To mark its 25th Anniversary year, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh presented “The Phantom of the Opera” in a fully-staged, lavish production, set in the sumptuous Victorian splendour of the Royal Albert Hall with a cast and orchestra of over 200. Audiences around the world were invited to join the celebration on Sunday October 2nd when the event was beamed live via satellite to cinemas across the globe.

"The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall" was screened live in around 250 cinemas nationwide across the UK at 7pm on October 2nd. The event will also subsequently be released on November 14th on DVD, Blu-ray™, CD and Download as a must-have anniversary release for fans everywhere. The staged version has never been available before to own on DVD or Blu-ray, and “The Phantom of the Opera” original cast recording album remains one of the biggest selling music titles of all time. A limited edition 4CD and DVD Collectors’ box set will also be issued to celebrate 25 years of “The Phantom of the Opera”.

As well as the live album and DVD, the 25th anniversary will also be marked with the release of a special edition The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Celebration box set - a beautiful, 4-CD and 1 DVD set honouring the 25th anniversary of the show’s London opening in 1986. Containing the original recording of The Phantom of the Opera and its 2010 sequel, Love Never Dies, packaged in a collector’s once-only design, and with the added bonus of a captivating hour-long DVD including original music videos, rare interviews and performance footage, the collection tells the complete story of the world’s greatest entertainment phenomenon.

An accompanying 160-page fully illustrated hardback book details the compelling history of the show from page to stage and beyond. The box set comes numbered and with an exclusive medallion, as well as a replica of the 60-page opening night programme from Her Majesty’s Theatre. A strictly limited collector’s edition is also available with an exclusive hand numbered 200gsm silk print, celebrating a selection of key poster artwork from the show throughout its history. This special version is only available exclusively from The Universal Box Set Store (www.theboxsetstore.co.uk) or the Official RUG shop (http://shop.thephantomoftheopera.com).

"The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall" starred Ramin Karimloo as ‘The Phantom’ and Sierra Boggess as ‘Christine’. They were joined by Barry James as ‘Monsieur Firmin’, Gareth Snook as ‘Monsieur André’, Liz Robertson as ‘Madame Giry’ and Wynne Evans as ‘Piangi’, together with a cast and orchestra of over 200 and some special guest appearances from Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in a memorable final curtain call.

"The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall" was directed by Laurence Connor with Musical Staging and Choreography by Gillian Lynne, based on the original London Production Directed by Hal Prince with Musical Staging and Choreography by Gillian Lynne. The Royal Albert Hall was transformed with a spectacular and unique design by Matt Kinley inspired by Maria Björnson’s original design. Lighting was by Patrick Woodroffe and Andrew Bridge and Sound by Mick Potter. The production was produced by Cameron Mackintosh.

Ramin Karimloo's theatre credits include, leading roles in “Love Never Dies” (2011 Olivier Award Nominee and Winner of the 2011 What’s On Stage Award, both for ‘Best Actor in a Musical’), “The Phantom of the Opera” (Theatre Goers' Choice Award Nomination) “Les Misérables”, “Miss Saigon”, “The Pirates of Penzance” and “Sunset Boulevard”. Ramin had the privilege of performing as ‘Enjolras’ in “Les Misérables – A Special Concert at Windsor Castle” to celebrate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, in front of Her Majesty The Queen and also reprised the role for the 25th Anniversary celebration of “Les Misérables at The 02”. Recordings include: his own album “Within the Six Square Inch” and the première symphonic recording of “Love Never Dies”. Ramin has signed with a major label and is currently recording his first solo album.

Sierra Boggess is currently starring opposite Tyne Daly in the Broadway revival of Terrence McNally's “Master Class”. Prior to that, she starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's “Love Never Dies” in the West End. For her performance as 'Christine Daae,' Sierra received a 2011 Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Sierra's other NY theatre credits include starring as the title character in the Broadway production of Disney's “The Little Mermaid” (Drama Desk and Drama League nominations and Broadway.com award for Favourite Breakthrough Performance) and in the City Centre Encores! Production of “Music in the Air”. She starred as 'Christine' in “Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular” and has been seen in the national tours of “Les Misérables” and “West Side Story”. Recordings include the Symphonic Recording of “Love Never Dies” and the Original Cast Album for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”.

"The Phantom of the Opera" became the longest running show in Broadway history on 9 January 2006 when it celebrated its 7,486th performance, surpassing the previous record holder “Cats”. This coincided with the Broadway and the US national touring company celebrating an unprecedented 20,000 performances in the United States. In October 2010 the London production celebrated its 10,000th performance.

"The Phantom of the Opera" has won over 60 major theatre awards, including seven Tony Awards on Broadway and three Olivier Awards in the West End. It won the ‘Most Popular Musical Audience Award’, voted by the public, in the 2002 Laurence Olivier Awards. “The Phantom of the Opera”, which opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on 9 October 1986 starred Michael Crawford as 'The Phantom' and Sarah Brightman as 'Christine.' It is produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Theatre Company Limited.

Worldwide, "The Phantom of the Opera" has grossed over $5.6 billion. The box office revenues are higher than any film or stage play in history, including “Avatar”, "Titanic", "ET" and "Star Wars". It has been seen in 145 cities in 27 countries and played to over 130 million people. “The Phantom of the Opera” is currently showing in London, New York, Budapest, Las Vegas, and Kyoto.

Ends For further press information please contact Justin Jeffreys or Nikki Murray on Justin.jeffreys@taylorherring.com/nikki.murray@taylorherring.com or 020 8206 5151