Credit: Really Useful Group Ltd.A wildly popular European theme park has announced that it will be opening a brand-new roller coaster based on the Tony Award-winning musical The Phantom of the Opera (1986). Let’s take a closer look.
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On March 12, Europa-Park made a cryptic post on social media showing a mysterious black-and-white figure wearing a hat and cape and a date: March 14, 2024.
Two days later, the popular German theme park shared a video revealing its newest attraction: a VR roller coaster called Eurosat Coastiality – The Phantom of the Opera. That’s right, the longest-running Broadway musical of all time is getting a roller coaster.
Erlebe 2024 die faszinierende Geschichte rund um das berühmte Phantom der Oper wie nie zuvor! 🎭 🎶 "Eurosat Coastiality – The Phantom of the Opera" erwartet dich ab dem Frühjahr mit einem immersiven VR-Abenteuer im #EuropaPark. 🎢 pic.twitter.com/07Z0GcdbX4
— Europa-Park 🎢 (@europa_park) March 14, 2024
Described as “The mystery and intrigue of this gripping love story, coupled with the thrill of a rollercoaster ride,” Eurosat Coastiality – The Phantom of the Opera is located in the French section of the park and will have guests first put on a VR headset in the preshow room before getting on the ride. Then, guests will engage in a dark ride roller coaster with a sliding track that goes into a different station, meaning that the attraction is basically two rides inside one, according to Europa-Park.
This may seem like a strange addition to any theme park, especially since the stage show closed on Broadway on April 16, 2023. However, it can never be understated just how big The Phantom of the Opera really is.
What is ‘The Phantom of the Opera’?
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The Phantom of the Opera began its life as a novel written by Gaston Leroux in 1909, and the character would become one of the classic Universal Monsters for Universal Studios after being portrayed by Lon Chaney in the 1925 film of the same name, cementing The Phantom as a horror icon.
While there would be many different interpretations of the story for stage and screen, including a 1976 musical written by Ken Hill, the 1986 Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber would take the world by storm. Directed by Harold Prince and starring Michael Crawford as The Phantom, Sarah Brightman as Christine Daaé, and Steve Barton as Raoul, the musical earned seven Tony Awards, including Best Actor for Crawford and Best Musical.
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The story follows the disfigured Phantom who haunts the depths of The Paris Opera House. Soon, he falls in love with the talented soprano Christine Daaé, teaching her to sing and making her his protegé. However, she falls in love with her childhood friend Raoul, leading to passion, jealousy, and murder.
Despite the popularity of the initial stage show, future adaptations and sequels would never match the same levels of success. A film adaptation released in 2004 directed by Joel Schumacher starring Emmy Rossum as Christine Daaé, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, and Gerard Butler as The Phantom. A sequel called Love Never Dies (2010) became a notorious flop, never making it to Broadway. Hopefully, the roller coaster will fare better than either of these.
What musical would you like to see turned into a roller coaster? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!