MasterCard
Broadway Series Houston
The Cameron Mackintosh / Really Useful Theatre Company, Inc.
Presents

Andrew Lloyd Webber's
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA



BRAD LITTLE as The Phantom in a scene from the third national touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Photo credit: Joan Marcus


Directed by Harold Prince
Lyrics by Charles Hart
Additional Lyrics by Richard Stilgoe

Book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Musical Staging and Choreography by Gillian Lynne

Musical Designed by Maria Bjornson
Lighting by Andrew Bridge


The Houston Return Engagement of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, will be running from June 10th through July 18th, 1998. Directed by Harold Prince, The Cameron Mackintosh / Really Useful Theatre Company, Inc. production has planned a triumphant return engagement at The Jones Hall.

Brad Little heads the 36-member company as The Phantom, with Amy Jo Arrington as the young soprano, Christine, and Jim Weitzer as Raoul. Also featured will be Julie Schmidt as Carlotta Giudicelli, David Cryer as Monsieur Firmin, Richard Reardon as Monsieur Andre, Jennine Jones as Madame Giry, Steven Stein Grainger as Ubaldo Piangi and Betina Hershey as Meg. At certain performances, Megan Starr-Levitt plays the role of Christine.



BRAD LITTLE as "The Phantom" and AMY JO ARRINGTON as "Christine" in a scene from the third national touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Photo credit: Joan Marcus


BRAD LITTLE (The Phantom) recently joined the third national company after having appeared as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. His other Broadway and national tour credits include: Cyrano The Musical, playing the role of Captain De Castel Jaloux; Fiddler On The Roof with Topol; and the Lincoln Center production of Anything Goes, directed by Jerry Zaks, in which he understudied and played the role of Billy Crocker opposite Leslie Uggams. Mr. Little won international acclaim for his portrayals of Jesus in the European Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar and Tony in West Side Story. Theatres across this nation: South Pacific (Lt. Cable) with Howard Keel at Atlanta's Theatre of the Stars; Babes in Toyland (Allen) with Eddie Bracken as The Toymaker at The Houston Grand Opera; Phantom (Eric "The Phantom") at Tennessee Rep. (not to be confused with The Phantom of the Opera here); 1776 (Thomas Jefferson) at Pennsylvania Center Stage; Evita (Che) in Darien, CT; and the Robber Bridegroom (Jamie Lockhart) at Bristol Riverside Theatre, PA.

AMY JO ARRINGTON (Christine Daae), a Mesa, Arizona native, attended Arizona State University, where she studied Musical Theatre. ASU credits include NUNSENSE (Sister Amnesia), THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (Rosa Bud), and INTO THE WOODS (Cinderella). Other credits include Luisa in THE FANTASTICKS (Phoenix Theatre), Elizabeth in PAINT YOUR WAGON (Jackson Hole Playhouse), and Lily in THE SECRET GARDEN (Interlochen Arts Camp). Amy Jo is an accomplished pianist and spent three months in London studying music and art with BYU Study Abroad. She was a soloist at the McDonald's Children's Charities annual benefit with David Foster and Richard Marx.

JIM WEITZER (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny) is thrilled to be playing the role of Raoul after having been a swing with this company. A recent graduate of Northwestern University, Jim has been lucky enough to work on a variety of interesting projects, including productions of ASSASSINS (Booth), HAY FEVER (Richard), and the Midwest premiere of Sondheim's PASSION (Giorgio).



BRAD LITTLE as The Phantom in a scene from the third touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Photo credit: Joan Marcus


The most successful stage musical of all time, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has worldwide tickets sales exceeding $2.6 billion. The winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, it celebrated its milestone Tenth Anniversary on Broadway on January 26, 1998 and is currently Broadway's fifth longest-running show of all time. Worldwide, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA consistently plays to larger audiences and in longer engagements than any other musical in history.

Based on the classic novel LA FANTOME DE L'OPERA by Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents and by employing all of the devious methods at his command.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA had its world premiere on October 9, 1986 at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, winning every major theatre award including the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards. The New York production opened on January 26, 1998 with a then-record advance of $18 million. The musical went on to sweep the 1988 Tony Awards, winning seven, including Best Musical. The Phantom of the Opera also won seven Drama Desk Awards and three Outer Critics Circle Awards. The original London cast recording was the first in British musical history to enter the charts at number one. It has since gone both gold and platinum in Britain and the United States, selling nearly two million copies.

Worldwide, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has been seen by over 108 million people in 12 countries and 85 cities. It is currently playing in London, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Melbourne, Hamburg, and Nagoya, Japan as well as on two national tours in the United States.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA will play Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00pm, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm, and Sunday evenings at 7:30pm, with an additional performance on Thursday, June 11 at 1:00pm. Ticket prices range from $16.00 to $66.00. Tickets are available at the Jones Hall box office and all Ticket Master locations including Foley's, Randall's and Fiesta Stores. To charge tickets by phone, call 713-629-3700. Orders of twenty (20) or more may be placed by calling 800-889-8457.

The Houston engagement of The Phantom of the Opera is presented by arrangement with The Society for the Performing Arts and is a subscription offering of the 1997-1998 MasterCard Broadway Series.