Andrew Lloyd Webber's international award-winning musical is coming to Dayton!

Dayton, OH -- (SBWire) -- 06/10/2010 -- The Cameron Mackintosh/Really Useful Theatre Company, Inc. production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Harold Prince, begins performances Wednesday, June 9 at 8:00 PM at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center and runs through Sunday, June 27, 2010. The Phantom of the Opera plays its farewell Dayton engagement Tuesday through Sunday with evening and matinee performances. Seats are still available for most performances at the Ticket Center Stage box office, located in the Wintergarden of the Schuster Center, online at http://www.ticketcenterstage.com or by calling 937.228-3630 or toll free, 888.228-3630. Group orders of 15 or more may be placed by calling 937.228-7591, ext. 3074.

Tim Martin Gleason heads the 36-member company as The Phantom, with Trista Moldovan as the young soprano, Christine, and Sean MacLaughlin as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. Also featured will be Kim Stengel, D.C. Anderson, Michael McCoy, Nancy Hess, Luke Grooms and Paloma Garcia-Lee. At certain performances, Kelly Jeanne Grant plays the role of Christine.

With total worldwide grosses estimated at over $5 billion, The Phantom of the Opera is the most successful entertainment venture of the twentieth century, surpassing such blockbuster films as Avatar, Titanic, Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park and Star Wars. The show had its world premiere on October 9, 1986 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, winning every major British theatre award including the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards. The New York production opened on January 26, 1988 where it won seven 1988 Tony® Awards, including Best Musical.

Based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents and by employing all of the devious methods at his command.

The Dayton, OH engagement of The Phantom of the Opera is presented by arrangement with Victoria Theatre Association. Visit the official The Phantom of the Opera website at http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com.

The Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals Broadways Series presentation of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA receives support from Leadership Sponsors Brady Ware and Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc. and from Performance Sponsors The Dayton Power and Light Company Foundation, Time Warner Cable and Key–Ads, Inc.

There will also be a Cast Party, immediately following Friday, June 11 performance, at The Dayton Racquet Club, located on the top floor of the Kettering Tower in downtown Dayton. The party is free and open to all ticket holders and includes free hors d’oeuvres and cash bar – plus the possibility of meeting members of the cast! The Dayton Racquet Club is the Official Cast Party Host of the Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals Broadway Series. Space is limited.

Audiences are invited to learn more about the show at free Chase Background on Broadway pre-show talks: Saturday, June 12 at 1 PM, Thursday, June 17 at 7 PM and Saturday, June 26 at 1 PM on the DP&L Stage in the Schuster Center. Chase Background on Broadway provides informative and entertaining talks by theatre professionals, focusing on production history, musical highlights, and insider anecdotes. These talks are free and open to Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals Broadway Series ticket holders, but seating is limited.

For more information about Victoria Theatre Association’s upcoming 2010-2011 season, visit http://www.victoriatheatre.com.