The Phantom of the Opera at 40: LW Entertainment’s Kerry Fox-Long on expanding the brand

Kerry, welcome! LW Entertainment recently announced a raft of licensing ventures for The Phantom of the Opera as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. To start with, tell me about the books…
Our publishing partnership with Penguin Random House is an exciting step in expanding Phantom of the Opera beyond the stage and into innovative narrative formats that meet audiences where they are today. This September, we’re launching a Young Adult programme beginning with Our Strange Duet by New York Times, number one bestselling author Erin A. Craig…

This reimagines the story from Christine’s perspective. What’s particularly compelling is that it brings greater emotional depth and agency to a character audiences already feel deeply connected to, while opening the door for entirely new fans to discover the story in a new format. From a licensing perspective, it’s about building a storytelling ecosystem. Books let us extend the brand universe, explore character backstories and create ongoing engagement that complements the theatrical experience rather than replicates it.

Great answer! Thank you. It feels like a logical extension, but somehow quite bold at the same time! How did the idea come about?
This is exactly the balance we’re aiming for, Deej! Something that feels authentic to the brand but evolves and expands our storytelling. We’ve always wanted to expand the story-world of Phantom, so publishing felt like the perfect way to do that. Our author – Erin – is the perfect partner. She studied theatre at university and previously worked as a stage manager and Phantom was the show which got her into theatre when she was younger.

At LW Entertainment, we’re thinking long term about how Phantom – and our other brands – evolve into a multi-generational franchise. Publishing is a natural fit because the Phantom story has always had strong literary roots… The boldness, though, comes from how we approach it, specifically targeting younger audiences and giving them an entry point that feels culturally relevant.

You also have a clothing range with Uniqlo. What are some of the highlights there?
We’re thrilled to be working globally with Uniqlo, who are an early adopter of our licensing programme. They immediately understood the potential of musical theatre brands to resonate with audiences like Gen Z and Alpha. The partnership is a great demonstration of how Phantom translates in the fashion space with the classic iconic storytelling graphics and lyrics translating beautifully.

For us, this wonderful partnership is also about fashion reach. Uniqlo has an incredible global footprint with over 2,500 stores in key locations that align to where we are live with productions in 2026, our 40th celebratory year, making it a perfect match between where our young fashion-conscious fans are and where Uniqlo customers are.

Similarly, your partnership with Qubic Pictures sounds fascinating. What made you want to explore the brand with anime?
Anime gives us a completely new visual and emotional language to explore the story, allowing us to lean into the gothic, romantic and dark fantasy elements of Phantom in a way that feels very natural to that medium.

Strategically, it also opens the door to new global audiences. It’s about meeting fans in different spaces and formats, while staying true to the core DNA of the brand. Both anime and musical theatre are fandom-driven in their own right… Together, the sky’s the limit!

What other directions might you like to take the brand in?
We’re really thinking holistically about Phantom as a 360-degree entertainment property. That spans from music and immersive experiences to digital content, gaming and further consumer products in new places and spaces. The key is creating multiple touchpoints so audiences can engage with the story in ways that suit them, whether that’s seeing a production, reading a novel, wearing the brand, or experiencing it in a completely new format but with musical theatre firmly at the heart of what we do.

We also recognise that there are many different pathways into awareness. Not everyone will encounter Phantom through a live show first. By offering a range of entry points, we can meet audiences where they are, with the ultimate goal of bringing them closer to the core theatrical experience. Importantly, it’s not about doing everything… It’s about doing the right things with the right partners and ensuring every extension feels additive, true to the brand and high quality.

“Additive, true to the brand and high quality…” Great answer, thank you. And why do you suppose Phantom remains so enormously popular after 40 years?
At its heart, it’s a timeless story about love, identity, obsession and belonging – themes that resonate across generations. The music, the visuals, the scale: what’s remarkable is that it creates an experience that stays with people for a lifetime.

It also offers plenty of scope for development and reinvention outside of the iconic original production, with new interpretations such as Masquerade in New York, our bold new immersive production. That balance between consistency and reinvention is key to its longevity, and a huge part of that is down to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s openness to letting the work be reimagined in different formats while protecting what makes it so distinctive.

To start wrapping things up, I’m curious to know: how did you come to be doing what you do, Kerry?
With over 20 years in the licensing industry, I’ve built my career driving growth for some of the world’s most iconic brands, alongside the some of the most talented specialists in the business and brand partnerships. I started on the licensee side, working with Disney across their core IP portfolio, before moving into licensor roles at some of the biggest Global Entertainment studios.

That journey led me to Disney’s EMEA team, where I spent a decade delivering growth across the franchise portfolio in multiple markets. Most recently as EMEA Director at Warner Bros. Discovery, for almost another decade, continuing to scale the consumer products business into new spaces, unlocking new opportunities across the region with another iconic franchise portfolio.

Today, I’m excited to bring that experience to LW Entertainment as Global Head of Licensing, Consumer Products. Having worked across a broad range of brand portfolios and product categories, I’m passionate about building best in class partnerships and driving sustained growth, to bring exceptional products to audiences around the world, whether they are visiting the theatre, at retail – physical and ecomm – all while staying true to our franchise IP DNA. It’s a truly unique opportunity that I am loving, and I’m surrounded by a wonderfully passionate team as we continue to break new ground on stage and off stage.

Wonderful. Thank you. And finally, then, Kerry, what’s the one question I could’ve asked you about today but didn’t? And what’s the answer?
You could have asked: are we actually looking at the emergence of a new licensing category? And I would say… Yes, we are. A Brand Untapped!

Ha! Love it! And why do you feel that’s the case?
Musical theatre hasn’t traditionally been approached as a fully realised licensing category in the same way as film, TV or gaming. What we’re doing with Phantom is helping to define what that looks like at scale… Building a cohesive strategy across publishing, consumer products categories immersive, digital and screen-based formats, demonstrating that theatrical IP can operate as a global, multi-platform franchise too.

In that sense, it’s not just about celebrating 40 years of Phantom. It’s about shaping the future of how theatre brands live and grow beyond the stage, setting the future path. I simply love connecting fans and creating great products and partnerships whilst deepening the emotional connection to stories.