The awe which surrounded Anthony Warlow's career-breaking role as The Phantom of the Opera has returned ahead of the show's opening in Melbourne tomorrow.
    It has been 17 years since Warlow last trod Australian boards in the famous half-mask.
    Already in full flight after nightly preview performances since last Thursday, the new version of The Phantom is the year's most anticipated musical.
    Warlow's return to the role which made him famous in 1990, aged 28, has already gone down as a great moment in Australia's theatre history.
    Since his breakthrough in the role, Warlow has performed his own music and performed some of theatre's most significant roles, from Henry Higgins and Daddy Warbucks to lead roles in classic operas La Boheme and Tosca.
    The Phantom will play at the Princess Theatre until December 16.