The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)

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See also: The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera
Original West End Production
Music Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics Charles Hart
Theatre Majestic Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre (London), The Venetian
Opened October 9, 1986 (West End)
January 26, 1988 (Broadway)
Producer(s) Andrew Lloyd Webber
Cameron Mackintosh
Director Hal Prince
Choreographer Gillian Lynne
Scenic designer Maria Björnson
Costume designer Maria Björnson
Originally starring Michael Crawford
Sarah Brightman
Steve Barton
Official website
Playbill listing
IBDB profile

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the eponymous novel by French novelist Gaston Leroux. The music was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe.

The play focuses on a beautiful singer Christine Daaé as she is seduced by a mysterious, disfigured musical genius known as "The Phantom of the Opera". The Phantom lives beneath the Paris Opera and terrorizes those who work there, demanding Christine be the star of the theatre's productions. When the young singer rebuffs the Phantom's advances and her lover Raoul intervenes, the Phantom sets no limits in his quest for revenge and Christine's love.

The Phantom of the Opera was inspired by a different musical version of the same story by Ken Hill, which Lloyd Webber saw at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1984. The music for Lloyd Webber's version was composed specifically for the voice of his then-wife Sarah Brightman.

The musical was produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group and opened at Her Majesty's Theatre in London on October 9, 1986, where it still runs as of 2007. The original creative team included Hal Prince as director, Gillian Lynne as choreographer, and Maria Björnson as production designer. 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, which opened on January 26, 1988 at the Majestic Theatre, where it still is running as of 2007. Part of the major British influence on Broadway theatre in the 1980s, along with other Mackintosh productions such as Cats, Miss Saigon, and Les Misérables, it now is 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.[1].

To date, with a worldwide gross of US $3.3 billion and attendance of 80 million, it is the highest-grossing entertainment event of all time,[2] with total worldwide box office takings of over £1.8bn ($3.2bn).[3], surpassing the box-office take of Titanic by US $1.3 billion. 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][1]

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. Rich often cites this fact to illustrate that the supposed influence of the Times is not as large as some think.

In London, Phantom was highly successful at the 1986 Laurence Olivier Awards, where it won prizes for Best Musical and Best Actor in a Musical. At the 1988 Tony Awards, the Broadway production was nominated for eleven and won seven, including the coveted Best Musical award. Phantom also did well at the 1988 Drama Desk Awards, where it won seven awards.[4][5][6]

On October 9, 2006, it celebrated its 20th anniversary on West End in London.

In the UK, Phantom came in second in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals".[7]

Contents

[edit] 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.[8]

  • Australia: 2007, Melbourne, starring Anthony Warlow.
  • Austria: The German language production premiered at the Theater an der Wien on December 20, 1988.[9]
  • Canada: The Toronto production of Phantom ran for just over ten years; a two-month production will perform in early 2007.
  • 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.
  • 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.[8]
  • 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.
  • The Netherlands: At the Circus Theatre in Scheveningen
  • South Africa: 2004, Cape Town.
  • Sweden: Oscarsteatern, Stockholm.
  • Mexico City, Mexico: Premiere at Centro Cultural Telmex on December 16, 1999. Starring Juan Navarro as the Phantom, Irasema Terrazas as Christine and José Joel as Raoul.
  • Madrid, Spain: Premiere at Teatro Lope de Vega on September 4, 2002. Starring Luis Amando as the Phantom, Felicidad Farag as Christine and Armando Pita as Raoul.
  • São Paulo, Brazil: Premiere at Teatro Abril on April 22, 2005. Starring Saulo Vasconcelos as the Phantom, Sara Sarres as Christine and Nando Prado as Raoul.

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, 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.[10]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. 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, and the twenty-minute intermission to bring the show length down from the original two hours and twenty minutes. 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.[11]

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.[6]

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.[6]

[edit] Major Characters

This information refers solely to the characters as portrayed in the stage show. For information on characters in the 2004 film version, please see Phantom of the Opera. For information about the original characters, please see The Phantom of the Opera's main page.

