The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart. Richard Stilgoe and Lloyd Webber wrote the musical's book together. Stilgoe also provided additional lyrics. Based on the eponymous French novel by Gaston Leroux, its central plot revolves around a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House. The musical opened in London's West End in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988. It won the 1986 Olivier Award
The Red Shoes (musical) as well as George de la Peña, and Leslie Browne in supporting roles. The musical received "uniform, stake-in-the-heart" negative reviews, and lost nearly $8 million. John Simon, reviewing for "New York" magazine wrote that there were two good things about the musical; one was Margaret Illmann, who was a "marvellous dancer", although she could not sing. The other was the scenery of Heidi Landesman, who designed "inspired re-creations of known locales or inventions of unknown ones." Simon also noted that the "Red Shoes Ballet" "was still fun; it was here that Jule Styne's music, surprisingly, came to life and Lubovitch's