Address: 247 West 44th Street - New York, NY 10036 - Theatre District - North side of 44th Street, west of Broadway almost to 8th Avenue.

Closest subway: 1 to 50th Street. Walk south to West 48th Street, then west towards 8th Avenue.

Seating Capacity: 1,655

Now Playing: The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera:

The Phantom of the Opera is Broadway's longest-running show; 18 years now and counting, with no end in sight. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, and Richard Stilgoe, this is a lavish dramatization of Gaston Leroux's famous novel, which was also the basis for several horror movies. The special effects are particularly thrilling: there's an eerie gondola ride to the Phantom's lair, where giant candelabra rise magically from the depths of the Paris Opera House; and of course there's that famous, spectacular chandelier.

As you probably know, The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of Christine Daae, a young and inexperienced member of the Paris Opera company, and her capture by the mad, lonely, disfigured Phantom who haunts the Opera House. The Phantom engineers her debut as the company's prima donna, and then spirits her away to his lair beneath the theatre and beyond a mysterious lake. There, he reveals his love for her; but Christine is in love with the Opera's wealthy patron Raoul. The battle between Raoul and the Phantom for Christine's love brings the story to its inevitable climax.