Carlotta (The Phantom of the Opera)

Last updated
Carlotta
The Phantom of the Opera character
First appearance The Phantom of the Opera
Created by Gaston Leroux
In-universe information
GenderFemale
OccupationSinger
Nationality Spanish

Carlotta is a fictional character from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera . She is the leading soprano at the Paris Opera House who is criticised by the narrator and the Phantom for the lack of emotion in her performances. [1]

In the novel, she is a minor character hailing from Spain. The first time that she is mentioned in the novel is during the chapter "The New Marguerite", where it is revealed that she could not perform at the ceremony for the former managers. Later in the novel, she is threatened by Erik that if she performs at the Opera House "a great misfortune will strike". She shrugs the warning off and performs anyway. When she does, however, croaking noises come out of her mouth and the chandelier comes crashing down. Ashamed, she hides from the public view for a few weeks, before making a return to the opera house.

Carlotta is portrayed by Virginia Pearson in the original 1925 silent film with Lon Chaney. In 1929, new sound scenes were filmed and Mary Fabian was recast as Carlotta, due to the fact that she could sing. Virginia Pearson still appeared in new scenes, now playing Carlotta's mother. These changes are also the same in the 1929 silent, foreign cut of the film (which is most commonly viewed).

In the 1943 film version, she is Mme. Biancarolli who has been drugged by the Phantom and murdered along with her maid when she tries to force him to take off his prop mask.

In Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical production, Carlotta (last name Giudicelli) is from Italy and is one of the major singing parts. The opera company's prima donna, she despises Christine Daaé and sees the younger woman as a threat to her job and Phantom's courtesan, when Christine achieves prominence due to the Phantom's dirty tricks. Carlotta and tenor Ubaldo Piangi are lovers; she often turns to him for consolation when things go wrong, and she breaks down crying when his murdered body is discovered onstage. The film reveals that she likes poodles.

In the Lloyd Webber-Joel Schumacher 2004 film version, she was played by Minnie Driver. [2] Due to Driver's lack of experience in opera, her singing voice was dubbed by opera singer Margaret Preece, although she lent her actual voice to the song "Learn to Be Lonely" during the end credits.

In Nicholas Meyer's 1993 novel The Canary Trainer , the characters of Carlotta and La Sorelli are combined into one, despite being mentioned as separate characters in the original novel. In Kim Newman's short story "Angels of Music" from the Tales of the Shadowmen anthology series, Carlotta is implied to be the ancestor of Bianca Castafiore from The Adventures of Tintin comic series.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (novel) 1909 novel by Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierre Lafitte. The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century, and by an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz. It has been successfully adapted into various stage and film adaptations, most notable of which are the 1925 film depiction featuring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1986 musical) 1986 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe. Based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the story of a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, masked musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Joel Schumacher

The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 musical romantic drama film based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1910 French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Produced and co-written by Lloyd Webber and directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Gerard Butler in the title role, with Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver, Simon Callow, Ciarán Hinds, Victor McGuire, and Jennifer Ellison in supporting roles.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1925 film) 1925 American silent horror film

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney in the title role of the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to make the woman he loves a star. The film remains most famous for Chaney's ghastly, self-devised make-up, which was kept a studio secret until the film's premiere. The picture also features Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland, John St. Polis and Snitz Edwards. The last surviving cast member was Carla Laemmle, niece of producer Carl Laemmle, who played a small role as a "prima ballerina" in the film when she was about 15 years old. The film was released on September 6, 1925, premiering at the Astor Theatre in New York. The film's final budget was $632,357.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Daaé</span> Fictional character

Christine Daaé is a fictional character and the female protagonist of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera and of the various adaptations of the work. Erik, the Phantom of the Opera and Viscount Raoul de Chagny both fall in love with her.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1989 film) 1989 film by Dwight H. Little

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1989 American horror film directed by Dwight H. Little and based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel of the same name. The film is an updated and gorier version of Leroux's classic tale, and stars Robert Englund as the Phantom. The film was a critical and commercial failure.

<i>Phantom of the Opera</i> (1976 musical) 1976 musical by Ken Hill

Phantom of the Opera is a musical with lyrics and a book by Ken Hill. It is based on the 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. Hill wrote the original lyrics to the music of Giuseppe Verdi, Charles Gounod, Jacques Offenbach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Maria von Weber, Gaetano Donizetti, and Arrigo Boito. It premiered in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, in 1976 and had a West End production in 1991. It was a financial success.

<i>Phantom</i> (musical) Musical by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit

Phantom is a musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit. Based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera, the musical was first presented in Houston, Texas in 1991.

<i>Phantom</i> (Kay novel)

Phantom is a 1990 novel by Susan Kay, based on the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel The Phantom of the Opera. It is a biography of the title character Erik.

Don Juan Triumphant is the name of a fictional opera written by the title character in the 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. In the 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the concept is expanded as an opera within a musical and the performance of it plays a major role in the storyline. The fictional piece draws major inspiration from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's famous 1787 work Don Giovanni, yet the Phantom's opera is depicted as far more bleak and dark.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (miniseries) 1990 television film directed by Tony Richardson

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1990 American two-part television miniseries directed by Tony Richardson and starring Charles Dance in the title role. It is adapted from Arthur Kopit's book from his stage musical Phantom, which is based loosely on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel.

Adaptations of <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>

There have been many literary and dramatic works based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera, ranging from stage musicals to films to children's books. Some well known stage and screen adaptations of the novel are the 1925 film and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ; Susan Kay's 1990 Phantom is one of the best known novels and includes in-depth study of the title character's life and experiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madame Giry</span> Fictional character

Madame Giry is a fictional character from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. She is a fairly intermediate character in the novel, although her role is much increased in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. Madame Giry is also a character in the 2010 musical Love Never Dies, a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera.

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny is a fictional character and one of the protagonists of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera.

Meg Giry is one of the fictional characters from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. In the story, she is Madame Giry's oldest daughter.

Erik (<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>) Fictional character

Erik is the title character from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, best known to English speakers as The Phantom of the Opera. The character has been adapted to alternative media several times, including in the 1925 film adaptation starring Lon Chaney, the 1943 remake starring Claude Rains and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.

"Learn to Be Lonely" is a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart for the 2004 film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. The song is performed by Minnie Driver during the closing credits, and is found on the film's soundtrack. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 77th Academy Awards and the Golden Globe at the 62nd Golden Globe Awards in 2004.

<i>Love Never Dies</i> (musical) 2010 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Love Never Dies is a romantic musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a book by Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth, and Slater. It is a sequel to the long-running 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera and was loosely adapted from Forsyth's 1999 novel The Phantom of Manhattan.

Gina Beck is a British stage actress and singer, mainly known for playing major roles in various West End musicals. She played the characters of Miss Honey in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Matilda the Musical, Magnolia Hawks in Daniel Evans' acclaimed production of the 1927 musical Show Boat, Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked, both in the London production and the 1st national tour, Christine Daaé in the West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera, and Cosette in Les Misérables.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall</i> 2011 British film

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall is a 2011 British concert film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera, which in turn was based on the 1910 French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.

References

  1. litcharts.com/lit/the-phantom-of-the-opera/characters/carlotta
  2. Thomas S. Hischak (2 June 2008). The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television. Oxford University Press. p. 579. ISBN   978-0-19-533533-0.