The Phantom of the Opera

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Trivia & History

There were several lyricists approached or involved.

  • Jim Steinman was approached but was working on an album at the time.
  • Alan Jay Lerner was hired but became ill soon after and withdrew (he contributed parts of "Masquerade" but is not credited).
  • Richard Stilgoe wrote most of the lyrics but most were replaced.
  • Charles Hart was brought in to revise many of Stilgoe's lyrics.

A documentary called Behind the Mask: The Story of the Phantom of the Opera chronicles the making of the show, from the first idea of writing it to the London opening and beyond. It was done for the BBC and is an extra on the DVD and Blu-Ray of the film version.

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