The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The musical opened in London's West End in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Michael Crawford (in the title role) won the Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical. It is the longest running show in Broadway history by a wide margin, and celebrated its 10,000th Broadway performance on 11 February 2012, the first production ever to do so. It is the second longest-running West End musical, after "Les Misérables", and the third longest-running West End show overall, after "The Mousetrap".
John A. Coleman Catholic High School
In the fall of 2010, John A. Coleman was among the first high schools in the country to be given the rights to perform the musical, The Phantom of the Opera, in its entirety. This accomplishment was so significant that it received international coverage in BroadwayWorld.com. The Broadway company of "Phantom of the Opera" took an interest in the Coleman production and invited the cast to see the Broadway show as their guests. After the show the student-actors were invited into the stars dressing rooms to meet and discuss the show. The Coleman student-actors were then taken on a tour of set, the backstage, and technical workings of the Majestic Theater. The spring 2011 Coleman production of "The Secret Garden" also attracted the attention of the Broadway community; the Coleman cast traveled to New York City where it met and sang from the show for original Broadway cast members.