THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1986 MUSICAL)

'''The Phantom of the Opera''' is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the novel by French novelist Gaston Leroux. The music was composed by Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe.
The musical focuses on a beautiful singer, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius known as "The Phantom of the Opera," who terrorizes the Paris Opera.
Inspired by an earlier musical version of the same story by Ken Hill, "Phantom" opened at Her Majesty's Theatre in London on October 9, 1986, where it is still playing as of 2007. The original cast included Michael Crawford (the Phantom), Sarah Brightman (Christine), and Steve Barton (Raoul), all of whom reprised their roles in the Broadway production at the Majestic Theatre. It is now the longest-running Broadway musical of all time, breaking the record held by Lloyd Webber's ''Cats'' on January 9, 2006 with its 7,486th performance.³.
With worldwide gross of US $3.3 billion, total worldwide box office takings of over £1.8bn ($3.2bn).^[1], and an attendance of 80 million, it is the highest-grossing entertainment event of all time.^[2] The New York production alone has played to an attendance of eleven million people and grossed US $600 million, making it the most financially successful Broadway show in history.^2[3]
Despite early negative reviews, including a pan by Frank Rich of the ''New York Times'', both the New York and London productions are still running today. In a sign of its continuing popularity the ''Phantom'' came in second in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals".^[4]

Contents

Development

Lyricists

Other productions

Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular

Major Characters

Synopsis

Song list

Act One

Act Two

Recordings

Sequel

See also

Notes

External links

Development

Lyricists

Lloyd Webber approached Jim Steinman to write the lyrics because of his "dark obsessive side", but the writer/producer declined in order to fulfil his commitments on a Bonnie Tyler album.^[5]
Richard Stilgoe wrote lyrics for the production. However, the composer felt that Stilgoe's lyrics were too witty and clever, rather than romantic. Charles Hart was invited to rewrite the lyrics. Some of Stilgoe's original contributions are still present in the final version.^[6]

Other productions

Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of the Opera'' has been translated into several languages and produced in over twenty countries on six continents. With one exception, these productions have all been "clones," i.e., they use the original staging, direction, sets and costume concepts.^[7]

★ Australia: 2007, Melbourne, starring Anthony Warlow.

★ Austria: The German language production premiered at the Theater an der Wien on December 20, 1988.^[8]

★ Belgium: The Dutch production toured to Belgium.

★ Brazil: São Paulo, premiered at Teatro Abril on April 22, 2005. Starring Saulo Vasconcelos as the Phantom, Sara Sarres as Christine and Nando Prado as Raoul.

★ Canada: The Toronto production of ''Phantom'' ran for just over ten years. The Music Box Tour (3rd U.S. National Tour) played dates across Canada in 2006-2007 including Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Ottawa.

★ Canadian International Touring Company: March 11, 1991 - October 1995 toured Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, Hong Kong and Singapore

★ China: The Shanghai production played 97 performances at the Grand Theatre

★ Denmark: Det Ny Teater, Copenhagen.

★ Germany: There have been three German productions, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Essen. German phantom Thomas Schulze played the title role in the Hamburg and Stuttgart productions, Ian Jon Bourg played the the title role in Hamburg, Stuttgart and Essen productions.

★ Hong Kong: First tour - at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre June to October 1995; Second tour - 11 Jul to 12 Aug 2006 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre.

★ Hungary: Madách Theatre, Budapest. This production, which began in 2003, featured original sets, costumes and direction. It is the only ''Phantom'' that has ever been permitted to change the original staging.⁷

★ Japan: Shiki Productions produced the show in 1988, making it the first production performed in a language other than English. It is still running in Tokyo, Japan, as of January 15, 2007.

★ Korea

★ Mexico: Mexico City, premiered at Centro Cultural Telmex on December 16, 1999. Starring Juan Navarro as the Phantom, Irasema Terrazas as Christine and José Joel as Raoul.

