More than 160 million people have seen The Phantom of the Opera over the past 40 years – and now a fresh audience is set to experience it on Sydney Harbour, as Opera Australia (OA) prepares to open its latest Handa Opera season this Friday.
Ahead of opening night, OA held a dress rehearsal on 25 March, with the production already confirmed as the most successful in the event’s 15-year history.
More than 70,000 tickets have been sold, five performances are already sold out, and the season has been extended to five weeks.
The previous Handa Opera box office record was also set by Phantom during its 2022 harbour run.
Directed by Simon Phillips, the 2026 production stars Jake Lyle in his musical theatre debut as The Phantom, alongside soprano Amy Manford as Christine and Jarrod Draper as Raoul.
With its iconic score set against Sydney Harbour, the production is expected to once again cement its status as one of the city’s flagship cultural events.
