The Phantom of the Opera is there, on Sydney Harbour

With Opera Australia's Handa Opera production on Sydney Harbour opening Friday, the tunes of the Phantom will soon be earworms for a fresh audience.

Ahead of opening night, 70,000 tickets have been booked with five shows sold out and the season extended to five weeks.

The show is already the most successful Handa Opera production in the 15 years the event has been running.

The previous Handa Opera box office record was - of course - set by Phantom during its first run on the harbour in 2022.

The 2026 production is directed by musical theatre maestro Simon Phillips, and stars Jake Lyle as The Phantom, soprano Amy Manford in her signature role of Christine, and Jarrod Draper as Raoul.