★ The Netherlands: At the Circus Theatre in Scheveningen

★ New Zealand: Auckland

★ Russia (Rumoured premiere in 2009.)

★ South Africa: 2004, Cape Town.

★ Sweden: Oscarsteatern, Stockholm.

★ Spain: Madrid, premiered at Teatro Lope de Vega on September 4, 2002. Starring Luis Amando as the Phantom, Felicidad Farag as Christine and Armando Pita as Raoul.

★ Switzerland: The German productions toured to Switzerland.

★ Taiwan: began on Jan. 18 2006 at Taipei Arena.
Two touring companies of ''The Phantom of the Opera'' are currently on the road; one in the United States and Canada; the other in Southeast Asia.
A film version, starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, and Minnie Driver as Carlotta, was released in December 2004 .

Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular

An edited, 95-minute, intermission-less version of the show, renamed ''Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular'' opened at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas on June 24, 2006. This production, which was directed by original director Harold Prince and choreographer Gillian Lynne,with scenic designs byDavid Rockwell, features state-of-the art technology and effects, and a $40 million, 80-foot-diameter custom-built theater made to look like the Paris Opera House.^[9]The updated effects include a giant version of the infamous chandelier, composed of four separate pieces rigged to fly together and assemble in mid-air during the overture, as well as advanced pyrotechnics and strobe lighting. Almost every song from the original production was left intact (except Past the Point of No Return which was shortened), but the producers saved time by cutting some dialogue (eg "keep your hand at the level of your eyes" lines deleted), some dance sequences, the twenty-minute intermission to bring the show length down from the original two hours and twenty minutes, and the scene in which the cast is practicing Don Juan Triumphant has been omitted. It is modelled more so after the film version, with the chandelier crash occurring after Past the Point of No Return instead of after the All I Ask of You reprise.^[10]

Major Characters

★ 'The Phantom of the Opera' (tenor/baritone) — Facially deformed since birth, the Phantom is a genius composer and musician who hides behind a white mask and is known to the managers and actors as the "Opera Ghost". We know from the list of Dramatis personæ that his name is Erik.

★ 'Christine Daaé' (soprano) — A Swedish chorus girl at the Opéra Populaire, and the daughter of a prominent violinist. Although talented, she lacks focus until the Phantom takes her under his wing and teaches her to sing.

★ 'Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny' (tenor/baritone) — The patron of the Opéra Populaire and a childhood sweetheart of Christine's, they meet again after he recognizes her singing at the Opéra.

★ 'Carlotta Giudicelli' (soprano) — The Opéra's leading diva who becomes jealous of Christine after her great success.

★ 'Madame Giry' (mezzo-soprano) — The Opéra's ballet mistress, and the Phantom's "spokeswoman", who delivers his notes to the managers.

★ 'Meg Giry' (mezzo-soprano) — Madame Giry's daughter, a member of the ballet chorus, and Christine's friend.

★ 'Monsieur Richard Firmin' (baritone) — The grouchy manager of the Opéra Populaire.

★ 'Monsieur Gilles André' (baritone) — The flighty manager of the Opéra Populaire.

★ 'Ubaldo Piangi' (tenor) — The Opéra's leading tenor, Carlotta Giudicelli's husband. In the Hungarian non-replica version of the musical the character's first name is Umberto instead of Ubaldo.

★ 'Joseph Buquet' (baritone/bass) — The Opéra's chief stagehand, who knows something about the Phantom's identity.

★ 'Monsieur Reyer' (spoken role) — The Opéra's chief repetitor, or director.

