celebration took place on October 10th, 2016.

Click the link below for pictures of the event from BroadwayWorld.com:
Photo Flash: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Celebrates 30th Anniversary on West End

Ben Forster (present London Phantom), Andrew Lloyd Webber, Michael Crawford and Celine Shoemaker (present Christine Daae) (photo credit: Dan Wooler)