Video: Backstage at Phantom of the Opera in Leeds

The crew behind the lavish production has been working 24 hours a day since arriving in Leeds ahead of tonight’s grand opening – complete with 22 wagon loads of equipment.

Carpenters, electricians and engineers have been feverishly working backstage since Sunday to prepare the theatre for the touring show, which costs a massive £200,000 to move every time it goes to a new venue.

Several pieces of equipment, including the show’s famous opera box, must be brought into the theatre in whole pieces, so an enormous amount of planning goes into the operation.

The show’s deputy production manager Spencer New said: “The tour is definitely a logistical challenge and each venue is completely different to the last.

“We’ve spent weeks studying the technical drawings of the theatre and we visited the venue 10 times to make sure that we knew everything about the venue so that when we came in, there would be no nasty surprises.

“Every piece of equipment we have is always the same, but every venue is different and that’s what keeps the job interesting.

“With each venue we go to, we’re faced with a totally different set of challenges and our job is to solve those challenges.”

Issues faced by The Phantom Of The Opera’s production team included the Grand’s sloped stage, known in the theatre industry as “raked”.

To level it out, the team had to commission what is known as an “anti-rake” to fit the exact measurements of the stage.

The anti-rake is made out of metal which is then recycled after the show, as it cannot be used by the team at any other theatre due its specific measurements.

Had the opera box not fitted into the theatre, the crew would have been forced to take it apart – but thankfully, the backstage doors were just wide enough.

Everything related to the Cameron Mackintosh production is brought in by the show team, right down to the ironing boards and irons for the costumes.

Some of the sets arrived ready-built, while others – including the rotating “curved wall” – had to be put together by workers when they arrived on site.

Many sets were built by architects and firms involved in the opening ceremony of the Olympics nearly a fortnight ago.

Production manager Chris Boone said: “All we require from the theatres we visit is a bit of power, the stage and a few seats.

“Everything else is brought in, even the washing machines, ironing boards and fridges.”

One of the most talked-about elements of the production is the chandelier, which has temporarily replaced the huge crystal globe that normally hangs above the theatre’s audience.

The Grand’s general manager Ian Syme believes the Victorian venue is “perfect”, adding: “There were major discussions about the chandelier but actually, the one up now is not too dissimilar to the original. People could be mistaken for thinking it’s the original chandelier but this new one hides a lot of special effects.

“It was a major, major issue but we’re a theatre – a really exciting environment where we can make those changes to create something really special that people will remember.”

The Phantom Of The Opera, which stars John Owen-Jones as the Phantom and Katie Hall as Christine, has travelled to Plymouth, Manchester, Bristol and Dublin before arriving in Leeds, the only Yorkshire stop on the nationwide tour.

And despite tonight’s opening show expected to be a hit with theatre-goers, Chris and Spencer will be watching from the wings, looking at how things can be improved for next month’s run in Edinburgh. Spencer added: “It’s very satisfying to see the show come to life but we’re always seeing something we can improve on. It’s a great job and I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

The Phantom Of The Opera runs in Leeds until September 15. For tickets, priced from £13 to £55, call 0844 848 2700 or visit www.leedsgrandtheatre.com.