★ 'Monsieur Lefèvre' (spoken role) — The previous owner of the Opéra Populaire, who sells the theatre to Firmin and André.^[11]

Synopsis

;Prologue
At the Opera Populaire in Paris in 1911, an auction is underway. Set pieces from the old theatre are being sold. Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, purchases a monkey music box. Lot 666 is then up, which is an old chandelier. The auctioneer mentions that the chandelier was involved in the "strange affair of the Phantom of the Opera, a mystery never fully explained." He illuminates the chandelier and it rises to the ceiling of the theatre (Overture).
;Act I
At the Opera Populaire, years earlier, a rehearsal for ''Hannibal'' is underway. Monsieur Lefevre, the owner,announces that he has sold the theatre to two new managers, Monsieurs Firmin and André. They observe two of the ballet dancers, Meg Giry and her friend, Christine Daaé, with some curiosity. Carlotta, the resident diva, demands that they should look at her and not the dancing girls and tries to leave. To keep her from leaving, André asks her to sing an aria ("Think of Me"). She agrees, but in the middle of the song, a backdrop suddenly falls dangerously close to her. The company blames the accident on the Opera Ghost. Carlotta has dealt with such incidents for several years, and that she has no desire to continue. She quits, taking Piangi with her. The managers lament having to cancel the show, but Meg quickly suggests that they consider Christine. Reluctantly, the managers agree. Christine starts her song tentatively, but eventually impresses the entire company with her voice and is given the role.
The managers and Raoul look on from the stage box during a performance. Raoul is particularly impressed; he remembers Christine from their childhood ("Think of Me (continued)"). After the performance, Madame Giry praises Christine and castigates the ballet girls, forcing them to practice into the night. The Phantom's voice in the distance commends Christine on that night's performance. Later, Meg sneaks away from the rehearsal to find Christine outside her dressing room. She expresses her delight in her friend's change of fortune, but wonders how it came about. Christine tells Meg that the Angel of Music has been tutoring her in singing during the night. She thinks this Angel is an angel sent by her father. The two discuss the issue ("Angel of Music") until Madame Giry arrives to retrieve Meg and deliver a note from Raoul.
The managers bring Raoul to Christine's dressing room. She is pleased to see him, and reminisces with him ("Little Lotte"). She tells him about the Angel of Music. He invites her to dinner, but she declines because the Angel of Music is very strict, and would be angry. When Raoul leaves, the Phantom sings to Christine about his displeasure that Raoul is trying to court her ("Angel of Music/The Mirror"). Christine pleads for his forgiveness and begs the Phantom to show himself. He complies, revealing himself behind Christine's mirror. The Phantom takes Christine behind the mirror. The Phantom brings Christine through a series of underground tunnels to his lair ("The Phantom of the Opera"), where he entreats her to sing for him. He Serenades her and she faints ("Music of the Night").
The next morning, Christine sees the Phantom bent over his organ, composing ("I Remember..."). She pulls back his mask and is horrified by his deformed appearance. The Phantom chases her about the lair. He challenges her to look at his face and in the end they finally both fall to the ground in tears. Sobbing, the Phantom tries to explain that he only wants to be like everyone else, and that he hopes she will learn to love him in spite of his face. She returns his mask and the two have a moment of understanding before he returns her to the surface. The two exit ("Stranger than You Dreamt It"). As the Phantom and Christine sneak back into the theatre, Joseph Buquet regales the ballet girls with terrible tales of the mysterious Opera Ghost ("Magical Lasso").
In the managers' office, Firmin, Andre, Raoul and Carlotta puzzle over several cryptic notes they have received from the "Opera Ghost". They all blame each other for the various notes which have menacing tones. Madame Giry arrives with another note, in which the Phantom tells the managers to keep Box Five free for him, give the leading role in the opera ''Il Muto'' to Christine, and relegate Carlotta to a silent bit part ("Notes..."). Carlotta accuses Raoul of orchestrating the whole event and claims that he has had an affair with Christine. The managers promise her that she will keep her leading role ("Prima Donna").
At ''Il Muto'' that night, Carlotta indeed plays the role of the Countess; Christine is the mute pageboy. Raoul decides to sit in Box Five to watch the show. The show is going well, ("Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh") until the Phantom appears on the proscenium arch. He is angry, he taunts Carlotta and makes her croak like a toad. She flees into Piangi's arms. The show stops and they announce that it will resume with Christine as the Countess. The ballet chorus is sent out to entertain the waiting crowd, but the performance is interrupted when the backdrop lifts to reveal the corpse of Joseph Buquet hanging from the rafters. In the ensuing melee, Christine finds Raoul and takes him to the roof where they will be safe.
