Photos: Crawford & Brightman Lead Phantom 25 Curtain CallDate: 3 October 2011The 25th anniversary celebrations of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera came to a spectacular close last night (2 October 2011) at the Royal Albert Hall. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber made a speech, paying particular tribute to the show's late designer Maria Bjornson. He then welcomed onto the stage, already crowded with a 200-strong company of performers and musicians, remaining members of the original creative team and cast, before introducing his own “angel of music”, Sarah Brightman, his soprano muse and then-wife, who originated the role of Christine Daae. Brightman sang the title song, with backing by a quartet of Phantoms – three who've already made their mark on the role, Colm Wilkinson, Antony Warlow and John Owen-Jones, who's currently returned to the role at the West End's Her Majesty's Theatre, as well as young Peter Joback, who will take over there next year. They were joined by the 25th anniversary's star Ramin Karimloo, still wearing his mask, for a rendition of “The Music of the Night”. Original Phantom Michael Crawford received the biggest round of applause and a spontaneous standing ovation on arrival. He was visibly moved by the response, his lip quivering as he waved to the crowds and was embraced by former colleagues.
TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF PHANTOM OF THE OPERA's CURTAIN CALL PHOTOS, Related Content
 Reader Comments
|
Buy Tickets
Free Newsletter
Featured Video Featured Editor's Picks
Follow Us
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
- Theatre Tickets
- Top Shows (View all)
- 1. Les Miserables
- 2. The Book of Mormon
- 3. The Audience
- 4. Wicked
- 5. Matilda the Musical
- 6. War Horse
- 7. We Will Rock You
- 8. The Lion King
- 9. Peter and Alice
- 10. Jersey Boys
- News & Reviews
-
- News
- • X Factor musical titled I Can't Sing!, opens Palladium March 2014
- • Royal Court explores sex, death & Europe this summer
- • Orange Tree stages three-part Middlemarch & Pianist
- • ATG acquires Broadway's largest theatre The Foxwoods, home of Spider-Man
- • Oliver Reed: Wild Thing comes to St James Studio
- • On Golden Pond, Miller & Friel feature in new Salisbury season
- • Donmar stages Nick Payne premiere, Wesker's Roots & Tom Hiddleston in Coriolanus
- • Matilda on Broadway wins five Drama Desk Awards
- • Polka Theatre's Jonathan Lloyd steps down to join Pegasus in Oxford
- View all News »
- Reviews
- Interviews
- • Podcast: Ed Seckerson meets actress & singer Lucy Schaufer
- • Pulitzer winner Ayad Akhtar: Islam is 'ripe territory' for drama
- • Brief Encounter with... Park Theatre's Jez Bond
- • Brief Encounter with... 4000 Miles star Sara Kestelman
- • Exclusive Video: Matilda's Bertie Carvel 'interviews' Tim Minchin at Drama Desk Awards
- • 20 Questions with ... Travels with my Aunt star Jonathan Hyde
- • Brief Encounter with ... Passion Play's Samantha Bond
- • Oliviers: Lee Evans - 'I really wanted to get back into theatre'
- • Brief Encounter with ... Merrily We Roll Along director Maria Friedman
- View all Interviews »
- Photos
- • 1st Night Photos: Kimberley Walsh & Denise Van Outen toast Tointon in Relatively Speaking
- • Show Pics: Tanzi Libre inaugurates new Southwark Playhouse
- • 1st Night Photos: Celia Imrie & Jill Halfpenny celebrate Limbo opening
- • Photos: Thriller becomes Lyric's longest running show
- • Show Pics: Felicity Kendal & Kara Tointon in Relatively Speaking
- • 1st Night Photos: Maureen Lipman joins cast at These Shining Lives opening
- • Photos: Lloyd Webber unveils £4m restoration of Theatre Royal Drury Lane
- • 1st Night Photos: Billie Piper joins John Simm & Simon Russell Beale at Hothouse
- • 1st Night Photos: Bonham Carter & Harman enjoy Passion Play
- View all Photos »
- Gossip
- • West End gets Lucky with Tom Hanks?
- • RSC chef serves up grisly 'Titus Andronicus' pie?
- • This House whips across the Thames for West End transfer?
- • David Hare adapts 'Slumdog Millionaire play' for National?
- • Is Douglas Hodge modelling his Wonka on Wilder?
- • Helen Mirren drums up support for Royal outburst?
- • James Corden on board for Nick Payne's new play at Donmar?
- • Will Tony nominated Kinky Boots stride to West End?
- • Oliviers Goss: Thor star Tom Hiddleston back on stage 'by end of the year?'
