Alumnus performs in Broadway tour of 'Phantom of the Opera'

Laureen Vigil’s upcoming visit to Tempe will not be her first. The ASU alumnus and opera singer received her master’s degree in music in 1988 and has since returned to the Tempe campus three times as a cast member in the “Phantom of the Opera” Broadway tour – a tour she has been part of for 14 of its 17 years.

Vigil credits her experience at ASU as having helped her navigate a successful career in theater.

“My experience at ASU was tremendous, and it helped set me up in New York,” she says. “I couldn’t have had a better opportunity.

“It’s hard to make a living in opera,” says the self-described working soprano. “My voice is suited for opera, but I have a passion for music theater. ‘Phantom’ is the perfect crossover piece for opera singers who are interested in music theater.”

The 23-year-old acclaimed musical, created and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, tells the haunting story of the beautiful singer, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius known as the Phantom of the Opera. The show’s U.S. tour opened in Seattle in December of 1992, and it already is the longest-running Broadway show in history after celebrating its recent milestone of more than 9,000 performances on a stage that has stretched from London to Budapest to Nagoya, Japan.

ASU Gammage is pleased to open its doors once again for theatergoers to experience the "music of the night" beginning Oct. 28 and lasting through Nov. 22.

Vigil’s extensive time with the show has made it difficult for her to pinpoint a favorite city in which she has performed. After having lived in New York for 10 years along with nearly every corner of the world for anywhere from five to eight weeks, she says that Vancouver is her favorite Canadian city and Orlando, Fla., home to Mickey Mouse, is among her favorite American cities.

“I’m a Disney kid,” she says. “But I love to travel and find out what is wonderful about every city. I love to say that I know my favorite restaurant in 80 different cities.”

To see the ASU alumnus and Broadway veteran perform in the “Phantom of the Opera” at ASU Gammage, visit asugammage.com or call the box office at (480) 965-3434 to purchase tickets or to find out more information.