On the roof,Christine tries to tell Raoul that she has seen the Phantom's face, and been in his lair ("Why Have You Brought Me Here?/Raoul, I've Been There"). Christine hears the Phantom, but Raoul looks around and sees no one. Raoul does not believe her, but promises to love and protect her always ("All I Ask of You"). The two make plans to see each other after the show. After Christine and Raoul head back downstairs The Phantom emerges, he has heard the entire conversation. He is heartbroken, but his sorrow turns to rage and he vows vengeance ("All I ask of You (Reprise)"). Returning to the theatre, he sends the chandelier crashing down on the stage during the curtain call.
;Act II
Everyone is in attendance at the New Year's masquerade ball ("Masquerade"). Christine and Raoul are now engaged. To Raoul's dismay, Christine insists hiding her ring on a necklace. The Phantom enters, dressed as the title character from Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. He announces that he has written an opera, and that he expects the managers to produce it ("Why So Silent...?"). He also confronts Christine and rips her engagement ring from her saying that she belongs to him. Raoul convinces Madame Giry to tell him about the Phantom. She says that the Phantom was an escaped fairground freak with a brilliant mind, who was presumed dead.
The Phantom's opera, ''Don Juan Triumphant'', causes chaos and arguments among the managers and actors. Christine, who has been granted the largest part in the opera, which angers everyone, tells the managers she does not wish to perform because she is afraid that the Phantom will capture her. Raoul realizes that they can use the opera as a trap to capture the Phantom ("Notes.../Twisted Every Way"). The Phantom makes his presence known in the manager's office, which silences all rebellion.
Rehearsals begin and everyone sings along mechanically, except for Christine. She is afraid of the Phantom. She visits her father's grave to try to make sense of the situation. She wishes her father was there to help her ("Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"). The Phantom appears and sings to her, again in the guise of the soul of her father, The Angel Of Music. ("Wandering Child").
The Phantom has her under his spell again when Raoul enters the scene and shakes Christine back to reality. The two men verbally spar, while the Phantom shoots fireballs down at Raoul, but Christine persuades Raoul to run away with her. Enraged, the Phantom declares that they are both his enemies now. With Raoul's preparations in place and the police on hand, ''Don Juan Triumphant'' begins ("Don Juan"). Christine, appears onstage to sing ("Point of No Return"). Halfway through her duet with "Don Juan," she realizes she is singing with the Phantom, and pulls the hood away to show everyone. The Phantom gives her a ring and expresses his love. Christine rips off his mask to reveal to everyone the horrible face. Before the police can intervene, the Phantom whisks Christine offstage. Piangi is discovered dead, and a mob sets out to track down the Phantom once and for all. Madame Giry finds Raoul, takes him to the bridge above the lake, and tells him where to find the Phantom. She warns him of the Punjab lasso, telling him to keep his "hand at the level of (his) eyes."
Down in the lair, the Phantom has forced Christine to put on a wedding dress ("Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer"). Christine asks him if she is now to be murdered also, and the Phantom responds that his face is the reason that she won't love him. Christine responds that she isn't afraid of his face, but his soul. Raoul arrives, The Phantom admits him to the lair, and then snares him in the ''Punjab lasso''. The Phantom offers Christine a choice: if she refuses him then Raoul will die; if she accepts him, Raoul will live but she will be trapped there forever.
The Phantom insists that she must choose, Raoul apologizes and expresses his love for Christine, and Christine tells the Phantom that he deceived her. Finally, Christine makes her choice and kisses the Phantom. Stunned by the kiss, which is the first real human love he has ever felt, he sets Raoul free and tells him to take Christine. He asks them both to swear to keep his existence a secret.
Christine and Raoul leave, but Christine turns around, to return the Phantom's ring. He tells her that he loves her, and she forces herself to turn away. She and Raoul leave in the Phantom's boat, singing to each other. The Phantom sits down in his throne and pulls his cape around him. The mob arrives at the Phantom's lair, climbing down the portcullis. Meg slips through the bars in the gate and runs around looking for Christine. She notices the chair and cautiously walks over to it. Pulling back the cape, she discovers it empty, save for the Phantom's white mask. Meg picks up the mask and holds it aloft as a single light shining on the mask fades into darkness.¹¹

