Ben Elton
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Ben Elton has been named as the book writer of the forthcoming sequel to
The Phantom of the Opera, marking his first collaboration with composer/impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber since the football-themed musical,
The Beautiful Game.
Elton joins already-announced lyricist Glenn Slater (
Sister Act), director Jack O'Brien (
Hairspray), and designer Bob Crowley (
Aida, Tarzan) in the venture, which is expected to offer a teaser of its wares at Lloyd Webber's forthcoming Sydmonton Festival this summer prior to a workshop in the fall.
Elton is the author of such West End plays as
Silly Cow, Popcorn, and
Gasping and is represented by the ongoing Queen-inspired musical hit
We Will Rock You. His involvement in the
Phantom sequel, which continues to lack an agreed-upon title, follows early talk about the involvement of novelist Fredrick Forsyth, who has since moved on.
The show perpetuates the billion-dollar phenomenon
The Phantom of the Opera, which remains one of the most successful cultural artefacts in any genre, reportedly bypassing in total revenue the film
Titanic. Word is that the musical is set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, though any further details remain sketchy.