Phantom….
Just one word says it all… Phantom.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is now the longest running play in history, spanning over 20 years in London and 19 on Broadway. It also won seven Tony Awards in 1988, including Best Musical.
Based on the novel of the same name by French writer Gaston Leroux, it tells a story of the disfigured white-masked composer who terrorizes the Paris Opera as he falls in love and teaches the beautiful young opera singer.
As the top grossing and most attended play in history, it’s safe to say that 80 million theater goers can’t be wrong.
Webber has composed several other plays, including Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita , as well as owning seven theaters in London including The Palace, Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the London Palladium.
If you enjoy musicals, check out my recent post about The Musical of Musicals, (The Musical), but act soon, it ends June 3rd.
The Phantom of the Opera
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
Washington DC. 20566
Dates and Times - June 20 - August 12 - Nightly excepts Mondays, performances at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays, Sundays, and some Thursdays
Tickets - are available online. $67.00 - $95.00, plus a few discounted seats are available for under $40.
Nearest Metro subway station - Foggy Bottom/George Washington University station (23rd and I St.) - Blue and Orange lines - then a 3-block walk.
There is also a free Kennedy Center shuttle that runs every 15 minutes Monday - Friday from 9:45 a.m.- Midnight, Saturdays 10:00 a.m.- Midnight, and from Noon - Midnight on Sundays.
Parking - limited parking is available at the Kennedy Center for $15.00.
Photo credits: photos courtesy of The Kennedy Center
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2 Comments
I remember the first time that I saw Phantom, and not being terribly familiar with the story. I saw it with a bunch of other women as part of a girls trip, and even the most stoic among us was moved to tears at its ending.
Although I’ve seen it since, and enjoy the music, the impact of that first performance stays with me.
I remember seeing the play in LA and the HUGE chandelier decsending from the ceiling at the opening was simply terrifying!! What a fabulous experience…