At the time of the interview Simon was appearing in The Phantom of The Opera, about which he says “Phantom is rapidly becoming my favourite show, I’m loving every single minute!“ His early stage appearances began at the Debut School of Performing Arts, and during that time he joined local amateur dramatic groups, where he performed several roles including: Billy in Billy the musical, Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, Freddy Einsford-Hill in My Fair Lady, and the Ringmaster in Barnum. Simon’s … [Read more...]
Her Majesty's Theatre London Tickets - The Phantom of The Opera News & Reviews
The multi-award winning The Phantom of The Opera musical continues to captivate audiences at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End, after more than 10,000 performances (celebrated its 10,000th performance on 23 October 2010).
Andrew Lloyd Webber's mesmerising score along with jaw-dropping scenery and breathtaking special effects, magically combine to bring this tragic love story to life each night.
Evenings: Monday to Saturday 7.30pm
Matinees: Thursday and Saturday 2.30pm
Running Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Age Restrictions: Recommended for ages 10 and over. Under 5s will not be admitted. Parental guidance advised.
Show Opened: 27th September 1986
Important Info: The sides of the Grand Circle are side view restricted. The rear of the Stalls and Royal Circle are restricted by the overhang.
Her Majesty’s Theatre London
57 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4QL
Venue and Travel Information
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Tube Lines: Bakerloo, Piccadilly
Directions from nearest tube: Go along Coventry Street and then take Haymarket on the right where the theatre will be approximately 200 metres.
Railway Station: Charing Cross
Bus Numbers: (Haymarket) 3, 6, 9, 12, 13, 15, 19, 23, 38, 53, 88, 139, 159
Night Bus Numbers: (Haymarket) 6, 12, 23, 88, 139, 453, N8, N19, N38, N97, N3, N13, N15, N136, N159
Car Park: Leicester Square, Whitcomb Street
Within Congestion Zone: Yes
Venue Facilities: Air conditioned, Bar, Disabled toilets, Infrared hearing loop, Toilets and Wheelchair accessible
Her Majesty’s Theatre London
The current Her Majesty’s Theatre is actually the 4th theatre to occupy this site. The first was called The Queen’s Theatre, being built by Sir John Vanbrugh and opened on 9th April 1705.
The theatre was re-named to The Kings Theatre in 1714 when King George I ascended the throne. The theatre was generally associated with opera, until 1789 when the theatre was destroyed by fire. The 2nd theatre was by designed by Michael Novosielski and opened in March 1791. This theatre was once more associated with opera, as well as ballet. It was here that some of Mozart’s opera were first presented in London.
In 1837 the name of the theatre was changed to Her Majesty’s Theatre Italian Opera House at the time Queen Victoria ascended to the throne. The Italian Opera House segment of the name was dropped in 1847. In December 1867 the theatre was again destroyed by fire.
The theatre was reconstructed in 1869, and this time designed by Charles Lee. In 1892 the theatre was demolished leaving only the Royal Opera Arcade. The current, and 4th theatre on this site was designed by C J Phipps and opened on 28th April 1897. Now it was plays that were mostly performed, with the occasional opera. In 1916 Chu Chin Chow began a record-breaking run of 2,238 performances.
In 1929 Bitter Sweet by Noel Coward was produced and enjoyed a run of 697 performances. Following the Second World War the theatre generally presented musicals, which included Brigadoon in 1949, Paint Your Wagon in 1953, West Side Story in 1958 and the classic Fiddler On The Roof in 1967 which had a run of 2,030 performances. The current production of Phantom of the Opera, opened on 9th October 1986.
Interview with Sofia Escobar: Christine Daae in The Phantom of The Opera
At the time of the interview, Sofia Escobar was appearing as Christine Daae in the classic musical, The Phantom of The Opera, at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Born in Portugal, and having made her stage debut there, Sofia has performed and toured extensively in Portugal and Brazil. Since arriving in the UK Sofia has studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and subsequently starred as Maria in West Side Story and is now enthralling audiences at Her Majesty’s Theatre. She has also … [Read more...]
Interview with Tabitha Webb: Christine in The Phantom of The Opera
At the time of the interview Tabitha was performing as Alternate Christine in The Phantom of The Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London. Her professional career began at the age of 16 after she won the prestigious BBC Choirgirl of The Year competition, which led to numerous television and radio performances, recordings and concerts around the UK and Europe, including her own one-hour radio special for BBC Radio 2. Other major performances for Tabitha have included appearing in Tim Rice’s … [Read more...]
Interview with John Owen-Jones The Phantom of The Opera
John is an award-winning and record-breaking West End and Broadway performer probably best known for his performances as The Phantom in The Phantom of The Opera and as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. This week I had the pleasure of asking John some questions, I hope that you enjoy an insight into - John Owen-Jones. When you graduated in 1994 with a Degree in Acting, what were your ambitions then? My ambitions were to play Valjean in the West End, work at the National Theatre and work with … [Read more...]