Ben Forster will extend his run as âThe Phantomâ until Saturday 2 September in the smash hit Andrew Lloyd Webber musical âTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAâ. Now in its 31st year at Her Majestyâs Theatre in the West End, the show also stars Celinde Schoenmaker as âChristine Daaeâ and Nadim Naaman as âRaoulâ.
They are joined by SiĂ´n Lloyd as âMonsieur Firminâ; Mark Oxtoby as âMonsieur Andreâ; Paul Ettore Tabone as âPiangiâ and Daisy Hulbert as âMegâ. Also continuing their roles are: Lara Martins as âCarlottaâ and Jacinta Mulcahy as âMadame Giryâ and Harriet Jones as alternate âChristine DaaĂŠâ.
Ben Forster is probably best known for winning the ITV1 show, âSuperstarâ – Andrew Lloyd Webberâs TV talent search for âJesusâ in âJesus Christ Superstarâ. His other theatre credits include: âBuddyâ in âElf The Musicalâ and âMagaldiâ in âEvitaâ both at the Dominion Theatre.
Celinde Schoenmaker has played the role of âFantineâ in âLes MisĂŠrablesâ at The Queenâs Theatre, having made her West End debut in 2013. Previously she played âJennyâ in a production of âLove Storyâ which toured Holland.
Nadim Naaman most recently appeared as âCharles Clarkeâ in âTitanicâ at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. His London theatre credits include âAnthony Hopeâ in âSweeney Toddâ at Harringtonâs Pie & Mash Shop; âOne Man, Two Guvnorsâ at The National Theatre and Theatre Royal Haymarket and âThe Sound of Musicâ at the London Palladium.
SiĂ´n Lloyd most recently appeared in âTitanicâ at the Charing Cross Theatre. His other recent theatre credits include: âThe Bodyguardâ on tour; âThe Pajama Gameâ at the Shaftesbury Theatre; âAvenue Qâ at the Noel Coward Theatre and âThe Full Montyâ at the Noel Coward Theatre and UK tour.
Mark Oxtoby most recently appeared in âCharlie and The Chocolate Factoryâ at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. His other theatre credits include: âJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoatâ at the Adelphi Theatre; âA Model Girlâ at the Greenwich Theatre; âBrighton Rockâ at the Almeida Theatre and âOh, What a Lovely War!â at the National Theatre.
Paul Ettore Taboneâs previous theatre credits include âLove Never Diesâ in Melbourne, Sydney and at the Hamburg Stage Operettenhaus. In 2013 Paul was accepted as a âYoung Artistâ in the prestigious Luciano Pavarotti Foundation of Modena; performing with Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli at the Arena in Verona, Italy. He made his professional operatic debut in 2014 in Verdiâs âRigolettoâ at the Opera NaČionalÄ BucureĹti.
Daisy Hulbert made her West End debut in the corps de ballet in âThe Phantom of the Operaâ. Previously as a company member of the National Moravian-Silesian Ballet in the Czech Republic she performed in âThe Nutcrackerâ, âSwan Lakeâ and âSnow Whiteâ.
Lara Martins has appeared in many operas around the world. Her credits include âQueen of the Nightâ in âThe Magic Fluteâ, âSusannaâ in âThe Marriage of Figaroâ and âDespinaâ in âCosi fan Tutteâ.
Jacinta Mulcahyâs previous theatre credits include playing âBaronessâ in the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webberâs and David Ianâs production of âThe Sound of Musicâ. Her other theatre credits include âCosetteâ in âLes MisĂŠrablesâ in the West End.
Harriet Jones returns to âThe Phantom of the Operaâ having made her West End debut as âChristine DaaĂŠâ in 2013. Her opera credits include: âFloraâ in âTurn of the Screwâ at Grimeborn Opera Festival, âZerlinaâ in Woodhouse Operaâs âDon Giovanniâ and Classic FMâs 20th Birthday Celebration concert. She has recently finished filming the role of âThe Queenâ in the new Disney film of âBeauty and the Beast.â
Continuing until 2 September the full cast is: Matt Blaker; Bridget Costello; Maria Coyne; Scott Davies; Hadrian Delacey; Morven Douglas; Ben Forster; Lyndsey Gardiner; Lori Gilchrist; Ryan Goscinski; Philip Griffiths; Hettie Hobbs; Lily Howes; Daisy Hulbert; Ellen Jackson; Harriet Jones; Richard Kent; Tim Laurenti; Adam Robert Lewis; SiĂ´n Lloyd; Lara Martins; Luke McCall; Leo Miles; Fiona Morley; Tim Morgan; Paul Morrissey; Jacinta Mulcahy; Nadim Naaman; Mark Oxtoby; Danielle Pullum; James Roxby-Brown; Celinde Schoenmaker; Tom Sterling; Joanna Strand; Paul Ettore Tabone; Claire Tilling, Charlotte Vaughan; Victoria Ward and Georgia Ware
âTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAâ became the longest running show in Broadway history on 9 January 2006 when it celebrated its 7,486th performance, surpassing the previous record holder âCatsâ. This coincided with the Broadway company and the US national touring company celebrating an unprecedented 20,000 performances in the United States. On 26 January 2013 the Broadway production celebrated an amazing 25 years on Broadway. In October 2011 the London production celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a spectacular staging of âThe Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hallâ which was screened live in cinemas all over the world and subsequently released on DVD and in August 2015 the show celebrated 12,000 performances in the West End. On 9 October 2016 the London production celebrated 30 years in the West End with a very special charity gala performance in aid of The Music in Secondary Schools Trust. To celebrate this milestone, the current stellar cast were joined onstage by members of the original company and special guests for a spectacular finale. Footage from the evening including red carpet arrivals, interviews and the finale itself was streamed live on Facebook, gaining over 1 million views and reaching a global audience of 5 million people.
âTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAâ has won over 70 major theatre awards, including seven Tonyâs on Broadway and three Olivier Awards in the West End. It most recently won the âMagic Radio Audience Awardâ, voted by the public, in the 2016 Laurence Olivier Awards. âTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAâ, which opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on 9 October 1986 starred Michael Crawford as ‘The Phantom’ and Sarah Brightman as ‘Christine.’ It is produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Theatre Company Limited.
âTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAâ became the first stage production to reach worldwide grosses of $6 billion, which it did last summer. Revenues far surpass the worldâs highest-grossing film âAvatarâ (at $2.8 billion), as well as such other blockbusters as âTitanicâ, âThe Lord of the Ringsâ, âJurassic Parkâ and âStar Warsâ. Worldwide, a staggering 140 million people have seen âTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAâ in 35 countries and 160 cities in 15 languages.
âTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERAâ is currently showing in London, New York, Budapest, Stockholm and on tour in the US.
