The Phantom of the Opera at Grove Music Online
Contents
The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most popular musicals of all time, and it’s now available to enjoy online! Grove Music Online offers a comprehensive look at the show, from its origins to its current production.
Introduction
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with an original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. Based on the novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, its central plot revolves around a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a disfigured musical genius known as “The Phantom” who lives underneath the Paris Opera House.
The history of the phantom of the opera
The phantom of the opera is a popular novel by Gaston Leroux. It was first published in 1909. The story is set in the Paris Opera House and revolves around a mysterious figure known as the phantom.
The phantom is a deformed man who lives in the underground tunnels of the opera house. He is obsessed with music and often comes to watch the performers rehearse. He falls in love with a beautiful singer named Christine Daaé and becomes jealous when she starts to fall for another man, Raoul de Chagny.
The phantom eventually kidnaps Christine and takes her to his underground lair. He threatens to kill her if she does not agree to marry him. Raoul manages to rescue Christine, but the phantom disappears and is never seen again.
The novel was adapted into a successful Broadway musical in 1988. It has since been made into several films, most notably the 1925 version starring Lon Chaney Sr., and the 2004 version starring Gerard Butler.
The characters of the phantom of the opera
The phantom of the opera is about a man who is horribly disfigured and lives in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with a singer named Christine, and abducts her. The phantom of the opera is a story about love, obsession, and loss.
The phantom
The phantom of the opera is a fictional character who first appeared in a French novel by Gaston Leroux. The novel was later adapted into a play, and then into a film. The character has also been featured in other works of popular culture, such as comic books, video games, and non-fiction books.
The phantom is a disfigured man who hauntsthe Paris Opera House. He falls in love with the opera singer Christine Daaé, and becomes obsessed with her. He makes her his protégée and tries to force her to love him, but she loves another man, Raoul de Chagny. The phantom becomes jealous and enraged, and wreaks havoc on the Opera House. In the end, he is killed by falling debris from his own destruction.
The character has been interpreted in many different ways, but is typically seen as a tragic figure. He is sometimes portrayed as an evil villain, but more often he is portrayed as a victim of circumstance who is ultimately good-hearted.
Christine
Christine is the female protagonist and love interest of the story. She is a talented soprano, and the ‘Angel of Music’ that the Phantom mentors. She falls in love with Raoul, but also feels a connection to the Phantom and is torn between the two men.
Raoul
The Vicomte Raoul de Chagny is a minor character in The Phantom of the Opera. He is a young Parisian nobleman and the love interest of Christine Daaé.
Raoul’s family has a history with the Operá house; his great-grandfather, Armand de Chagny, was one of the founding fathers of the Paris Opéra, and his grandfather, Philippe de Chagny, donated money to finance the construction of the Palais Garnier, the new home of the Opéra.
At the start of the novel, Raoul is attending a performance at the Opéra with his older brother, Philippe. He is seated in Box Five, which has been abandoned since Armand’s death some years earlier. From this box, Raoul witnesses Christine being abducted by a “ghost” during her debut performance as Carlotta’s understudy in Charles Gounod’s Faust.
The music of the phantom of the opera
Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart. The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a masked figure who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing terror among the opera company members. The phantom falls in love with a beautiful soprano, Christine, and becomes obsessed with her.
The phantom of the opera songs
The phantom of the opera songs are some of the most popular and well-known in all of musical theatre. The original production, which opened in London in 1986, ran for more than 10 years and was seen by over 5 million people. The score features such classics as “The Phantom of the Opera”, “Music of the Night” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”.
The phantom of the opera score
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart. The musical is based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux. It tells the story of a masked figure who schemes to create a new opera star by grooming a young soprano named Christine Daaé.
The phantom’s score was composed by Webber and released on compact disc in 1987. The music of the phantom of the opera has been described as “gothic” and “operatic”. It includes many well-known songs, such as “The Phantom of the Opera”, “The Music of the Night”, and “Think of Me”.
The sets and costumes of the phantom of the opera
The original production of The Phantom of the Opera was noted for the lavishness of its sets and costumes. The painters Henri Bernstein and Eugène Carrière, the designer Charles Garnier, and other artists worked together to create a world that was at once realistic and fantastic, horrific and beautiful.
The first act takes place in the Paris Opera House in the late nineteenth century. The stage is crowded with people milling about or seated in the boxes or on the grand staircase. In the distance is a view of Paris at night, with the Eiffel Tower in the center.
The second act takes place in the Phantom’s lair beneath the Opera House. It is a dark, labyrinthine world lit by flickering torches. The walls are covered with graffiti, and there are strange symbols everywhere. The Phantom’s costume is a black cape and hood, which make him look like a bat or a demon.
The third act takes place in an abandoned cemetery in Paris. It is midnight, and there is a storm brewing. The only light comes from lightning flashes and from candles lit by the Phantom’s henchmen. The Phantom himself is hidden in shadows most of the time.
The sets and costumes helped to create an atmosphere of suspense and mystery, which was essential to the success of The Phantom of the Opera.
The phantom of the opera today
The phantom of the opera is a timeless classic that has been entertaining audiences for over a century. The story of the phantom, a mysterious figure who haunts the Paris Opera House, has been adapted for film, television, and stage. The most recent adaptation, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, was first staged in 1986 and has been running continuously on Broadway since 1988. It is the longest-running musical in Broadway history.
The phantom of the opera on Broadway
The musical The Phantom of the Opera debuted on Broadway in 1988. It tells the story of a disfigured musical genius known only as “the Phantom” who falls in love with a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé. The Phantom lives beneath the Paris Opera House, where he uses his powers to manipulate the opera company and force Christine to love him.
The original production, directed by Harold Prince and starring Michael Crawford as the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine, was a massive success, winning seven Tony Awards and running for over 13 years. The musical has been produced in over 28 countries and has been translated into 15 languages. A highly successful film version was released in 2004, starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine.
The phantom of the opera in the West End
The musical The Phantom of the Opera made its debut in the West End in 1986. It was an instant success, and Phantom became one of the longest-running musicals in West End history. The show was also a hit on Broadway, where it opened in 1988.
The story of The Phantom of the Opera is based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. The novel was first published in serial form in 1909, and it was quickly translated into English. The book was adapted into a play in 1927, and it has been adapted for film several times.
The most recent film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera was released in 2004. It starred Gerard Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine. The film was a box office success, and it received mixed reviews from critics.
