During that time - and throughout the shutdown - he was one of theater’s fiercest and most outspokenly frustrated advocates.

The polarizing show was slated to tour in several countries as recently as 2020, though the outing was derailed by COVID-19-related closures.Again, this is uncommon such attention from a composer is more likely to be given to a new show, such as Lloyd Webber’s latest, “Cinderella,” which opened in London this summer after a series of pandemic delays. The show, loosely based on Frederick Forsyth’s 1999 novel “The Phantom of Manhattan,” picks up a decade later and reunites Christine and the Phantom in New York’s Coney Island. In 2010, Webber’s ‘Phantom’ sequel, “ Love Never Dies,” opened in London’s West End, though it was never well-received and has yet to debut on Broadway. While it was generally successful - playing to “millions” of people over six years - the show closed in 2012 after 2,691 performances. The Venetian built the theatre specifically for the show, at a cost of around $40 million. The Venetian resort in Las Vegas opened “ Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular,” in 2006, which featured elaborate special effects and technology, including a giant chandelier that was able to reassemble in midair. Despite its critical acclaim, the song was never added to the stage production, however. The adaptation included a brand-new song written by Webber called “ Learn to Be Lonely,” which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Directed by Joel Schumacher (“Batman Forever,” “Flatliners”) it starred Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum, as the Phantom and Christine, respectively.

The show was adapted for the big screen in 2004 with a film of the same name. With lyrics written by musical theatre giant Andrew Lloyd Webber, ‘Phantom’ has also enjoyed long life off-Broadway. On Broadway alone, the musical has been performed more than 13,500 times and played to more than 19 million people at The Majestic Theatre.

Top 5 phantom of the opera songs