  • The Phantom of the Opera (tenor/baritone) — The genius composer and musician who lives beneath the opera house. Facially deformed from birth, the Phantom hides behind a white mask and is known to the managers and actors as the "Opéra Ghost". His name is given in the novel as Erik.

Although the role of The Phantom is normally played by a tenor, he has been played by baritones numerous times, including Gerard Butler in the film version and Howard McGillin who holds the record for most performances in the role on Broadway (over 1,300). Paul Stanley of the rock band KISS briefly played the role of The Phantom in the Toronto production during its last few months. [1] The role of the Phantom was first performed by Michael Crawford, with over 1,300 performances in London, New York, and Los Angeles. The role of The Phantom in the Broadway production is currently being played by Howard McGillin. John Owen-Jones is longest running Phantom in the West End, with over 1,400 shows. Earl Carpenter is currently playing the role in London.

  • Christine Daaé (soprano) — A 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.

The role of Christine Daae is generally shared by two performers; the regular actress performs six times a week and the alternate performs at the other two performances. This practice was started by the original London and Broadway Christine Daae, Sarah Brightman, ostensibly due to the vocal demands of the role, following a schema utilized by Andrew Lloyd Webber in the original production of Evita. The only actress ever allowed to perform the role without an alternate that performed twice a week was Dale Kristien, who originated the role in the Los Angeles production. Some productions, such as those in Copenhagen and Budapest, have also employed alternates for the role of the Phantom.

  • Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny (tenor/baritone) — The patron of the Opéra Populaire and a childhood sweetheart of Christine's, who rediscovers 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.
  • 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.[4][12]

[edit] Synopsis

This synopsis refers solely to the unedited stage version of the show. For information about the 2004 film, which differs slightly, please see The Phantom of the Opera

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Act One

The musical opens on the bare stage of the Opera Populaire in Paris in 1911. An auction is underway, and set pieces from the old theatre are being sold. Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, an elderly man in a wheelchair, purchases a unique monkey music box that seems to hold special meaning for him. Another item up for auction 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). Sets and curtains rise from the stage floor, and the action shifts to 1881. The Opera Populaire is active and open, and a rehearsal for Hannibal is underway with Carlotta, Piangi and the ballet chorus. Monsieur Lefevre, the owner, arrives and announces that he has sold the theatre to two new managers, Monsieurs Firmin and Andre. They observe two of the ballet dancers, Meg Giry and her friend, Christine Daae, with some curiosity. Andre is taken with Carlotta, and asks her to sing an aria as a special favor ("Think of Me"). She complies, but in the middle of the song, a backdrop suddenly falls dangerously close to her. The entire company is thrown into chaos, blaming the accident on the Opera Ghost. Carlotta is badly shaken. She tells the managers that she has dealt with such incidents for several years, and that she has no desire to continue the practice. She quits, taking Piangi with her. A quick consult with Reyer reveals that there are no understudies for Carlotta. The managers lament having to cancel the show, but Meg quickly suggests that they consider Christine. While they do not wish to entertain the idea at first, Madame Giry convinces them to listen to her sing. Christine starts her song tentatively but eventually impresses the entire company with her voice and is given the role. The lights dim, and Christine walks downstage in full costume, performing in the opera. The managers and Raoul look on from the stage box. Raoul is particularly impressed; he remembers Christine from their childhood exploits and is thrilled to see her again ("Think of Me (continued)"). After the performance, Madame Giry praises Christine and castigates the ballet girls, forcing them to practice into the night. 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 she has been visited by the Angel of Music, a mysterious figure who brings her joy and frightens her at the same time. She thinks this Angel is the soul of her dead father, or an angel sent by her father, who she misses dearly. The two discuss the issue in song ("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 about times past ("Little Lotte"). He invites her to dinner, in spite of her protests, and leaves her to get dressed for the outing. When Raoul leaves, the Phantom makes his presence in the room and his displeasure known ("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 mirror panel slides back, revealing a tunnel; the Phantom extends his hand and Christine follows him behind the mirror. Raoul returns, only to find the dressing room empty. The Phantom brings Christine through a series of underground tunnels and, finally, across a lake filled with candles ("The Phantom of the Opera"). They eventually arrive at his subterrean lair, where he entreats her to sing for him. He explains his love of music and darkness to Christine, seducing her with his voice and words ("Music of the Night"). He shows her a mannequin he has crafted in her image, wearing a wedding dress; the sight is too startling to her and she faints. The next morning, Christine sees the Phantom bent over his organ, composing ("I Remember..."). She decides to unmask him and is horrified by his deformed appearance. The Phantom rounds on her and chases her about the lair, all the while hiding his deformity from both her and the audience; 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 abruptly decides to return 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"). Madame Giry warns him to keep quiet about the Ghost for his own sake.

