Her Majesty's Theatre:
Where The Phantom of the Opera Opened in 1986

Her Majesty's Theatre is where Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera opened, and the same musical continues its resident run here. The theatre dates back to the early eighteenth century, when it opened with Queen Anne's permission. It has suffered several fires, and the present building was constructed at the end of the nineteenth century. As the name suggests, it has changed its title to reflect the reigning monarch. A place with some history, then.

The 1986 Premiere

Andrew Lloyd Webber, also known for Cats, had already enjoyed major musical successes in the West End and on Broadway by the early 1980s. He went on to adapt Gaston Leroux's novel as The Phantom of the Opera. As composer and co-author of the book, and through his own company's involvement in production and licensing, Lloyd Webber has remained the central creative figure behind the musical.

The Phantom of the Opera won the 1986 Olivier Award for Musical of the Year, while Michael Crawford, who originated the title role, won the award for Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical. Following the success of the original London cast album, the show opened at Broadway's Majestic Theatre on 26 January 1988. Advance ticket sales in New York reached US$18 million, more than twice the production's US$8 million capitalisation. From London, the musical reached listeners through its recording and audiences on Broadway, establishing itself as one of the West End's enduring long runs.

The Theatre's History

The history of the theatre on Haymarket reaches back to the early eighteenth century. The site is considered one of London's oldest in continuous theatrical use, apart from Drury Lane. In 1704, John Vanbrugh and William Congreve obtained Queen Anne's authorisation to form a theatre company. The Queen's Theatre opened the following year.

The theatre on this site went through successive fires and rebuildings. After the fire of 1789, it was rebuilt to a design by Michael Novosielski. In the 1810s, John Nash and George Repton added façades facing Haymarket and Pall Mall, along with the Royal Opera Arcade. The theatre rebuilt after the 1867 fire was itself demolished in the 1890s. The present building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, opened in 1897. LW Theatres' announcement of the name change describes three rebuildings, with changes of name along the way to reflect the reigning monarch.

Seoul, 2012

I first saw The Phantom of the Opera on stage during its visit to Seoul over Christmas in 2012. The production at Blue Square's Samsung Electronics Hall marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1986 London premiere. A special anniversary performance had also taken place at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011, with video from the performance available on YouTube. Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group also put together a separate world tour, and the Seoul engagement was its Korean stop.

London, 2019

I went to see the musical at Her Majesty's Theatre, where it had premiered. The principal company included Tim Howar as the Phantom, Kelly Mathieson and Amy Manford as Christine Daaé, and Jeremy Taylor as Raoul.

Tim Howar works both in musical theatre and as a rock singer. After his performance on 8 December 2018, he temporarily put aside the Phantom's mask to tour with Mike + the Mechanics, for whom he is a lead vocalist. David Thaxton played the Phantom during his absence, and Howar returned to Her Majesty's Theatre on 13 May. Our visit on 1 June came less than three weeks after his return.

At the 14:30 performance I attended on Saturday, 1 June 2019, Tim Howar played the Phantom, Amy Manford played Christine and Danny Whitehead played Raoul. The principal cast listed on the board that day was as follows.

Where

Her Majesty's Theatre, Haymarket, London

Performance

The Phantom of the Opera
1 June 2019, 14:30

Seat

Stalls, left side, Row G, Seat 15

Ticket

£187.49