The recording of the original London cast was later certified as “four times Platinum” in the USA, selling almost five million copies worldwide. Finally, Richard Stilgoe crafted most of the original lyrics, which were later re-written by Charles Hart. Alan Jay Lerner was next in line, but he had to withdraw owing to bad health.

Jim Steinman was first approached but declined due to other commitments. This supplied the initial inspiration to create a modern version. In 1984, Lloyd Webber was aiming to craft a romantic piece and stumbled upon a second-hand copy of Gaston Leroux’s original book. The music is inspired partly by Ken Hill’s musical interpretation of the same novel and maintains the structure and form of a traditional musical throughout.

It premiered in 1986 at the West End Theatre in London. The central storyline narrates the tale of Christine Daaé, a gorgeous soprano who gets entangled in the fixation of a scarred and mysterious intellectual known as the Phantom. The musical is based on Gaston Leroux’s French novel from 1910 that shares the same title. The music is composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, while Charles Hart crafted the lyrics. “The Phantom of the Opera” is considered to be one of the most successful musicals of all time.

Notes phantom of the opera lyrics