Tony-Winning Musical 'The Phantom of the Opera' Won't Be Coming to Australia Until 2022
The music of the night will croon its way into Sydney and Melbourne sometime next year, with the production's 2021 seasons pushed back due to current outbreaks.
Before donning a face covering became a regular part of life for everyone during the pandemic, one of the most famous mask-wearing figures in popular culture was doing it first. And, the fictional character will be doing so again in Australia — but, although The Phantom of the Opera was set to head to Sydney from September this year, and then to Melbourne from November, the famed musical's upcoming dates have been postponed.
Accordingly, the music of the night will still be crooning its way into both cities via to a new season of the acclaimed Tony-winner; however, it'll now happen sometime in 2022 instead. New dates haven't been announced as yet, but Opera Australia, who is staging the production, advised that it had decided to push its shows to next year due to "the uncertainty created by the ongoing restrictions imposed by both the New South Wales and Victorian Governments because of the indefinite COVID-19 lockdowns."
"This has been a really difficult decision for OA and our partners to make and has certainly not been made lightly when so many people will be affected," said Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini. "After making box office history at the Opera House, it was clear that Australians were very excited about this new production of the world's most successful musical, and we'd brought together a fantastic cast of Australian performers, it's heartbreaking to have to postpone."
When it does eventually hit the stage, the current production of The Phantom of the Opera will arrive in Down Under after breaking records in the UK and touring the US for seven years. Australia will become just the third country to witness this take on the tale, in fact. Obviously, all of the familiar songs are part of it, such as 'All I Ask of You', 'Masquerade' and the titular number. You'll also be lapping up Maria Björnson's original costumes, too. But, if you've seen the show before, expect the chandelier to look a little different.
Australian musical theatre performer Josh Piterman is set to play the Phantom, after first wearing the character's mask in London pre-pandemic. He'll be joined by a cast and orchestra of 65 people, which'll make The Phantom of the Opera one of the largest musical productions in Australia.
If you need a refresher on the musical's story, it follows soprano Christine Daaé and the masked musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opera House — and the latter's obsession with the former. Although first turned into a stage musical in the 80s, it's based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel. And yes, you might've seen the 2004 movie, which starred Gerard Butler as the Phantom.
The Phantom of the Opera will tour Australia in 2022. Tickets for current shows will remain valid for the production's new dates, when they're announced. For further information, head to the musical's website.
Top image: Michael Le Poer Trench.
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