Having been a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera since I was an impressionable (and some would argue misguided) teenager, I was well aware of other musical versions of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel. Long before it became a Broadway record breaker, Phantom had been adapted into melodramas, silent films, matinee thrillers, and even a ballet.
While Sir Webber was developing his Phantom, the creators of the Fellini-inspired Nine were brainstorming ideas for their next project. Composer Maury Yeston and playwright Arthur Kopit chose to adapt Leroux's novel. Unfortunately for them, as they were finishing up their musical they opened up a Variety magazine to discover that Webber's next extravaganza was none other than The Phantom of the Opera.
That put things to a screeching halt for a while, but Kopit and Yeston did not give up. Learn more about the American musical: Phantom.
Photo by Neil Harris courtesy of Canyon Theatre Guild
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