For months, cryptic messages have appeared on the social media of one Andrew Lloyd Webber about the pending return to New York City of The Phantom Of The Opera, or at least a Phantom-like experience.
Now, the clues have become less cryptic. A man dressed in the famous half-mask and formal opera-wear disembarked from an old-timey carriage at Sunday’s Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.
And now comes an announcement – a press release, in more common parlance – that reads:
“Fondest Greetings,
“As you will be aware, the story of my legend has regrettably not been available in New York City during the past two years, a matter for which those responsible will pay dearly.
In the meantime I have obtained an address, considerably more salubrious than my previous,
on West 57th Street. It is here that I shall present a grand Masquerade, a spectacle that will
astound you and that further explores my legend. I have instructed my minion Lloyd Webber to assist.
Watch on Deadline
“On June 30th, an invitation shall be issued, unveiling a calendar of dates and instructions for
procuring tickets. Said invitation shall be extended only to those discerning few wise enough to
have signed my Ledger. All others shall remain in the dark. Further details will follow at my pleasure.
Your obedient servant, O.G.”
In April, Internet sleuths studying an Instagram video on Lloyd Webber’s IG page recognized the W. 57th site where Phantom composer Lloyd Webber delivered a message about the Phantom moving to a new, better neighborhood than the old one in Times Square. The site was the now-closed multi-floored Lee’s Art Shop on West 57th St. not far from Carnegie Hall and various high-end retail shops.
The Phantom of the Opera musical, composed by Lloyd Webber, ended its 35-year Broadway run in 2023, much to Lloyd Webber’s rumored dissatisfaction. Last year, producer Cameron Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber announced plans for a North American tour of Phantom in a reconfigured production based on the 2021 London stage version that features a smaller orchestra and a redesigned set, launching November 2025 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre.
Whether that tour is connected to the upcoming New York immersive production – rather unlikely – is unclear.
The new “Masquerade” Phantom is expected to take a different form than the long-running Broadway musical, with some speculation that it will be an immersive experience. An Instagram account recently created called “Masquerade” – which also features Lloyd Webber’s new video – shows shadowy images, including a masked face, against deep red backgrounds. One of the images has writing that says “Sing once again with me…” and another saying “Have you missed me?”
Here’s the masked man’s latest letter:
