10 Fascinating Facts About The Phantom of the Opera You Probably Didn't Know

The best Phantom of the Opera fun facts are the true ones: the Paris opera house really does sit on a huge water cistern, a real chandelier counterweight really did fall into the auditorium in 1896, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical became the longest-running show in Broadway history. Below are 10 Phantom of the Opera facts, each checked against a published source, covering the novel, the Palais Garnier and the stage musical.

We rewrote this list in 2026 and removed several claims from the older version that could not be verified. If a “fact” is not here, it is because we could not find a reliable source for it. New to the show? Start with our Phantom of the Opera complete fan guide.

Where did The Phantom of the Opera story come from?

1. It began as a newspaper serial

Gaston Leroux’s Le Fantôme de l’Opéra first ran as a serial in the Paris newspaper Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910. It came out as a book in late March 1910, published by Pierre Lafitte. Readers in 1909 met the Phantom in instalments, much like a television series today.

2. Leroux was a journalist and courtroom reporter first

Before he wrote fiction, Leroux worked as a reporter, including as a drama critic and courtroom reporter. He also wrote the detective novel The Mystery of the Yellow Room (1907) a few years before the Phantom. That reporter’s eye shows in the book, which is written as if it were an investigation into real events.

Is the Phantom’s underground lake real?

3. There is a real cistern under the Palais Garnier

Sort of, and it is one of the most surprising Phantom of the Opera facts. When the Palais Garnier site was dug out in 1861–62, the groundwater was unexpectedly high. Eight steam pumps ran day and night and still could not dry the site. Architect Charles Garnier’s answer was a double foundation with an enormous concrete cistern (a cuve). It relieves water pressure on the basement walls and doubles as a reservoir in case of fire.

A legend soon spread that the opera house was built over an underground lake, and Leroux used that idea for the Phantom’s lair. So there is no gondola-friendly cavern, but there is real water beneath the stage.

4. The opera house opened in 1875

The building took well over a decade to finish. Construction started in 1861, and the theatre was formally inaugurated on 5 January 1875 with a gala attended by Marshal MacMahon, the Lord Mayor of London and King Alfonso XII of Spain. By the time Leroux was writing, it had been the home of Paris opera for over 30 years.

Did the chandelier really fall?

5. A counterweight fell in 1896 and killed someone

Yes, in a way. On 20 May 1896, one of the counterweights for the Palais Garnier’s great chandelier broke free and crashed through the ceiling into the auditorium, killing a concierge. This real accident inspired the famous chandelier scene in Leroux’s novel, which the musical turned into its Act 1 finale.

What are the best fun facts about the musical?

6. Several lyricists came before Charles Hart

Lloyd Webber first approached Jim Steinman, who said no because of a Bonnie Tyler album. Alan Jay Lerner (of My Fair Lady) then joined but became seriously ill and withdrew. Richard Stilgoe, lyricist of Starlight Express, wrote most of the first lyrics. Then the young, then little-known Charles Hart rewrote many of them. The final credits read music by Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Hart, and additional lyrics by Stilgoe.

7. Christine was played by Lloyd Webber’s then-wife

Sarah Brightman, an English classical soprano who was married to Lloyd Webber at the time, created Christine Daaé in London and on Broadway, opposite Michael Crawford as the Phantom. Before that, a first-act preview at Lloyd Webber’s home, Sydmonton Court, in 1985 had Brightman as “Kristin” and Colm Wilkinson as the Phantom.

8. Maria Björnson designed more than 200 costumes

Designer Maria Björnson created the sets and over 200 costumes, including the gowns for “Masquerade,” plus the chandelier, the gondola and the grand staircase. Hal Prince directed, and Gillian Lynne (who choreographed Cats) did the musical staging.

9. It is the longest-running show in Broadway history

The London production opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on 9 October 1986, and Broadway followed at the Majestic Theatre on 26 January 1988. On Broadway it became the first show ever to reach 10,000 performances, on 11 February 2012. It closed on 16 April 2023. It won the 1986 Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Crawford won both awards for Best Actor in a Musical.

10. London’s Phantom came back smaller

The original West End staging ended in March 2020, when theatres shut down for COVID-19. A scaled-down production reopened at the same theatre on 27 July 2021. Reports at the time noted its orchestra was cut to 14 musicians, down from 27. In the West End it is the second-longest-running musical, behind Les Misérables. Here is our Les Misérables vs Phantom of the Opera comparison.

How big did The Phantom of the Opera become?

By 2019 the musical had been seen by more than 140 million people in 183 cities across 41 countries, and its estimated worldwide gross was over $6 billion. It was the most financially successful entertainment event until The Lion King passed it in 2014. The original London cast recording has been certified 4× Platinum in the US.

The story keeps being adapted, too. The best-known screen versions are the 1925 silent film starring Lon Chaney and Joel Schumacher’s 2004 film of the musical.

Which Phantom “facts” are myths?

Many Phantom trivia lists repeat claims with no source behind them, and our old version of this page did too. We removed claims about a “real” Phantom based on a named architect or engineer, exact chandelier weights and fall times, opening-night costume mishaps, and specific performance counts we could not confirm. Treat these with care when you see them elsewhere:

• “There’s a full lake with boats under the opera house.” The real thing is a concrete cistern built for engineering reasons.
• “The Phantom was a real person.” Leroux’s narrator claims the story is true, but that is part of the fiction. Erik is an invented character.
• Precise stage-machinery numbers. Figures for the chandelier’s weight or drop speed change from source to source, so we leave them out.

Want the music itself? Our Phantom of the Opera songs explained guide walks through every major number.

Frequently asked questions

Is there really a lake under the Paris Opera?

There is a large concrete water cistern under the Palais Garnier, built because of high groundwater during construction. It inspired the legend of an underground lake that Leroux used in his novel.

Was the chandelier crash based on a real event?

Yes. In 1896 a counterweight for the Palais Garnier chandelier fell into the auditorium and killed a concierge, which inspired the scene in the novel.

When was The Phantom of the Opera written?

Gaston Leroux’s novel was serialized in 1909–1910 and published as a book in 1910. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical opened in London in 1986.

How long did Phantom run on Broadway?

From 26 January 1988 to 16 April 2023. It is the longest-running show in Broadway history and the first to pass 10,000 performances.

Is The Phantom of the Opera still playing in London?

A scaled-down production has played at His Majesty’s Theatre since July 2021. Check the official site for current dates before you book.

Sources

• The Phantom of the Opera (novel), Wikipedia
• Palais Garnier, Wikipedia
• The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical), Wikipedia