In the managers' office, Firmin, Andre, Raoul and Carlotta puzzle over several cryptic notes they have received from "O.G." ie, the Opera Ghost. Raoul blames the managers for his note, which warns him to stay away from Christine. Carlotta accuses Raoul of sending her letter, which demands that she relinquish her leading role in the Opera to Christine. 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, and attempt to woo her back to the opera through extreme flattery ("Prima Donna"). At Il Muto that night, Carlotta indeed plays the role of the Countess; Christine is the mute pageboy. Raoul boldly decides to sit in Box Five to watch the show. The performance goes off according to plan ("Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh") until the Phantom appears on the proscenium arch. He taunts Carlotta and finally steals her voice, making her croak like a toad. She flees, hysterical, in Piangi's arms, and the managers promise that the show will resume with Christine as the Countess. The ballet chorus is sent out to entertain the waiting crowd, but their performance turns dark when their pastoral backdrop lifts to reveal the corpse of Joseph Buquet hanging from the rafters with a noose around his neck. In the ensuing melee, Christine finds Raoul and takes him to the roof where they will be safe.

On the roof, a terrified Christine tries to tell Raoul that she has seen the Phantom and been to his home ("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"). Christine returns his affection and the two make plans to see each other after the show. After Christine and Raoul head back downstairs, the Phantom emerges from behind a stone angel on the roof. It is apparent that he has heard the entire conversation. He is heartbroken over the loss of Christine, and his sobs grow louder as he hears Christine and Raoul sing their song but eventually the 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. Raoul pulls Christine out of the way in the nick of time.

[edit] Act Two

The managers and company of the Opera converge on the grand staircase for a lavish New Year's masquerade ball ("Masquerade"). Christine and Raoul are now engaged. Christine insists on keeping this a secret and hides her ring on a necklace, to Raoul's dismay. At the height of the action, 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 neck before disappearing. Raoul confronts Madame Giry and convinces her to tell him about the Phantom. She reveals a few key secrets, but will not divulge all she knows. The Phantom's opera, Don Juan Triumphant, causes chaos and arguments among the managers and actors. Christine, who has the largest part in the work, which angers everyone, tells the managers she does not wish to perform. Raoul backs her, until he realizes that they can use the opera as a trap to capture the Phantom ("Notes/Twisted Every Way"). Meanwhile, the Phantom makes his presence known in the manager's office, the rehearsals and on the stage.

Christine visits her father's grave in Perros to try to make sense of the situation ("Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"). The Phantom appears and sings to her, again in the guise of the soul of her father, or angel, The Angel Of Music. ("Wandering Child"). The Phantom very nearly has her under his spell again when Raoul enters the scene and shakes Christine back to reality before she reaches the Phantom. The two men verbally spar, while the Phantom shoots fireballs down at Raoul, but Christine persuades Raoul to run away with her and ends the confrontation. 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, playing the lead opposite Piangi, appears onstage to sing ("Point of No Return"). Halfway through her duet with "Don Juan," she realizes she is actually singing with the Phantom and that Piangi must be dead. The Phantom gives her a ring and expresses his love. Christine responds by ripping his mask off. Before the police can intervene, the Phantom whisks Christine offstage. Chaos ensues. 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 the wedding dress ("Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer"). He intends to keep her as his bride. Raoul arrives, having swam across the lake. The Phantom admits him to the lair, and then snares him in the Punjab lasso. The Phantom offers Christine a choice: if she refuses his affections Raoul will die; if she accepts them, Raoul will live but she will be trapped there forever. In the denouement the three sing: the Phantom insisting that there is only one choice, Raoul apologizing and expressing his love for Christine, and Christine pleading with the Phantom to change his mind. The Phantom refuses. Finally, in a moment of desperation, Christine makes her choice and kisses the Phantom. Stunned by the kiss and touched by Christine's kindness, he sets Raoul free and tells him to take Christine away immediately. He asks them both to swear to keep his existence a secret. As Christine and Raoul leave, the music box begins to play. Christine returns alone, but only 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, and he sits down in his chair, pulling his cape around himself. The mob arrives at the Phantom's lair, climbing down the portcullis. Meg slips through the bars in the gate and runs over to the Phantom's chair. 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 the light fades into darkness.[12]

