The Phantom of the Opera will be haunting theaters for many, many years to come. It's been two decades since the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, based on the Gaston Leroux novel, astonished nay-saying critics by winning multiple awards and going on to become one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. And Phantom doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. The story is melodrama at its finest. A disfigured man dons a mask and runs around the basement of an old opera house in Paris, falling in love with an innocent chorine and swearing vengeance on anyone who gets in the way of his winning her heart. It's all set to swoony tunes like "Think of Me," "The Music of the Night" and, of course, "The Phantom of the Opera." 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Through August 2. The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby. For information, call 713-629-3700 or visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com. $25 to $75.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: July 8. Continues through Aug. 2, 2009