Opera Australia in association with The Really Helpful Groupwill present by Cameron Mackintosh spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber The Phantom of the Opera in Sydney and Melbourne.

The highly anticipated production will premiere at Sydney opera starting August 19, marking the first time in the show’s history that he will perform at this iconic venue. It will then switch to Melbourne Arts Center from October 30.

This exciting new production of The The Phantom of the Opera broke box office records at the Opera when tickets went on sale in 2021, and now with just 6 weeks to go until the curtain goes up, Opera Australia has announced that three final shows have been added to the season.

Anticipation is also building across the company with the start of rehearsals today in Sydney. They’ve all waited patiently to step into the rehearsal room for the past 12 months and now the time has come as they finally begin work on one of the most successful and celebrated musicals of our time.

The casting will be led by Josh Piterman in the coveted role of The ghost and join him in this new Australian production, making its Australian theater debut, Perth’s own Amy Manford will play the role of the ingenue Christine Daae and Raoul, Viscount of Chagny will be performed by an acclaimed musical theater star Blake Bowden.

Alongside the main cast will be a stalwart of Australian musical theater David Whitney playing the shrewd theater director Mr Firminthe new director of the theater Mr Andrew will be performed by an experienced musical and lyrical artist Andy Morton, soprano Giuseppina Grech will play the role of opera diva Carlotta Guidicelli, seasoned musical theater performer Jayde Westaby will assume the role of ballet mistress Mrs Giry, italian opera singer Ubaldo Piangi will be performed by a classic crossover artist Paul Tabone, and newcomer Mietta White will play the young ballerina Meg Giry.

Joining them will be the talented ensemble cast, including Elliot Baker, Anton Berezin, Laura Bianchi-Bishop, Eleanor Blythman, Gavin Brown, Ben Clark, Bridget Costello, Andrew Dunne, Lewis Francis, Christina Gibbs, Claudia Hastings, Olivia Jenkins, Daniel Koek, Naomi Livingston, Josephine Lonergan, Aaron Lynch, Lucy MacFarlane, Kayleigh Marven, Emma McFarlane, Lachlan O’Brien, Brittany Page, Edward Smith, Anna Stephens, Tod Strike, Troy Sussman, Raphael Wong, Jack Wunsch and Elisha Zion Lee.

Josh Piterman scored a huge personal triumph with an impressive West End debut taking on the most coveted role of The Phantom in the London production in 2019. He is an established musical theater performer and classical crossover artist who has worked steadily on the Australian and UK stages for the past 15 years. His past credits include being part of an international pop opera group The ten tenors, Tony in the 2010 Australian production of West Side Story, Bustopher Jones/Gus/Growltiger in the 2015/16 Australian season of Cats (a role that won him the Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical), Corny Collins on the UK tour of hair spray and Gerry Goffin in the 2017/18 Australian tour of Magnificent: Carole King’s Musical.

Born and raised in Perth, Amy Manford had an exciting start to her career after graduating from WAAPA and moving to London. She earned a master’s degree at the Royal College of Music while landing her first West End role, as a Christina alternate in the original London production of The Phantom of the Opera in 2017. While in London, she also had the privilege of performing for Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace and for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. This role marks Amy’s major musical debut in Australia.

Blake Bowden performed on numerous Australian stages with his most acclaimed performance to date, leading the cast of the Australian production of The Book of Mormon in the main role of elder price, earning him a Helpmann Award nomination for Best Male Actor in a Musical in 2019. Blake has also starred in productions of Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story and The Boy From Oz Arena Spectacular with Hugh Jackman.

This spectacular new staging of Cameron Mackintosh premiered with a record-breaking sold-out UK tour, followed by a 7-year US tour that grossed over US$400 million and delighted critics and audiences alike. Australia is now only the third country to see this new Ghost wwith its beloved and thrilling score, including hit songs The music of the night, All I ask of you and Masquerade. With a stunning new staging and scenic design, Maria Bjornson‘s iconic original costumes and numerous special effects including a spectacular new realization of the show’s chandelier. It will be performed in Australia by a 65-person cast and orchestra, making it one of the biggest musical productions ever made in Australia.

Sydney season Phantom is supported by the NSW Government through its Destination NSW tourism and major events agency.

Minister of Tourism Stuart Ayre said;

I am delighted that rehearsals have started for PHANTOM and that this internationally acclaimed production is set to make its debut at the iconic Sydney Opera House. The NSW Government is committed to investing in world-class productions like PHANTOM to achieve our goal of making NSW the capital of cultural events and the leading visitor economy in Asia-Pacific.

Realized by Laurence Connor with choreography by Scott Amblerscenography by Paul Brownoriginal Tony Award®-winning costume design by Maria Bjornsonlighting design by Tony Award®-winner Paul Constableand sound design by Mick Potter, The Phantom of the Opera has music from Andrew Lloyd Webberwords of Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe), book before Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webberorchestration of David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber. This new production is supervised by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh.

The Phantom of the Opera in Australia is led by Seth Sklar-Heyn and produced by Cameron Mackintosh, The Really Helpful Group and Opera Australia.

Season details

Venue: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Date: August 19 – October 16, 2022

Venue: State Theatre, Melbourne Arts Center
Date: October 30, 2022