"The Phantom of the Opera," one of musical theater's longest-running hits, will arrive in Israel this summer. The critically-acclaimed production will grace the stage at the Tel Aviv Center for the Performing Arts for two weeks starting Aug. 12.
Based on the eponymous novel by French author Gaston Leroux, Phantom's plot centers around a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius living in the subterranean caves beneath the Paris Opera House.
Featuring music by famed British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, the play opened in London's West End in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988 and has been running ever since, making it the longest-running show in Broadway history and the second longest-running West End musical, after Les Misérables.
The musical's worldwide gross currently stands at upward of $5.6 billion. It has so far been seen by over 130 million people in 37 countries and in 60 languages.
Phantom producer Ken Davenport told Israel Hayom he was "very excited" to visit Israel, saying the cast was thrilled to add Tel Aviv to the list of cities where the musical had played.
Davenport noted that "we've been trying to bring the production to Tel Aviv for years. I'm very happy it's finally happening."
