Unmask The Phantom of the Opera With a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the North American Tour

The Phantom of the Opera is here, there and everywhere. He’s moved on from the Majestic and is taking the longest-running Broadway musical on the road, beginning with performances at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland from November 7-15. Audiences will be able to hear the music of the night in 13 cities across the U.S., with performances scheduled through August 30, 2026.

The Broadway Show spoke with the tour cast and got a preview during rehearsals. For actor Isaiah Bailey, who plays The Phantom, this opportunity feels like a blessing. "To be able to take this show and go back to the original design and the original staging, it's such an honor.”

Jordan Gilbert, who plays Christine Daaé, is living a childhood dream onstage. “I remember hearing this score for the first time when I was very young and falling completely in love with it,” she said. “It's inspired me to pursue classical music because it's where my voice felt the most at home. And to be singing it now, I wake up every day and I pinch myself.” That memory is keeping her grounded on tour. “If there's any time of doubt or fear, I say, ‘do it for that five-year-old girl that wanted so badly to hold the scarf and to wear that cape.’”

Director Seth Sklar-Heyn has worked on The Phantom of the Opera in various capacities for over 10 years and helped launch multiple productions and tours. He even worked as an usher at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut when the Broadway production of Phantom played there on its third national tour. “We know how the show works, and we know what the show is meant to do and deliver, and what it is at its core,” he said of the creative team working on the reimagined tour production.

This level of familiarity with the material allows for innovation. “It's not about erasing the past, but it's embracing how Hal and Gilli used to come and watch the show. They would always make changes, they would always make adjustments. It didn't change the story, it didn't change the characterizations, it didn't change the material, but it changed the relationships on stage," he added. "My goal is to, every day, come in and make one adjustment to how two people are relating on stage.”

And it’s not all new faces in the masquerade. Lisa Vroman, who plays Madame Giry, performed the role of Christine onstage for more than 10 years, and Carrington Vilmont, who plays Monsieur André, has been in more than 6,000 performances of the show since making his Broadway debut in The Phantom of the Opera in 2001.

As for what has kept audiences captivated by the musical for so long, Vilmont says suspense is key. “I think it raises more questions than it answers. I think it's the sort of alchemy of the lush music, the amazing scenery, the sweeping score, and that's combined with Hal and Seth's direction, which keep this kind of undercurrent of weirdness and mystery.”

Watch the video below!