- View all Gossip »
- Broadcast
- Regions
-
- Scotland
- • Hairspray (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Matthew Bourne's Highland Fling (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Thriller Live (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Birds of a Feather (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Doctor Fautus (Glasgow)
- • Goodnight Mister Tom (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Slick
- • The 39 Steps (Tour - Glasgow)
- • The Rocky Horror Show (Tour - Glasgow)
- View the Scotland site »
- • Hairspray (Tour - Glasgow)
- North East
- • The Misanthrope (Tour - York)
- • Live Witness (Newcastle)
- • Albert Herring (Leeds)
- • Albert Herring (Leeds)
- • Noises Off (Tour - Sheffield)
- • Dogs Land (Leeds)
- • Bohemian Rhapsody (Tour - Darlington)
- • The Taming of the Shrew (Sheffield)
- • Opera North announce 2013-2014 season
- View the North East site »
- • The Misanthrope (Tour - York)
- North West
- • 10th 24:7 Festival - Plays announced
- • Rutherford & Son (Tour - Liverpool)
- • Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Tour - Liverpool)
- • Carnaby Street (Tour - Manchester)
- • Starsky's Glaser stars in Fiddler on the Roof tour, Lowry - 29 Oct
- • Brief Encounter with ... Bohemian Rhapsody's Nathan James
- • West Side Story Returns to North West
- • Prodijig presents Footstorm (Tour - Salford)
- • My First Cinderella - ENB2 (Tour - Manchester)
- View the North West site »
- Central
- • High Society (Birmingham)
- • Less than Kind (Tour - Oxford)
- • Bicycle Boy (Playhouse Plays Out, Oxford)
- • High Society brings glamour to Birmingham Hippodrome
- • 20 Questions with ... Midnight Tango's Flavia Cacace
- • Sutra (Birmingham)
- • Midnight Tango (Birmingham)
- • Royal Shakespeare Company's Nursery celebrates 50th anniversary
- • WIN Tickets for Little Voice in Coventry
- View the Central site »
- • High Society (Birmingham)
- South East
- • Murder in Play (tour - Stevenage, Gordon Craig Theatre)
- • Matthew Bugg on the past, present and future of Miss Nightingale
- • If Room Enough (High Tide - The Rifle Hall, Halesworth)
- • Chewing Gum Dreams (High Tide - The Cut, Halesworth)
- • Smallholding (High Tide - The Cut, Halesworth)
- • The Kindness of Strangers (Norfolk & Norwich Festival - mobile, Norwich)
- • A Pageant (Colchester, Mercury Theatre)
- • Blackout (Norfolk & Norwich Festival - The Garage, Norwich)
- • North North North (tour - Peterborough, Key Theatre Studio)
- View the South East site »
- • Murder in Play (tour - Stevenage, Gordon Craig Theatre)
- South West
- • Birds of a Feather (Southampton - tour)
- • Yes, Prime Minister (Bristol - tour)
- • Tosca (Bristol)
- • Bigmouth (Plymouth)
- • Ours Was the Fen Country (Bristol)
- • The Incomers (Bristol)
- • Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty (Bristol - tour)
- • High Society (Southampton)
- • Smallholding (Southampton)
- View the South West site »
- • Birds of a Feather (Southampton - tour)
- Scotland
-
- Specialist
-
- Edinburgh Festival
- • Curtain comes down on 2012 EIF, final ticket sales up 9%
- • Awards flurry as Fringe closes, Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Herald Angles & more
- • Edinburgh Guest Blog: Once a monkey, always a monkey
- • Bereavement The Musical
- • Top ten Fringe one-liners revealed by public vote
- • Reanimator The Musical
- • Virginia Ironside: Growing Old Disgracefully
- • Beats
- • Bottleneck
- View the Edinburgh Festival site »
- Off-West End
- Opera
- Year of the Producer
- • Year of the Producer: Emma Stenning on reopening Bristol Old Vic
- • Michael Coveney: Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd
- • Year of the Producer: Clive Conway's Eureka Moment for An Audience With
- • Year of the Producer: The Donmar Warehouse's Kate Pakenham on … Commercial vs subsidised
- • Year of the Producer: Julius Green on … How to close a West End show
- • Year of the Producer Blog: Kate McGrath on co-running Fuel
- • Educating Rita (Tour - Oxford)
- • Year of the Producer: Barbara Broccoli's Eureka Moment for Chariots of Fire
- • Year of the Producer: Chicago's Barry Weissler On ... Celebrity casting & getting your hands dirty
- View the Year of the Producer site »
- Arts Cuts
- • Time Out acquires Whatsonstage.com, plans future brand growth
- • Kent Leaves Tricycle After 27 Years, Cites Funding
- • Photo: Stewart Leads Equity to Downing Street
- • Drastic Cuts for Yorkshire's Red Ladder
- • Sky Unveils Fund for Projects & Emerging Artists
- • Guest Blog: Philanthropy & Emerging Artists
- • Equity Actors Call for Post-Austerity Arts Summit
- • Cuts: Theatres Trust Say Buildings Hardest Hit
- • Boss Blog: Who's Squealing Like a Stuck Pig?
- View the Arts Cuts site »
- Olivier Awards
- • Oliviers: Lee Evans - 'I really wanted to get back into theatre'
- • Full list & Photos: 2013 Olivier Award winners
- • Oliviers Photos: Helen Mirren, Luke Treadaway & more winners celebrate at 2013 Olivier Awards
- • Oliviers Blog: A view from the red carpet & Piazza
- • Ten of the Best: Quotes from the Oliviers acceptance speeches
- • Oliviers: Michael Frayn - 'I don't think I'm going to write anything else'
- • Oliviers Goss: Thor star Tom Hiddleston back on stage 'by end of the year?'
- • Michael Coveney: Olivier big winners and Stratford long runners
- • Glenn Meads: Oliviers 2013 Blog - View from the armchair
- Edinburgh Festival
-
- Press Releases
- News
-
- Theatre Club
Welcome to the Whatsonstage.com Theatre Club
- Top 5 reasons to join from just £30
- 1. Priority booking for hosted Outings
- 2. Member-only Club Nights, with top-price tickets at reduced prices
- 3. Regular free tickets to shows
- 4. Discounts for several bars and restaurants around London
- 5. FREE ticket to a top West End show when you join - currently Monty Python's SPAMALOT
- View all Club benefits | About the Club | Member-only offers | Current free tickets
- Awards
- Forum
-
© Whatsonstage 1996-2013
