The Phantom of the Opera is returning to New York in an immersive production.
The show, entitled Masquerade, has been teasing its debut for weeks (including having The Phantom walk the red carpet at the Tony Awards) but has now confirmed the show will be led by Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus and released full casting, which includes former Broadway Phantom Hugh Panaro and Kaley Ann Voorhees, a former Christine. The show has set a six-week run of dates, which it calls its “initial celebration,” starting July 31 at a commercial building in midtown Manhattan.
The show is based on the original musical The Phantom of the Opera, which features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and book by Stilgoe and Webber. The production is presented by arrangement with Webber’s The Really Useful Group.
Details about the exact nature of the show are sparse but the production describes the experience saying: “From the highest rooftop to the subterranean lair deep below the Opera Populaire, guests will be invited to experience the music of the night more intimately than ever before.”
Attendees are also required to wear a mask during the show and wear black, white or silver.
The immersive production comes after the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera played its last performance at the Majestic Theatre in April 2023, after a 35-year run on Broadway. At the time, Lloyd Webber hinted that Phantom would return to New York. The London production is still running. Webber was also represented on Broadway this season with the revival of his musical Sunset Blvd., starring Nicole Scherzinger.