The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film) was working in the French film industry. Laemmle mentioned to Leroux that he admired the Paris Opera House. Leroux gave Laemmle a copy of his 1910 novel "The Phantom of the Opera". Laemmle read the book in one night and bought the film rights as a vehicle for actor Lon Chaney, Sr.. Production started in late 1924 at Universal Studios. French artist, Ben Caray, whom had worked at the Paris Opera House, was brought in to design the backstage and cellars which Universal could not replicate; and although his English limited, Caray was able to speak clearly with his charcoal
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) where it became the first Broadway musical in history to surpass 10,000 performances on 11 February 2012. On 26 January 2013, the production celebrated its 25th anniversary with its 10,400th performance. It is, by over 3,500 performances, the longest-running show in Broadway history. By November 2016, "Phantom" had been staged over 12,000 times over 28 years. The 30th anniversary was on January 26, 2018- the first Broadway musical to reach this milestone- with the celebration on the 24th, special events all week long and a renunion with the original cast during the curtain call. Critical reviews were mostly positive on