ABSTRACT
It took eighteen years for Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera to make the journey from stage to screen. Opening in London in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988, the show became one of the most successful musicals of all time, with dozens of foreign productions and tours, a chart-topping original cast recording, and a record-breaking Broadway run. In fact, Phantom is not only the longest-running Broadway musical, it can't be passed for many years to come, as its original 1988 production is still running. Lloyd Webber broke his own record (set by Cats), and the revival of Chicago and the original production of The Lion King are eight and nine years behind, respectively. The Broadway production shows no signs of closing; it has become a New York institution.
