Gala announced for The Phantom of the Opera's 30th birthday

A 30th birthday gala performance of The Phantom of the Opera will take place in October this year.

The show celebrates three decades at the same theatre in the West End on 10 October. The gala will be in aid of The Music in Secondary Schools Trust and will feature current members of the company as well as members of the original cast and special guests.

The current cast includes Ben Forster as The Phantom, Celinde Schoenmaker as Christine Daae and Nadim Naaman as Raoul and they will be joined by special guests in a finale.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical originally opened on 9 October 1986 with Michael Crawford in the role of the Phantom alongside Sarah Brightman as Christine.

The Phantom of the Opera 25th anniversary staging at the Royal Albert Hall was broadcast live to cinemas around the world. It became the longest running show in Broadway history on 9 January 2006.

The show has won three Olivier Awards and seven Tonys.

The Phantom of the Opera is booking at Her Majesty's Theatre until 4 March 2017.