One of the most successful musicals of all time, Andrew Lloyd Webber?s The Phantom of the Opera has been running for nearly twenty years on Broadway and on the West End. It has delighted over 100 million people in 22 countries and is now a major feature film. This book is the definitive account of the award-winning masterpiece, tracing the Phantom legend from its origins in historical fact, through numerous artistic incarnations to the present-day theatre production and film. Divided into three parts, the first section introduces the reader to Gaston Leroux?s classic story, based on the Paris Opera House during la belle epoque; the second section provides a unique insight into the renowned theatre production, with back-stage pictures and enlightening interviews with the director, designers and crew. The final section covers the making of Joel Schumacher?s 2004 film production. Hollywood director Schumacher (whose work has included Veronica Guerin, Phone Booth, Batman Forever and The Client) has brought together an all-star cast to bring this heartrending story to a new generation. This companion book follows the actors ? including Miranda Richardson, Simon Callow, Minnie Driver, Ciaran Hinds, Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler ? and features reportage photos of them at work; the special effects team talks through the work that goes into recreating turn-of the century Paris and make-up artists show how they turned actor Gerard Butler into the menacing Phantom.