Broadway Alum John Owen Jones Then Ben Forster Will Headline West End's The Phantom of the Opera

Double trouble! Broadway alum John Owen-Jones and Ben Forster will both be donning the mask in the London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Owen-Jones will play the Phantom September 7 through January 30, 2016, taking over for Geronimo Rauch. Forster is set to appear in the role from February 1, 2016 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End.

Owen-Jones has played the Phantom more times than any other actor in the West End production’s history and recently headlined the tuner's U.K. tour. He has also appeared as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables in the West End, on the 25th anniversary tour and on Broadway. Additional credits include Pirelli in the English National Opera production of Sweeney Todd. Forster is best known for winning the ITV1 show, Superstar, Lloyd Webber’s TV talent search for Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. Other theater credits include Evita and Elf The Musical.

Also joining the cast from September 7 are Celinde Schoenmaker (Les Miserables) as Christine Daaé, Nadim Naaman (Titanic) as Raoul, Michael Matus (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) as Monsieur Firmin and Christopher Dickens (War Horse) as Monsieur André.

Continuing in their roles are: Lara Martins as Carlotta, Jacinta Mulcahy as Madame Giry, John Ellis as Piangi and Alicia Beck as Meg. Emmi Christensson will remain as the alternate ‘Christine Daaé’ until June 2016 when Lisa-Anne Wood takes over the role.

The musical opened at Her Majesty's in 1986; the Broadway production officially opened at the Majestic Theatre in 1988, where it still plays.