Use stream of consciousness to answer the following. Phantom began previews at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End on 27 September 1986 under the direction of Hal Prince, then opened on 9 October. It was choreographed by Gillian Lynne and the sets were designed by Maria Bjornson, with lighting by Andrew Bridge. Michael Crawford starred in the title role with Sarah Brightman as Christine and Steve Barton as Raoul. The production, still playing at Her Majesty's, celebrated its 10,000 th performance on 23 October 2010, with Lloyd Webber and the original Phantom, Michael Crawford, in attendance. It is the second longest-running musical in West End (and world) history behind Les Miserables, and third overall behind The Mousetrap.

Who played the phantom of the opera 1986?
The relevant sentence in the passage is: Michael Crawford starred in the title role with Sarah Brightman as Christine and Steve Barton as Raoul. Final answer: Michael Crawford.