It seems that opera is a populist art form after all. The world’s most famous opera house, La Scala in Milan, has announced that it will present a new production of the most successful show of the century, the musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Speaking from Milan, Lloyd-Webber said: "I`m flattered and honoured that La Scala has asked me to produce their own version of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. It will be fantastic to have it sung in Italian.”

The production will be performed in the summer of 2003 in a new opera house being built by the company and will be sung in Italian with a full-scale chorus and an orchestra of 80. It is also likely that the composer will write an additional song for the new production. This will be the first time the work has ever been performed outside of the ‘Really Useful Group’.

Lloyd Webber said: "It is a fantastic opportunity that I have never been able to enjoy in a musical theatre. It is the first time that this has happened with any of my works apart from occasional pieces like the ‘Requiem Mass’."

Responding to possible criticism from opera purists, Lloyd Webber said: "I never thought there was any difference between opera and musicals that are well written. At the end of the day music theatre is music theatre. It either works for an audience or it doesn`t. ‘Phantom’ has always had more interest from the opera community than anything else I have written. When we choose the character Christine she must always be opera-trained. ‘Phantom’ makes more use of opera voices than any of my other works.”

The musical, written for the singer Sarah Brightman in 1986, has been the composer`s most successful work and has taken more than £1.82 billion at box offices around the world - making it the most profitable live entertainment work ever. There are currently 25 productions of the show in ten countries.

It was announced earlier this month that the film version of the musical will star Antonio Banderas in the title role and be written for the screen by Ben Elton, with whom the composer is currently working with on his latest production, ‘Beautiful Game’, which opens in September.