Diane Paulus, a 2013 Tony Award winner for her direction of Pippin whose other Broadway credits include Waitress, Jagged Little Pill and Real Women Have Curves, is directing Masquerade, Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s immersive spin-off of The Phantom of the Opera.
While tickets go on sale Monday – and exact run dates are to be announced – Paulus’ involvement was not widely known until an announcement today. The statement was released by the show’s press reps in the form, yet again, of a missive from the Phantom himself.
“I have secured an address on 57th Street, a more salubrious part of town than my previous, where I have instructed the director Diane Paulus to prepare my new vision of the legend,” the statement reads. “I have observed that she has considerable credentials in the fields of opera and musical theater. Under my guidance she has created, along with my minion Lloyd Webber, an event like no other with my characters played by performers of exceptional ability.”
Earlier this week, the production announced that tickets for a six-week preview period will go on sale June 30, at which point the run dates of the previews are expected to be disclosed. The production, to be located on multiple floors of a refurbished building at 220 West 57th St., is designed to simulate a masked ball with attendees moving from room to room and floor to floor.
The cast has not been announced, nor has the nature of the score, i.e., whether it will include songs from Lloyd Webber’s Phantom, new Lloyd Webber songs or a combination of both. (Actually, it hasn’t even been confirmed that Masquerade is a musical at all, though the title is the name of a song from Phantom.)
Instructions for getting tickets for the preview period will be sent to people who have signed a Masquerade “ledger.”
At least for the preview period, Masquerade attendees must “dress extravagantly” in attire of black, white or silver and wear a mask of their choosing or one provided free at the venue (limited edition “couture” masks will be available for purchase).
Evening performances are limited to attendees 21 years of age or older. Matinee performances during the special six week preview period are available for guests aged 16+. The venue is ADA-accessible.
The Phantom of the Opera, composed by Lloyd Webber, ended its 35-year Broadway run in 2023, much to Lloyd Webber’s rumored dissatisfaction. The “Phantom” missives posted to social media in recent months typically refer to an “untimely and unwise eviction from The Majestic Theater.”
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