The Phantom of the Opera by Lloyd Webber, pen 22 grd 2023, Nuo (2023/2023), Režisierius Federico Bellone, Dirigentas Julio Awad, Salle Garnier, Monaco, Monaco

If we look at the worldwide success of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, we might well ask ourselves why this musical, almost an opera, has never been performed in France. After more than 35 triumphant years and 140 million spectators, the time has come to put this right. Whose blood has never run cold when reading when reading Gaston Leroux’s novel and his phantom, madly in love with Christine but who, when scorned, brings the chandelier crashing down on the audi-ence at the Palais Garnier? French readers were the first to develop a passion for this tale full of mystery and dramatic turns of events. Hollywood then undertook to popularise it with many film adaptations. In the early 1980s, Andrew Lloyd Webber began to reflect upon this myth and adapted it for the stage. He wrote the score and the unforgettable songs that demand an extensive vocal range and agility, reminding us of the musical language of opera. The Opéra de Monte-Carlo, the only theatre designed by Charles Garnier, apart from the famous one in Paris where the action takes place, is delighted to host this new pro-duction of Phantom for a run of performances during the holiday season.