The Phantom
of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history, is set to close in
February, 2023. A quintessential 1980s Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera
debuted on stage in New York on January 26, 1988, a good two years after it had
premiered in London. One of the world’s most popular musicals, it was the
legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber who put The Phantom of the Opera to tune.

Webber’s
greatness in Broadway is unmatched. He was not only the man behind The Phantom
of the Opera, but also Cats and Starlight Express, two other Broadway classics.
Despite his immense success, a serious accusation weighs on Webber to this day –
that of plagiarism.

Roger
Waters, one of the founding members of the legendary British band Pink Floyd,
had once called Andrew Lloyd Webber a ‘plagiarist’. This is because, according
to Waters, the title track of The Phantom of the Opera is incredibly close to
the 23-minute Pink Floyd song Echoes that came out in 1971.

Also Read | The Phantom of the Opera to close; here are top 5 longest-running Broadway shows

The Phantom
of the Opera, which came out in 1986, begins on the iconic riff, often played
using a church organ, that initiates the track. It is this riff that Roger
Waters has claimed is a direct rip off of the Pink Floyd song, using the time
signature to the same devastating effect, according to Far Out, a London-based
online culture magazine.

“It’s the
same time signature – it’s 12/8 – and then it’s the same structure,” Waters has
said, adding, “and it’s the same notes, and it’s the same everything.”

“It
probably is actionable…But I think that life’s too long to bother with suing
Andrew f*cking Lloyd Webber,” Waters has been quoted saying.

Roger
Waters, born September 6, 1943, was a cofounder of the progressive rock band Pink
Floyd. Initially a bassist, Waters became the band’s lyricist, co-lead vocalist
and conceptual leader after the departure of singer songwriter Syd Barrett.