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Song list

Act One

Act Two

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.

[[Instrumentation:]]

Reed 1 - Flute/Piccolo; Reed 2 - Flute/Clarinet; Reed 3 - Oboe/English Horn; Reed 4 - Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Eb Clarinet; Reed 5 (optional) - Bassoon;

Horn 1; Horn 2; Horn 3; Trumpet 1; Trumpet 2; Bass Trombone;

Percussion (2 people);

Keyboard 1; Keyboard 2: Synthesizer;

Harp;

Violins (divisi); Violas (divisi); Celli (divisi); Bass;

[[Pre-recorded tracks:]]

Bass Guitar (msr. 1-17 of "The Phantom of the Opera"); Electric Drums (msr. 1-132 of "The Phantom of the Opera")

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

[edit] Plagiarism

In interviews promoting his album Amused to Death, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame asserted that Andrew Lloyd Webber had plagiarized themes from "Echoes" for sections of the musical The Phantom of the Opera; nevertheless, he decided that life was too short to bother filing a lawsuit regarding the matter.

Yeah, the beginning of that bloody Phantom song is from Echoes. *DAAAA-da-da-da-da-da* [sic]. I couldn't believe it when I heard it. It's the same time signature - it's 12/8 - and it's the same structure and it's the same notes and it's the same everything. Bastard. It probably is actionable. It really is! But I think that life's too short to bother with suing Andrew fucking Lloyd Webber.[13]

Waters "got even" by adding a slightly mean-spirited reference to Webber into the song It's a Miracle on the Amused album ("Lloyd Webber's awful stuff runs for years and years and years / An earthquake hits the theatre but the operetta lingers / Then the piano lid comes down and breaks his fucking fingers. It's a Miracle").

The melody to "All I Ask of You" is known as being a direct lift from the classic song "I Don't Talk to Strangers"[citation needed]

[edit] Sequel

On February 16, 2007 Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that he is working on the musical's sequel.[14] The sequel is called The Phantom of Manhattan and is adapted from the novel, 'The Phantom of Manhattan', 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.

As such, this production is heavily anticipated to be a disaster by many members of the fan community.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Jones, Kenneth. "Phantom turns 18", Playbill, 2006-01-25.
  2. ^ a b Somensky, Amy. ""Phantom of the Opera becomes the longest running Broadway musical"", MCA Arts.
  3. ^ Worldwide box office takings surpass £1.8bn ($3.2bn). BBC News.
  4. ^ a b c
  5. ^ BBC Essential Musicals. BBC.
  6. ^ a b c
  7. ^ BBC Essential Musicals. BBC.
  8. ^ a b Official website of the Hungarian production. Theater Macach.
  9. ^ Official website of the German production.
  10. ^ Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular official site. Really Useful Group/Mackintosh Ltd..
  11. ^ Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular show review. LasVegas.com..
  12. ^ a b Perry, George. "The Complete Phantom of the Opera", Owl Books, 1991, ISBN 0-8050-1722-4.
  13. ^ http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/ptr/pfloyd/interview/roger2.html
  14. ^ Sequel to Phantom and Joseph Auditions.

[edit] External links


Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals
The Likes of Us • Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat • Jesus Christ Superstar • Evita • Cats • Song and Dance • Starlight Express • The Phantom of the Opera • Aspects of Love • Sunset Boulevard • By Jeeves • Whistle Down the Wind • The Beautiful Game • The Woman in White
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