For millions of fans across the globe, The Phantom of the Opera is one of the greatest and most haunting love stories of all time. Turning classic romance on its head with a gothic twist, an iconic central love triangle and, to top it all off, a score that includes some of the world’s most beautiful love songs, it’s no wonder that Phantom remains one of the most spectacular and affecting love stories ever told.

At the heart of Phantom is the iconic love story between the Phantom and Christine…

Perhaps the first thing that springs to mind when one thinks of The Phantom of the Opera is the love story between the tortured Phantom and the talented soprano, Christine Daaé. For better or for worse, the two are connected by an inexplicable and unbreakable bond. The Phantom devotes himself to fostering Christine’s talent and, in turn, Christine holds deep empathy and understanding for her Angel of Music, even in his darkest moments. Complex and tumultuous as it is, there is no denying the intense connection shared by the Phantom and Christine.

…but also between Christine and Raoul!

We told you it was complicated! Any love story worth telling comes with its own challenges, and The Phantom of the Opera is no exception. On the same night that Christine first encounters the Phantom in the flesh, she is reunited with her childhood sweetheart, the charming and handsome Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. Sweet and tender, Christine and Raoul’s relationship is everything her and the Phantom’s is not, but this does not stop her from feeling a deep kinship with the tortured soul. Finding herself at the center of a love triangle, Christine’s final choice between the Vicomte and the Phantom is not an easy one, making it all the more compelling for us to watch.

Phantom puts its own twist on classic romance

With its captivating characters, emotional depth, chemistry and passion, the musical includes many crucial elements of classic romance. At its core, however, Phantom is a tragedy, where love is lost as well as found and the bittersweet ending leaves you longing to know more. Not only this, but the musical has a dark edge that subverts audience expectations of a perfect love story. Phantom’s gothic setting creates a brooding and sinister atmosphere against which the tender and beautiful love plot illuminates the stage. A happy-ever-after romance Phantom most definitely is not, which is exactly why it continues to capture, and haunt, the hearts of so many.

It includes some of the greatest love songs of all time

So far, we’ve covered Phantom’s iconic love triangle, as well as its classic romance elements, both of which are features of most great love stories. However, what makes Phantom truly stand out from the rest is its soaring score. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart, The Phantom of the Opera contains some of the most beautiful love songs of all time, including Think of Me, All I Ask of You, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again and Angel of Music.

Its swelling, operatic compositions and evocative lyrics embody Phantom’s haunting beauty perfectly. Have you ever heard melodies more breathtaking than amongst the refrains of Angel of Music or Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again? Have there ever been lines more heartbreaking than “Flowers fade/ The fruits of summer fade/ They have their seasons/ So do we” in Think of Me, or more haunting than “Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation / Darkness stirs and wakes imagination” in Music of the Night? If music is the fruit of love, then what better way than Phantom’s lush score to tell such an exquisite and moving love story?

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We can’t talk about Phantom’s love story without mentioning its fans

As iconic, heartbreaking and haunting as this musical may be, there is perhaps no greater love story than that of Phantom and its fans. Since premiering in 1986, The Phantom of the Opera has continued to stir the souls of 160 million romantics in 195 cities and 21 languages worldwide. Thanks to the show’s universal, timeless and enduring appeal, as well as the devotion and loyalty of its fans, there is a happy ending for this Phantom love story.