The Phantom of the Opera (in French, Le Fantôme de l’Opéra) is a French novel by Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialization in Le Gaulois from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910. Some believe it to have been inspired by George du Maurier’s Trilby.
The novel was translated into English in 1911. It has since been adapted many times into film and stage productions, the most notable of which were the 1925 film depiction and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical, starring Michael Crawford as the Phantom, Steve Barton as Raoul, and Sarah Brightman as Christine. The Phantom of the Opera musical is now the longest running Broadway show in history, and the most lucrative entertainment enterprise of all time, its worldwide box office over the past 20 years has outgrossed even the highest grossing film in history, 1997’s Titanic.
Phantom of the Opera tickets