Original production of The Phantom of the Opera WILL return to the West End

Photo credit: Broadway

We all heard the bad news earlier this week, but it appears the music of the night isn’t over just yet! Despite news of its closure, it has now been confirmed that The Phantom of the Opera will eventually return to the West End. 

The Phantom of the Opera has been running in London since 1986, making it one of the West End’s longest running shows. Over the course of its history, the musical has earned £6 billion across the world but unfortunately Her Majesty’s Theatre now stands empty due to Covid-19. The only place you can see the musical today is in Seoul, in one of the world’s only major productions that is still welcoming audiences. 

Over the past few days, the fate of Phantom has become a little confusing. Cameron Mackintosh claimed that the show had permanently closed, whilst Andrew Lloyd Webber tweeted that it would reopen as soon as possible. However, today co-producer Jessica Koravos claimed that the original production would return in its original form. 

Koravos, who is President of Really Useful Group, said that an extended closure is urgently needed to repair both the theatre and the show itself. She also confirmed that no major changes will be made to the production and that the musical would retain the work of Hal Prince and Maria Bjornson. But until it’s safe to perform, the auditorium will remain dark.