Theater News

Hugh Panaro, Sara Jean Ford to Join Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera on September 7

Hugh Panaro in
The Phantom of the Opera
(© Joan Marcus)
Hugh Panaro in
The Phantom of the Opera
(© Joan Marcus)

Hugh Panaro and Sara Jean Ford will return to Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera, playing at the Majestic Theatre, on September 7. The performers succeed John Cudia and Jennifer Hope Wills, respectively, who will play their final performances on September 4.

Panaro, who will play the title role, has played both the Phantom and Raoul in the Broadway production, playing the latter role over 1,000 times. Among his other Broadway credits are Lestat, Side Show, Showboat, The Red Shoes, and Les Misérables.

Ford, who will play Christine, was first seen in the Broadway production of Phantom in early 2007 playing the role of the Mirror Bride and covering the role of Christine. Later that year she began playing Christine on the national tour, playing it for nearly a year.

The company also features Ryan Silverman (Raoul), George Lee Andrews (Monsieur André), David Cryer (Monsieur Firmin), Patricia Phillips (Carlotta), Cristin J. Hubbard (Madame Giry), Evan Harrington (Piangi) and Heather McFadden (Meg Giry). At certain performances, Marni Raab plays Christine.

Based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de L’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, the show features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe), and book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It has production design by the late Maria Björnson, lighting by Andrew Bridge, and sound by Martin Levan. Direction is by Harold Prince and musical staging and choreography is by Gillian Lynne. Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

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