Broadway's tenth and latest Phantom will be Hugh Panaro, star of such Broadway musicals as Show Boat, Side Show and The Red Shoes. Panaro will begin performances in the part Mon., Feb. 1, 1999. He will take over from Thomas James O'Leary, whose tenure in The Phantom of the Opera started Oct. 11, 1996. Panaro's other credits include Les Miserables, Noa Noa and Wuthering Heights. He has previously appeared in Broadway's Phantom as Raoul. The current cast of Phantom includes Sandra Joseph as Christine and Ciaran Sheehan as Raoul.
Previous Broadway Phantoms include Michael Crawford, the originator of the role, and Mark Jacoby and Davis Gaines.
The Phantom of the Opera celebrated its tenth anniversary on Broadway Jan. 26, 1998. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has run more than 4,600 performances since opening at the Majestic Theatre in 1988. For tickets call (212) 239-6200.
