THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Makes Indian Debut in Mumbai
From 5 March to 30 March, the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai will host THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, performed in English and starring Jonathan Roxmouth as the elusive Phantom, Grace Roberts as Christine Daaé, and Matt Leisy as Raoul. It’s a limited engagement, yet the excitement surrounding it has been enormous—hardly surprising for a production that has, over the years, become the world’s most iconic musical.
The announcement comes from none other than Nita Ambani herself, the Cultural Centre’s Founder and Chairperson, who expressed her joy at bringing this “most loved theatrical marvel that has captivated generations” to India. The timing is apt, coinciding with the venue’s second-year anniversary celebrations. For Indian theatre aficionados who’ve never had the chance to see Phantom in its natural habitats of London’s West End or New York’s Broadway, this is a watershed moment.
The International Phenomenon
It’s worth remembering that THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is more than just an ornate set and a show-stopping chandelier drop. Since composer Andrew Lloyd Webber first unveiled his haunting melodies to the West End in 1986, the musical has spiralled into an international juggernaut, touring continents, breaking box-office records, and introducing entire generations to the magic of live theatre.
The music, with lyrics by Charles Hart (and additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe), merges classical motifs with pop-influenced ballads, resulting in a timeless score that resonates as deeply with audiences today as it did in the 1980s. Meanwhile, the book—by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber—maintains a delicate balance between gothic horror and romantic longing. The eponymous Phantom is both villain and victim, an enigmatic genius driven by love, obsession, and despair, ensnaring Christine and theatre-goers alike in his dark world beneath the opera house.
A Surprising Adaptation
While the Mumbai production promises the core grandeur fans adore, it arrives at a time when Phantom has been evolving on international stages. The West End version reopened after the COVID-19 shutdown with some tweaks: a slightly smaller orchestra, redesigned sets, and updated direction by Seth Sklar-Heyn, all based on the original staging by the legendary Harold Prince. Choreography by Gillian Lynne, recreated by Chrissie Cartwright, and production design by Maria Björnson, redesigned by Matt Kinley, ensure the show retains its essence while adapting to contemporary demands.
We don’t yet know precisely how many of these changes will be mirrored in the Indian staging, but it’s safe to expect some level of adaptation. Large-scale musicals require advanced logistics, from the number of crew members to the intricacies of set changes. That said, Mumbai’s Grand Theatre at NMACC is famously state-of-the-art, boasting modern rigging systems and acoustics on par with prestigious venues around the globe. It’s likely that the iconic chandelier scene—the show’s most thrilling theatrical flourish—will be as breathtaking as it has always been.
The Beauty Of Cultural Exchange
One of the most fascinating aspects of Phantom’s journey to India is the broader conversation it sparks about cultural exchange. We’re at a point where the global theatre scene is becoming more interconnected than ever—consider that a new North American tour of Phantom is set to launch later this year, while rumours swirl about an immersive New York revival. Meanwhile, versions of the show continue to run in London and tour across international cities.
However, Phantom’s appearance in Mumbai underscores a new frontier, one in which local and international theatre can coexist and enrich each other. The musical is performed in English, but one wonders if the emotional arcs of the Phantom and Christine might resonate differently with Indian audiences accustomed to the dramatic intensity of Hindi cinema. Could it inspire future productions with bilingual elements, or even a Bollywood-inflected take on the story? Stranger things have happened in the global arts scene. The synergy of East meets West in performance art has, time and again, yielded innovative directions—just look at the evolution of musicals in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines, all of which now produce homegrown versions of Western classics.
The Phantom’s Lair
Despite the ubiquitous nature of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA—its masks, its chandelier, its recurring motifs like Think of Me—there’s an interesting historical footnote many fans might not know. The original inspiration came partly from real incidents at the Palais Garnier in Paris, including the fall of a counterweight from the chandelier that killed a patron in 1896. Gaston Leroux’s novel (first published in 1909) wove together rumours of the opera house’s subterranean lake, hidden passageways, and supernatural sightings. Fast forward to the modern stage musical, and you have perhaps the best-known reimagining of Leroux’s tale—a show that marries factual tidbits with romantic fantasy.
Why does this matter for the Mumbai run? It highlights that Phantom has always transcended national boundaries. It’s a French novel, reinterpreted by English creatives, now reworked in part by an American or international team, and performed on an Indian stage. That global lineage seems especially apt in a world that’s continually blending cultural touchpoints. For a city like Mumbai—a hotbed of cultural fusion—this layered history might be an irresistible draw.
It feels quite poetic to see the Phantom’s lair shift from underground catacombs in Paris to the bustling, vibrant energy of Mumbai, a city renowned for its flair, creativity, and unwavering love of spectacle. In a single stroke, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in India reminds us that great stories know no borders, transcending time, place, and language to offer something universally enchanting.
Whether you’re a lifelong devotee with the original London cast recording etched into your mind, or a theatre newcomer curious to see what all the fuss is about, this historic engagement at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre is a rare treat. It’s an invitation to stand in awe of a chandelier that has dazzled countless audiences, to lose yourself in hauntingly beautiful songs, and to experience the sort of grand-scale production that reaffirms why live theatre endures in the digital age.
Moments like these—when a legendary musical finds new life on a new continent—are precisely what keep our theatrical world spinning. They remind us of the transformative power a story can hold, its ability to cross oceans and languages and cultural nuances, all while maintaining that palpable, heart-racing immediacy you can only find in live performance. After all, the Phantom’s true genius lies in revealing our shared humanity: love and loss, hope and fear, each note echoing across borders, waiting to strike a chord in us all.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
