<P> Phantom began previews at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End on 27 September 1986 under the direction of Hal Prince, then opened on 9 October . It was choreographed by Gillian Lynne and the sets were designed by Maria Björnson, with lighting by Andrew Bridge . Michael Crawford starred in the title role with Sarah Brightman as Christine and Steve Barton as Raoul . The production, still playing at Her Majesty's, celebrated its 10,000 th performance on 23 October 2010, with Lloyd Webber and the original Phantom, Michael Crawford, in attendance . It is the second longest - running musical in West End (and world) history behind Les Misérables, and third overall behind The Mousetrap . </P> <P> A 25th - anniversary stage performance was held in London on 1 and 2 October 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall and was screened live in cinemas worldwide . The production was produced by Cameron Mackintosh, directed by Laurence Connor, musical staging & choreography by Gillian Lynne, set design by Matt Kinley, costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, and sound design by Mick Potter . The cast included Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess as Christine, Hadley Fraser as Raoul, Wynne Evans as Piangi, Wendy Ferguson as Carlotta, Barry James as Monsieur Firmin, Gareth Snook as Monsieur Andre, Liz Robertson as Madame Giry, and Daisy Maywood as Meg Giry . Lloyd Webber and several original cast members, including Crawford and Brightman, were in attendance . A DVD and Blu - ray of the performance was released in February 2012, and it began airing in March 2012 on PBS's "Great Performances" television series . </P> <P> In March 2012, a new production directed by Laurence Connor began a UK and Ireland tour to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the show, beginning at the Theatre Royal Plymouth and travelled to Manchester, Bristol, Dublin, Leeds, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, and Southampton . John Owen - Jones and Earl Carpenter alternated as the Phantom with Katie Hall and Olivia Brereton as Christine and Simon Bailey as Raoul . </P> <P> Phantom began Broadway previews at the Majestic Theatre on 9 January 1988 and opened on 26 January . Crawford, Brightman, and Barton reprised their respective roles from the West End . The production continues to play at the Majestic, where it became the first Broadway musical in history to surpass 10,000 performances on 11 February 2012 . On 26 January 2013, the production celebrated its 25th anniversary with its 10,400 th performance . It is, by over 3,500 performances, the longest - running show in Broadway history . By November 2016, Phantom had been staged over 12,000 times over 28 years . The 30th anniversary was on January 26, 2018 with an extra matinee and the regularly scheduled Friday evening performance . The celebration performance was performed on the 24th, with members of the original cast and alumni in attendance along with an invite - only audience . </P>

Who played the young phantom of the opera