Are You a Phan of Phantom of the Opera?

Andrew Lloyd Weber composed Phantom of the Opera. The musical went on to be a Tony winner.

The Phantom of the Opera is a book written by Gaston Leroux. Weber found a copy of it in a bookstore in 1984. The novel was originally poorly received​.

In the musical version, the Phantom does not have a name. In the original book his name was Erik.

Phantom opened in London before heading to Broadway. The original features a white horse and real doves, which were later cut.

Phantom is one of the most successful pieces of entertainment of all time. It has been performed both on stage and film.

Phantom has grossed at least $6 billion worldwide. It has been seen by over 140 million people.

Phantom has been performed in 35 countries around the world. It has also been performed in several different languages.

It has made more money than any film or stage play. It even beat out E.T.!

There are 130 cast, crew, and orchestra members in Phantom. There are also 230 costumes!

In 1925, Phantom was made into a black and white silent film. The movie starred Lon Chaney.

The Opera Populaire is based on the Opera Garnier. This famous opera house sits in Paris.

The Phantom in the book is deformed from head to foot. He also has yellow beady eyes, like a cat.

Gerard Butler was the only pretty Phantom in history. Let's be honest, he was downright fetching.

The Phantom only has half a mask so that he can sing and be heard. They found it too difficult to have him in a full mask.

Hal Prince was the original director of Phantom. He was briefly fired and then rehired. He would win the Tony for best direction.

Phantom became the longest running show in Broadway history in 2006. It even surpassed Cats!

The Phantom wears two different contact lenses. One is blue and the other is clouded.

It only takes 30 minutes to apply the Phantom's makeup. Initially, it took 4 hours.

Phantom is performed regularly in 15 different languages across the globe. This includes Japanese, Estonian, and Swedish.

It has been performed in London for about 30 years There have been over 12,000 performances at Her Majesty's Theater.

The Phantom's lair is based off a real place! At the Opera Garnier, there are real caves below, and even a lake.

In 1896, a real chandelier fell at the Opera Garnier. This was the inspiration for the Phantom of the Opera book.

The Phantom's facial prosthetics are shipped in from London. Sometimes, they get stuck to Christine when they kiss.

There are 281 candles in one performance of Phantom. There are also 230 costumes and 22 scene changes.

James Barbour is the current Phantom. He has also played the Beast in Beauty and the Beast.

They use mannequins in the Masquerade scene in order to make the crowd look bigger. These mannequins do not get paid.

There are 10 fog machines used for each performance. 500 pounds of dry ice are also used.

Phantom has won over 70 major awards. This includes Tonys, Olivier awards, and Drama Desk awards.

Yes, the Phantom had a sequel! It was called Love Never Dies and it was performed in 2010.

It took 4 weeks to build the original chandelier. It also took 5 people to do it.

The original Broadway production cost $8 million. This was a record at the time.

Webber was too nervous to attend the premiere of Phantom. He was brought back to the theater for the curtain call.

Phantom has been parodied a lot! This includes South Park, the Simpsons, and Family Guy.

There are a whopping 6,000 beads on the chandelier. That is 35 beads per string. It weighs one ton.

There have been 15 actors who have played the Phantom on Broadway. The original was Michael Crawford.