Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" is one of the most successful musicals of all time. It is based on the classic romantic horror story set in the Paris Opera House in which a masked musician, living in the dark recesses of the vast building, commits murder in order to further the career of a young soprano with whom he is besotted. This lavishly illustrated, definitive account traces the origins of the Phantom in truth and legend. Author George Perry relates how the novelist Gaston Leroux, on visiting the Opera House under construction, was so intrigued by the chilling atmosphere that he felt compelled to write what was to become a masterpiece of its day, the novel, "The Phantom of the Opera". Using archive illustrations, many previously unpublished, the secret areas of the Opera House that fired Leroux's imagination, are here revealed. In the triumphant staging of "The Phantom of the Opera", in London and on Broadway, Andrew Lloyd Webber has developed the original story and previous interpretations into the ultimate theatrical experience. Through interviews with the main protagonists, George Perry sheds light on the complex production machinery of such a show, and pays tribute to the professionalism and creativity of the many people who have contributed to its remarkable success. The book includes the complete libretto and many colour photographs of the stage production, which have been especially commissioned.