First created by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1986, The Phantom of the Opera is now more than just a musical - it is an institution.

The show transferred to Broadway's Majestic Theater in 1988 and has remained there ever since, winning more than 50 awards and overtaking Cats as New York's longest-running show ever in 2006.

It is also officially the most successful piece of entertainment of all time, which is quite a feat given the thousands of films and stage productions that have been created in the years after Phantom.

There can be few travelers to New York hotels who do not know the story, but it centers around beautiful opera singer Christine, who becomes the object of obsessive affection from the mysterious, shadowy Phantom who lives beneath the Paris Opera House.

The Phantom flies into a jealous rage when he sees Christine with Raoul - her childhood playmate and a rival for her affections - and kidnaps him, telling Christine he will only release the man if she promises to stay with the Phantom forever.

Will Christine escape, or will she be forced to live the same reclusive life as the disfigured 'opera ghost'?

The Phantom of the Opera is performed every day except Saturday and the venue can be reached on foot from the Millennium Broadway Hotel New York in less than five minutes.