About "The Phantom of the Opera" Musical Publisher

"The Phantom of the Opera" is the longest-running musical on Broadway, having opened in January 26, 1988. Music and lyrics were written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, respectively. Hal Prince directed the musical. "Phantom of the Opera" won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1988. The publishing and production company owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Really Useful Group, continues to produce, manage and license "The Phantom of the Opera."

History

The Really Useful Group was founded in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a British composer and producer. Originally created to maintain the rights to his productions, The Really Useful Group has expanded into managing and producing theatrical productions, West-End theaters, movies and albums. The Really Useful group has been partly owned by stockholders, PolyGram and Universal, but Webber has since bought out the shares these companies had and is the sole owner.

Function

The Really Useful Theater Company is only one portion of the Really Useful Group. The company owns many Andrew Lloyd Webber-composed Broadway shows and productions, including "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "Evita," "Tell Me on a Sunday," "Cats," "Starlight Express," "Aspects of Love," "Sunset Boulevard," Whistle Down the Wind" and "The Woman in White." The Really Useful Theater Company also owns several productions that Webber did not compose, including "Bombay Dreams" and "Lend Me a Tenor."

Considerations

Really Useful Films, another portion of the Really Useful Group, was responsible for the 2005 film version of "The Phantom of the Opera," as well as filmed versions of several of Webber's Broadway shows, including "Cats," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Really Useful Records is the producer of the cast albums of most of the Really Useful Theater productions, as well as solo albums by theater performers, including Marti Webb, Sarah Brightman, Michael Ball and Andrea Ross.

Benefits

In 2007, The Really Useful Group revived "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in the West End to benefit the Children in Need foundation. Really Useful Group launched the reality TV show "Any Dream Will Do!", where viewers voted for Lee Mead to take over the role of Joseph in the production. The Really Useful Group raised 500,000 pounds for the Children in Need foundation.

Theories/Speculation

The name "Really Useful Group" is thought to pay homage to the "Thomas the Tank Engine" books written by Rev. W. V. Awdry. The books were called the Railway Series and were later made into a British TV show called "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends." One of the train lines that is featured in the Railway Series is known as the Really Useful Line.

Resources

• The Really Useful Group Official Website
• The Really Useful Group Shop
• "The Phantom of the Opera" Official Website