Andrew Lloyd Webber in the context of Film score

The Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, pronounced [lə fɑ̃tom də lɔpeʁa]) is a Gothic horror novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierre Lafitte. The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century, and by an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in an 1841 production of Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz. It has been successfully adapted into various stage and film adaptations, most notable of which are the 1925 film depiction featuring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.

Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (French: [ɡastɔ̃ lwi alfʁɛd ləʁu]; 6 May 1868 – 15 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction.

In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, 1910), which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, notably the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. His 1908 novel The Mystery of the Yellow Room is one of the most celebrated locked room mysteries.

Erik (also known as the Phantom of the Opera, commonly referred to as the Phantom) is the titular central character of Gaston Leroux's Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, best known to English speakers as The Phantom of the Opera. The character has been adapted to alternative media several times, including in the 1925 film adaptation starring Lon Chaney, the 1943 remake starring Claude Rains, the 1962 remake starring Herbert Lom and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical.

Diegetic music, also called source music, is music that is part of the fictional world portrayed in a narrative (such as a film, show, play, or video game) and is thus knowingly performed or heard by the characters. This is in contrast to non-diegetic music, which is incidental music or a score that is heard by the viewer but not the characters, or in musical theater, when characters are singing in a manner that they would not do in a realistic setting.

The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five Honorees in the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C. While the awards are primarily given to individuals, they have occasionally been given to duos or musical groups, as well as to one Broadway musical, one television show, and one performing arts venue.

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe. Based on the 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux, it tells the tragic story of beautiful soprano Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious and disfigured musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opera House.

The musical opened in London's West End in 1986 and on Broadway in New York in 1988, in a production directed by Harold Prince and starring English classical soprano Sarah Brightman (Lloyd Webber's then-wife) as Christine Daaé, screen and stage star Michael Crawford as the Phantom, and international stage performer Steve Barton as Raoul. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical, with Crawford winning the Olivier and Tony for Best Actor in a Musical. A film adaptation, directed by Joel Schumacher, was released in 2004.

Jesus Christ Superstar is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospel accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with much of the plot centred on Judas, who is dissatisfied with how Jesus steers his disciples. Contemporary attitudes, sensibilities, and slang pervade the rock opera's lyrics, and ironic allusions to modern life are scattered throughout the depiction of political events; stage and film productions accordingly contain many intentional anachronisms.

Initially unable to get backing for a stage production, the composers released the score as a 1970 concept album, an immediate success which led to its Broadway stage debut in 1971. By 1980, the musical had grossed more than $237 million worldwide. Running over eight years in London between 1972 and 1980, the show held the record for longest-running West End musical until 1989 (overtaken by Cats).

Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known for playing bold, resilient women in musical theater, she has received numerous accolades, including three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and two Grammy Awards. She was inducted to the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2006.

She made her Broadway debut in Three Sisters in 1973. She went on to receive three Tony Awards: two for Best Actress in a Musical for her roles as Eva Perón in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita (1980), and Rose in Gypsy (2008) and one for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for playing Joanne in the Stephen Sondheim revival Company (2022). She was Tony-nominated for The Robber Bridegroom (1975), Anything Goes (1988), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2006), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2010), and War Paint (2017).

"As If We Never Said Goodbye" is a show tune from the musical Sunset Boulevard. It was written by Don Black, Christopher Hampton (with additional lyrics by Amy Powers), and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Ben Rimalower on Playbill calls it Andrew Lloyd Webber's greatest song.

In Sunset Boulevard, the main character, Norma Desmond, reveals her longing to return to the spotlight of fame.

His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at the theatre. In the early decades of the 20th century Tree produced spectacular productions of Shakespeare and other classical works, and the theatre hosted premieres by such playwrights as Bernard Shaw, J. M. Synge and, later, Noël Coward and J. B. Priestley. Since the First World War the wide stage has made the theatre suitable for large-scale musical productions, and His Majesty's has accordingly specialised in hosting musicals. It has been home to record-setting musical theatre runs such as the First World War hit Chu Chin Chow and Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, which has run at His Majesty's since 1986, except during the COVID-19 pandemic theatre closures.

The first theatre on the site was established in 1705 by the architect and playwright John Vanbrugh as the Queen's Theatre. Legitimate drama unaccompanied by music was prohibited by law in all but the two London patent theatres, and the theatre quickly became an opera house. Between 1711 and 1739 more than 25 operas by George Frideric Handel premiered here. The theatre burnt down in 1789, and a new theatre was completed in 1791. Some of Joseph Haydn's series of concerts in London took place at the theatre in the 1790s. In the early 19th century the theatre was home to an opera company (which moved to the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, in 1847) presenting the first London performances of Mozart's La clemenza di Tito, Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni. It also hosted the ballet of Her Majesty's Theatre in the mid-19th century, before returning to opera with the London premieres of such works as Bizet's Carmen and Wagner's Ring cycle. A third building was constructed in 1868.

Sir Richard Henry Simpson Stilgoe OBE DL (born 28 March 1943) is a British songwriter, lyricist and musician, and broadcaster who is best known for his humorous songs and frequent television appearances. His output includes collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Peter Skellern. He is also a keen puzzler who has hosted several quiz shows and written several books on the subject.

In the 1980s, he founded the Alchemy Foundation which is funded from his royalties from the American productions of Starlight Express and The Phantom of the Opera. He is patron of the Surrey Care Trust in Woking. In the late 1990s he founded the Orpheus Centre which offers performing arts experiences to young people with disabilities. In 2012, Stilgoe was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his extensive charity work.

Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress.

Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made her West End musical theatre debut in Cats and met composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom she later married. She went on to star in several West End and Broadway musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera, where she originated the role of Christine Daaé. Her original London cast album of Phantom was released in CD format in 1987 and sold 40 million copies worldwide, making it the biggest-selling cast album ever.

Steven Neal Barton (June 26, 1954 – July 21, 2001) was an American actor, singer, dancer, teacher, choreographer, and stage director. He worked internationally in the United States, London, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. He is most well known for originating the role of Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny in the West End and Broadway productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, and later taking over the title role of The Phantom of the Opera in the Broadway production. He also originated the starring role of Graf von Krolock in Dance of the Vampires.

The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 musical romantic drama film based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same name, which in turn is based on Gaston Leroux's novel, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra. Produced and co-written by Lloyd Webber and directed by Joel Schumacher, the film features an ensemble cast consisting of Gerard Butler as the titular character, with Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver, Simon Callow, Ciarán Hinds, Victor McGuire and Jennifer Ellison in supporting roles.

The film was announced in 1989, although production did not start until 2002 due to Lloyd Webber's divorce and Schumacher's busy career. It was shot entirely at Pinewood Studios, with scenery created with miniatures and computer graphics. Rossum, Wilson and Driver had singing experience, but Butler had none and was provided with music lessons prior to filming. The Phantom of the Opera grossed $154.6 million worldwide. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the visuals and acting, particularly the performances of the lead actors, but criticism towards the writing, direction and unnecessary deviations from the source material. Despite its initial reception, the film received several awards and a trio of Oscar nominations, as well as a positive reception from the audience.

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City.

Stephen Sondheim is the artist with the most wins and nominations in the category, winning four of his eight nominations. Following closely behind are Thomas Meehan, Cy Coleman and James Lapine with three wins each. For nominations, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alan Menken, Terrence McNally and Jeanine Tesori follow Sondheim with seven nominations each.

Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita; Chess (with Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA); Aida (with Elton John); and, for Disney, Aladdin (with Alan Menken), The Lion King (with Elton John), and the stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (with Menken). He also wrote lyrics for the Alan Menken musical King David, and for DreamWorks Animation's The Road to El Dorado (with John).

Rice was knighted by Elizabeth II for services to music in 1994. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is a 1999 inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is the 2023 recipient of its Johnny Mercer Award, is a Disney Legend recipient, and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. In addition to his awards in the UK, he is one of twenty-one artists to have won an Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony in the US.