Risk averse? Opera Australia pick The Phantom of the Opera for Sydney Harbour’s 2026 season

• Opera Australia has announced ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ for the 2026 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour season.
• The legendary musical first played as part of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour in 2022.
• Is Opera Australia playing it safe with these big-name musicals?
• READ MORE: Kevin Hart is bringing the laughs to Sydney with a new tour.

Opera Australia always goes for the big guns when it comes to Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, the one-of-one customisable floating stage that pops up from late March to late April each year.

This 2025 season saw Guys & Dolls revived for the occasion, previous years have run through sure-shots like West Side Story and Madame Butterfly, and Opera Australia have now announced none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera for Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2026.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is unimpeachable as far as Sydney’s most notable Autumn offerings; one of the few happenings on Sydney Harbour that fully maximises its beauty, using the bountiful vista from Mrs Macquarie’s Point as a backdrop for this elaborate floating stage and those spectacular nightly fireworks.

The Phantom of the Opera is a safe choice for an iconic stage

The downside of having such a popular seasonal stage is that the productions need to be big, elaborate and poppy, hosting major appeal for both the theatregoing crowd while also pulling in those who “aren’t usually into musicals.” The production is expensive, so Opera Australia needs something with mass appeal.

This is only possible with those big, mass-market household names; the legendary musicals that have seen dozens of iterations across decades and have gone on to define the art of the stage show.

And so I felt not shock, whatsoever, when the presser landed in my inbox earlier today. “Opera Australia today announced the return season of the world’s most successful musicals, The Phantom of the Opera, to the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage in 2026, kicking off the iconic show’s 40th anniversary celebrations in spectacular style.”

Yes. It’s been 40 years since Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most famous screenplay made it to London’s West End, premiering at Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1986, two years before it then went on to dominate Broadway.

Between then and now, The Phantom of the Opera has played to more than 160 million people in 205 cities across 58 territories, conceived in 21 languages to become one of the most widely viewed and acclaimed musicals in history.

Based on Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Le Fantôme de L’Opéra, The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with a young soprano, Christine Daaé, and devotes himself to nurturing her extraordinary talents, employing all of the devious methods at his command.

Sydney to make history for Phantom of the Opera fans

Success is very much a given as Lloyd Webber’s masterwork celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026. The Phantom of the Opera, which has already played at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour in 2022, arrives on the stage as one of several global celebrations planned for the production’s milestone. In fact, Sydney has been chosen to kick the whole thing off, with the milestone celebrations commencing with the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2026 season.

“We’re honoured to be playing such a prominent role in the 40th anniversary global celebrations for this iconic musical, in the same year that OA is marking its own significant milestone with its 70th anniversary,” said Opera Australia’s Acting CEO Simon Militano.

“Our spectacular staging of The Phantom of the Opera, with its magical setting on Sydney Harbour, and the sweeping gothic romance and unforgettable music, all combines to create a fantastic showcase of OA’s artistic excellence, and an event not to be missed.”

Director and Dramaturg Simon Phillips will see his version of The Phantom of the Opera light up the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage from Friday, March 27 to Sunday, April 26, 2026. Phillips, whose most recent work includes a musical adaptation of legendary Australian TV show Round the Twist, also helmed the production when Opera Australia hosted it on their epic floating stage in 2022.

How to get tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour

Opera Australia only announced the 2026 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour season earlier today, July 18, so you’ve got a nice buffer between now and when tickets go on sale.

You’ll be able to score tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour as subscription packages become available from Tuesday, August 5. Single-performance presale tickets will be on sale from Tuesday, August 26 while a general sale is scheduled for Tuesday, September 2.

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2026

Where: Fleet Steps Rd, Sydney NSW 2000
When: Opens Friday, March 27, 2026

opera.org.au