“Phantom” certainly hasn’t been without its own crisis moments. “Here we are, putting up a musical that cost millions of pounds, and the entire review is two words.” “That was it, “ Lloyd Webber said, still perplexed after all these years. And the first review, in the prestigious Times, simply read: “Masked Balls.” Even after blockbuster hits like “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Cats” and “Evita,” he was used to critical snipes. The composer, in spite of a blockbuster pre-sale due to massive hype, felt his musical was doomed. “Phantom’s” opening night on London’s West End wasn’t the most comfortable for Lloyd Webber. Co-starring are Ali Ewoldt as Christine Daaé (the first Asian-American actress in the role) and Rodney Ingram as Vicomte de Chagny Raoul. Returning to the cast for the 30 th Anniversary performances (through March 31) is platinum-selling Swedish recording artist Peter Jöback, who also donned the mask on the West End. There have been 15 actors in the title role. Four years earlier, the show, based on Gaston Leroux’s “Le Fantôme de L’Opéra,” premiered on London’s West End. Sixteen years ago, “Phantom” became the longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassing the 7,485 performances of the composer’s “now-and-forever” classic, “Cats.” The Tony-winning Best Musical, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and his book with Lloyd Webber, has played to 18 million at the Majestic Theatre, where it opened in 1988 with a then-record advance of $18 million. 26) and 12,500 performances (including 16 previews) and continuing as Broadway’s longest-running show. 24, will celebrate Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” hitting 30 years (technically on Jan.
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