'The Phantom of the Opera' 40th Anniversary Performance to Open at Blue Square in December

The musical "The Phantom of the Opera" will stage a limited engagement in Seoul this December to mark its 40th anniversary since its world premiere.

Production company S&CO announced on September 1 that the 40th Anniversary Special Season of "The Phantom of the Opera" will open on December 22 at the Woori Bank Hall in Blue Square, Seoul, and run through February 28 next year. This run will be held exclusively in Seoul for approximately two months.

Debuting in London’s West End in 1986, "The Phantom of the Opera" has since achieved global acclaim. To date, the show has been performed in 52 countries and 217 cities, translated into 23 languages, and has drawn a cumulative audience of 160 million people. Following its 1988 Broadway debut, it also became the only work to be performed simultaneously in both the West End and on Broadway for over 30 years.

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the Korean premiere of "The Phantom of the Opera." Since its Korean-language debut in 2001, the show has met audiences in Korea with three productions. The initial run drew 240,000 audience members, the total exceeded 1 million by 2012, and by the 2023 Busan performance, cumulative attendance surpassed 1.5 million.

The stage is set in the 19th-century Paris Opera House, featuring spectacular elements such as the grand chandelier, the labyrinth beneath the underground lake, and the masquerade ball on stage. The scene where the chandelier, weighing nearly 1 ton, crashes down over the audience is considered the show’s signature moment.

The story follows the Phantom, who lives hidden beneath the Paris Opera House, the rise of Christine with his guidance, and the love and conflict involving Raoul, who stands by Christine’s side.

Rainer Fried, who has been associate director for all previous seasons since the Korean premiere, commented, “Each return of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ to Korea seems to set a new milestone. Without the unwavering love and support of Korean audiences, the show’s enduring vitality would not have been possible.”

Shin Dong-won, CEO of S&CO, stated, “‘The Phantom of the Opera’ marks both the dawn of industrialization in Korean musical history and a work that always excites. We are preparing this special engagement, celebrating both the global 40th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the Korean premiere, as a unique experience for Korean audiences to enjoy together.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.