The Phantom of the Opera's John Riddle on Getting Sappy as the Show Readies for Reopening

John Riddle was six months into his stint as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny in The Phantom of the Opera when Broadway shut down. Now, 18 months later, he's getting ready to return to the stage when Broadway's longest-running musical resumes perfomances at the Majestic Theatre on October 22. Broadway.com correspondent Charlie Cooper met up with Riddle outside the theater to talk about the anticipation leading up to reopening and his renewed appreciation for Broadway's longest-running show.

"We're standing on 44th street right now, which is one of my favorite streets in New York, but I really miss coming out of the subway and seeing all the people on these streets and lined up to come and see our show," Riddle said. "My favorite part about being on Broadway is the buzz. I love walking through all the people and them having no idea who I am and knowing that I'm going to go put all the makeup and the clothes on and then go do this thing that I feel incredibly lucky to do. People come from all over the world to come see Broadway shows, and to specifically see Phantom. They've never had this experience before and giving that to people is so exciting. I've missed it, desperately."

With their reopening date coming up, Riddle is thinking about his history with the production. "I just got chills actually because here we are standing in front of the Majestic and this used to be sort of a fake thing in my mind," he said. "[Phantom] was my first audition when I moved to New York. I auditioned for Raoul, and I think I auditioned every year since then—and I've been in New York for nine years. When I got that call they said, 'Hey, do you want to be in The Phantom of the Opera?' and I didn't even hesitate. It's pretty thrilling. My first night on I definitely had a moment of, 'I'm in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.' It's so special."

Riddle is preparing for the musical's return. "We're going to have a whole audience of people. I did daydream about that last year, sitting there for the first time and hearing that music," he said. "There might be a few tears. I'm not a big sap, but I will be a sap that night."

Watch the interview below, and head here to check your local listings for The Broadway Show. Hosted by Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal and powered by Broadway.com, it is the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program.