The 1925 silent horror classic thrills new generations of fans with film composer Roy Budd's lush symphonic score, performed live by the LA Opera Orchestra   at the United Theater on Broadway.

(Los Angeles) September 30, 2025 — This Halloween, LA Opera's hugely popular annual celebration of horror and live music at the breathtaking United Theater on Broadway features a special treat for movie and music lovers of all ages: the iconic silent film The Phantom of the Opera, celebrating the 100th anniversary of its premiere. As the horror classic plays out on the silver screen, audiences will hear a gorgeous score created in 1993 by the celebrated film composer Roy Budd. The score will be played live by the magnificent musicians of the LA Opera Orchestra under the baton of conductor Frank Strobel, who has played a leading role in bringing film concerts into leading opera houses and concert halls.

There will be two screenings, taking place on October 30 and 31, and the audience is invited to come in costume.

Click here to download images from the film and photos of the theater. Click here for B-roll of the United Theater on Broadway.

The Story
Behind the scenes of the Paris Opera, a mysterious phantom lurks in the shadows, scheming to provide a breakthrough for an up-and-coming young singer, Christine. He terrorizes the opera house until she is finally given a coveted leading role. But the phantom cannot win her heart, which belongs to a dashing nobleman. In despair, he abducts the young soprano, taking her to a hidden lair deep within the circuitous catacombs of the building. Peril awaits anyone daring enough to attempt to rescue her.

The Film
Premiering in 1925, the film was based on a 1910 gothic horror novel by Gaston Leroux. The film stars Lon Chaney, the "Man of the Thousand Faces," who devised his own ghastly makeup. Mary Philbin co-stars as soprano Christine Daaé, the target of the phantom's obsession. The scene where Christine unmasks the phantom, revealing his disfigured face for the first time, is celebrated as one of the most famous sequences in film history, just as shocking to today's audiences as it was a century ago. The Library of Congress added The Phantom of the Opera to the National Film Registry collection of films selected for preservation for their cultural, historical and aesthetic significance.

The Score
Before the sound era launched with The Jazz Singer in 1927, silent films were often released with musical scores intended to be performed live by pianists, organists or, occasionally, orchestras. The Phantom of the Opera was originally released to theaters with a score, now lost, created by Joseph Carl Breil.

Completed in 1993, The Phantom of the Opera was the last score written by celebrated British film composer Roy Budd. He had loved the film since he was a child and had always dreamed of writing music for the iconic film. In 1993, he did just that, completing his monumental, romantic, anguished score. Just weeks before the composition’s scheduled premiere at the Barbican, he died from a brain hemorrhage at the tragically early age of 46, and the performance was cancelled. The score was eventually first performed live in 2017 at the London Coliseum.

Budd was a brilliant jazz musician whose numerous film scores include the 1971 Michael Caine gangster film Get Carter. With The Phantom of the Opera, he reinvented himself with a thematically rich score in the romantic tradition, with detailed orchestration. The main theme, presented by an organ at the beginning, reflects the morbid romanticism of the story. This theme, which reappears in different forms throughout the film, is both dark and hauntingly beautiful, like a variation on the famous opening of Tristan und Isolde. Budd's Phantom score is considered his masterpiece. Composer John Williams wrote "this is indeed his greatest achievement, written with compassion and nobility.“

Performance Dates, Times and Address
There will be two presentations of The Phantom of the Opera with Live Orchestra at the United Theater on Broadway, located at 929 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015:

• Thursday, October 30, 2025, at 8pm
• Friday, October 31, 2025, at 8pm

Tickets
Tickets begin at $66 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at LAOpera.org, by phone at 213.972.8001, or in person at the LA Opera box office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012). For disability access, call 213.972.0777 or email LAOpera@LAOpera.org.

More information about the presentation is available at LAOpera.org/Phantom.

About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.

In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects initiative offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reaches people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. Learn more at LAOpera.org.

About the United Theater on Broadway
This magnificent Spanish Gothic movie palace (most recently known as the Theatre at Ace Hotel) is located in the historic United Artists building in downtown Los Angeles. Built in 1927 for the maverick film studio, the theater stands as monuments to a group of seminal American artists pushing out on their own.

LA Opera Media Contact
Marlene Meraz
Director of Communications
mmeraz@laopera.org
213.972.7554

Off Grand productions are supported by a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders

LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by Terri and Jerry Kohl

An EFPI FilmPhilharmonie presentation

Film courtesy of FPA Classics

Music courtesy of Roy Budd/Mishka Music Ltd.

LA Opera is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community.