The Phantom of the Opera premiered in Melbourne on the 8th December 1990. Anthony Warlow played the Phantom opposite Marina Prior. Then Rob Guest took over as the Phantom in 1991. The show moved to Sydney after 2.5 years and stayed there until 1996 (when I saw it =). The Australian crew toured around Brisbane, Adelaide and New Zealand before returning to the Princess Theatre in Melbourne in December 1997.
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Newspaper Article- The Age, 7 December 1997 (Picture below- The Phantom of the Opera's return to Melbourne has already produced ticket sales of $5 million. The musical's second season will run for six months)
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| Phantom had its Australian Premiere on 8 December 1990 |
| It played to packed houses for two-and-a-half years, its 1048 performances taking $82 million at the box office. |
| The $12 million musical arrived last week from New Zealand in two chartered jumbo jets. |
| It has grossed $223 million worldwide (?) since opening in London 12 years ago. |
| The 1997 Melbourne production has a cast of 37 ; tickets cost from $32 to $77. |
HANDS up anyone who hasn't seen `The Phantom of the Opera'? Since the first notes of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music rose from the orchestra pit of the Princess Theatre back in December 1990 more than three million people have seen this Australian production.
It played to packed houses for two and a half years in Melbourne, taking $82 million at the box office over 1048 performances.
It seems we are not quite over our infatuation with the `Phantom'. It's back. Last night, seven years later, the tragic, romantic tale of the ghost who haunts the Paris Opera House started its second season in Melbourne. Guests at the glittering opening, again at the Princess Theatre, included State Opposition leader John Brumby, promoters Kenn Brodziak and Paul Dainty, football identity Ron Barassi, socialite Lillian Frank, actor Andrew Daddo and TV presenter Nicky Buckley.
This time, `Phantom of the Opera' will run for a shorter season of six months. Just under $5 million in tickets have already been snapped up. Executive producer John Robertson said we can expect a similar style of show to the original production, such as the glittery masquerade ball, the Phantom rowing an entranced Christine on a gondola through a misty, candle-lit lake, and the chandelier that crashes to the stage each night.
Aside from Rob Guest repeating his performance as the Phantom - he replaced Anthony Warlow in 1991 and has played the part 2000 times - the major change is the cast. Marina Prior starred in 1990 as the Phantom's love, but in the current production Christine is played by a new face, soprano Danielle Everett. And baritone John Bowles, best remembered as a child star on TV's `Young Talent Time', will be heard as Christine's handsome lover, Raoul. Mr Robertson said the elegant 19th century Princess Theatre, restored in the late 1980s by developer David Marriner, had proved the perfect moody surround for `Phantom of the Opera', set in Paris of the 1860s.
But he said it was the romance and mystery of the original Gaston Leroux story - of the hideously disfigured, demented musician hiding in the dungeons of the Paris Opera House - that has kept audiences coming back. "The treatment that it has been given by (original `Phantom' producer) Hal Prince and (composer) Andrew Lloyd Webber, the exquisite design and the romantic music has made it a magical theatrical experience," Mr Robertson said. He said in terms of audience numbers and financial success, `Phantom' was "the most successful musical that's ever been presented in Australia", topping `Les Miserables' and `Cats'.
"The original production ran in Melbourne for two and a half years, and not an unsold seat, which in showbusiness terms today is unusual," he said. Mr Robertson said he fully expected `Phantom' to run its full season, despite the early closure of `Sunset Boulevard' and several other recent musicals in Melbourne.
