Ramin Karimloo: It feels like I'm going on stage in The Phantom again

You’ve played the Phantom in the original production of The Phantom of the Opera as well as in its sequel, Love Never Dies. What does this 25th-anniversary production mean to you?
The whole thing with this 25th production is that it lengthened my association with the role. I didn’t actually do that many performances in the West End production, unlike other long-standing Phantoms who have been with the show for so long. I did one contract for each incarnation – the original, and Love Never Dies. This production is the gift that keeps on giving in many ways, but more importantly it’s the love I have for the show that keeps on giving. It’s something I am extremely proud to be a part of. That stage is full of my friends, full of people I look up to and still look up to, and everyone there is celebrating Phantom. This show has inspired so many people.

What is it about the musical that people love and keep coming back to?
It’s the perfect creative marriage – it has a glorious score and Andrew knows how to make a tune that sticks with you. Then you have Hal Prince’s staging, Gillian Lynne’s choreography and Maria Bjornson’s design. Everything is simple. We always try to overcomplicate theatre, but they just had simple beauty with a story that is actually not that complicated. And you’re involved. You don’t have to overthink it. You are enraptured. There are so many great moments in the show.

What does the filmed version of the show offer that the live one might not?
The way they have filmed it, you would never see some of the moments live. There is a lot to take in with live theatre and that is why people come back so many times, as they get to see different things. But with the way they have edited this, you follow the story so well. I am really proud of this specific production. Right after that show finished, I could not give you one standout memory [about being in it]. But now it’s been 10 years, I relive it through people who see the filmed version and tell me about it on social media. I feel like, with all the hype behind it now ahead of tonight’s streaming, I am about to go on stage with it again. It’s incredible.