The Phantom of the Operais a Gothic novel by Gaston Leroux originally published in 1909, about a hideously scarred mad man who becomes obsessed with a young opera singer named Christine Daaé. Nearly 80 years later, in 1986, Andrew Lloyd Weber adapted the story as a lavish stage musical that turned the titular Phantom into more of a tragic romantic lead than a monster. That original London production has been running ever since, and the show only closed on Broadway in April 2023 after a record-breaking 35-year run.