Song list

Act One ★ Prologue ★ Overture ★ Think of Me ★ Angel of Music ★ Little Lotte/The Mirror (Angel of Music) ★ The Phantom of the Opera ★ The Music of the Night ★ I Remember/Stranger Than You Dreamt It ★ Magical Lasso ★ Notes.../Prima Donna ★ Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh (Il Muto) ★ Why Have You Brought Me Here?/Raoul, I've Been There ★ All I Ask of You ★ All I Ask of You (Reprise)

Act Two ★ Entr'acte ★ Masquerade/Why So Silent...? ★ Notes.../Twisted Every Way ★ Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again ★ Wandering Child ★ The Point of No Return ★ Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer

The show has a large orchestra, consisting of 26 musicians; the show uses 17 instruments and multiple percussion instruments. The majority of the orchestra are string instruments, with large woodwind and brass sections; the percussion section is quite small. The show uses both 'classical' instruments and synthesizers.
The first half of the title song, "The Phantom of the Opera" is pre-recorded in stage productions because of the doubles that are needed to create the illusion of the Phantom and Christine traveling down to his lair. Once the lead actors appear, the recording is no longer used, save Christine's final, whistle register note.

Recordings

Cast recordings of the original London, Canadian, German, Korean, Dutch, Swedish, Hungarian, and Japanese companies, among others, have been released.

Sequel

On February 16, 2007 Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that he is working on the musical's sequel.^[12]
The sequel is called ''The Phantom of Manhattan'' and is adapted from the novel of the same name, published in 1999, written by Frederick Forsyth. This book is generally reviled by fans of the original story by Leroux, as it is generally seen to destroy the concept of the Phantom's redemption through Christine and mutilates many other aspects of the original plot. Many critics regarded it as a poorly written piece of fiction which had no respect for the original story.
However, according to a report published in the Daily Mail newspaper, a bizarre mishap has delayed the sequel; Lloyd Webber's cat, Otto, a rare-breed Turkish Van, clambered onto the digital Clavinova piano and managed to delete the entire score for ''Phantom of Manhattan''. Lloyd Webber was unable to recover any of it from the instrument.^[13]

See also

★ The Phantom of the Opera

★ The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)

Notes

1. Worldwide box office takings surpass £1.8bn (.2bn)
2. "Phantom of the Opera becomes the longest running Broadway musical" Amy Somensky
3. Phantom turns 18 Kenneth Jones
4. BBC Essential Musicals
5. Jim'll Fix It Spencer Bright
6. ''Behind the Mask'' documentary, on the 2004 film DVD
7. Official website of the Hungarian production
8. Official website of the German production
9. Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular official site
10. Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular show review
11. The Complete Phantom of the Opera George Perry
12. Sequel to Phantom and Joseph Auditions
13. Why Andrew is in need of a copycat

External links

★ The official Phantom of the Opera Website

★ Andrew Lloyd Webber's Official Website

★ Phantom of the Opera Audition Advice & Show Information from MusicalTheatreAudition.com

★ "Phantom haunts Las Vegas stage" show review on VEGAS.com