Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) "The Phantom of the Opera, " the longest-running musical on Broadway, is coming to Taiwan and will launch the first of 63 performances in the National Theater Wednesday, organizers said at a press conference Tuesday.
"The Phantom of the Opera", written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, replaced "Cats" -- another musical by Lloyd Webber -- as the longest-running show on Broadway Jan. 9th with its 7,468th performance.
Another record-breaking performance will be established in Taiwan, as leading actor Brad Little, the heart and soul of the opera who has been playing the role of "Phantom" for five years, will reach his 2,000th performance here.
"Reaching 2,000 [performances] is quite a landmark. To know that it will be here that I'll reach my 2,000th performance is a special feeling, " said Little, who is one of four leading actors and actresses that attended the press conference, along with John Bowles, Marni Raab and Ana Marina.
John Bowles will also play the role of "Phantom, " while Raab and Marina will play the role of "Christine."
It has taken 10 years of preparation for the organizers and one year for the National Theater to bring the show to Taiwan, but it will be worth it, Little said as he promised the performance here will be just like it is in New York or anywhere else in the world.
"For most people in the world, this show is the first musical they have ever seen. And this show introduces people to musical theater. That's a special feeling, " Little said.
The story of the "Phantom" is about Erik, a ruined genius with a mutilated face who terrorizes the Paris Opera House which he lives beneath while taking the beautiful soprano whom he loves under his wing.
On why the show has been so successful and popular, director Arthur Masella explained that "everyone can relate to 'the Phantom' regarding his pain. And most people can see something in their own `dark side' in the show. That's where their inspiration comes from."
Little added: "I remember I cried in the audience the first time I saw Michael Crawford playing [the role of Phantom]."
The performances will run from Jan. 18-March 12. The musical, which opened in London in 1986, has been seen by more than 80 million people worldwide.