Phantom of the Opera (1976 musical)

Last updated

Phantom of the Opera
POTO Hill.png
Logo
MusicVarious
Lyrics Ken Hill
Book Ken Hill
Basis The Phantom of the Opera
by Gaston Leroux
Productions1976 Lancaster
1984 Newcastle
1989 US Tour
1991 West End

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. [1] 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. [2] [3] It premiered in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, in 1976, and had a West End production in 1991. [4] [5] [6] and further international productions

Contents

Synopsis

Act I

The story begins ("Introduction") with Richard, new manager of the Paris Opera House (previously president of Northern Railways and a member of the Stock Exchange Choir), greeted by the artists and staff ("Welcome Sir, I'm So Delighted"). The previous managers of the Paris Opera did not last very long, due to problems with the legend of the Opera Ghost, who demands 20,000 francs a month and his own private box. These requests are defied by the adamant and foolish Richard, little knowing the mayhem that will take place if he refuses to accept the Ghost's demands. Madame Giry, the box keeper, warns Richard that he may have upset the "Ghost". She is horrified when Richard demands use of Box Five (the Ghost's box). She knows the "Ghost" won't stand idly by while Richard refuses to accept his demands. She warns Richard to expect a run of horrific events.

The evening performance begins ("Accursed All Base Pursuit of Earthly Pleasure"). The ghost provides his first warning in the form of the murder of Mephistopheles. After the performance, Richard's handsome (if somewhat dim) son Raoul, who is madly in love with the chorus girl Christine Daae, goes to her dressing room, only to hear her speak with another man. Jealous, Raoul enters the room to find it empty. This "ghost" seems very real, as is his love for Christine and woe betide anyone who gets in his way ("How Dare She").

A Groom comes to talk to Richard in his office about the disappearance of a horse named Caesar ("Late Last Night I'm In The Cellars"). Richard decides that the man is an idiot and promptly fires him. Raoul, feeling betrayed, meets with Christine at a local graveyard ("All Of My Dreams Faded Suddenly"). He is then introduced to the angelic voice of the Angel Of Music ("While Floating High Above"). Christine leaves and the Phantom attempts to throttle Raoul, but is disturbed by a Grave Digger, and runs off. Back at the Opera House, the unfortunate Richard has had to stand by while his son pursues the chorus girl Christine Daae, and now must convince his diva Carlotta, who feels she is too ill to perform, to sing at the performance later that evening, with the help of his staff ("She Says She's Got The Nodules"). An agreement is made that Christine Daae will sing the role, while Carlotta mimes the act.

This wasn't what the Phantom had in mind. He'll not cease causing "accidents" and will do all in his power to disrupt the proceedings, including rubbing out the lead singer. At the evening performance, Carlotta mimes the act incorrectly and very clearly out-of-sync with Christine ("What Do I See"). Christine faints before the end of the performance and Carlotta starts to croak like a frog, causing her to call the performance to halt. Laughing madly, the Phantom declares to the whole stage that Carlotta is bringing down the chandelier. But then, he finds the chandelier is the wrong one and switches it to a candelabra, dropping it on Carlotta.

After the performance, Christine and Raoul meet on the rooftop of the Opera House to discuss running away from the Opera House and the Phantom together. But the Phantom isn't very far away at all. He appears from behind the statue of Apollo and towers above them ("To Pain My Heart Selfishly Dooms Me"). Christine and Raoul leave the roof, leaving the Phantom alone. An old man enters, throwing bird-seed down for the pigeons on the Opera House's roof. The Phantom's hurt turns to anger, and he throws the unfortunate man off the building. He screams that Christine will be his and the first act ends.

Act II

A performance of Faust begins with Christine singing the lead role of Marguerite ("Ah! Do I Hear My Lover's Voice?"). However, during the song there's an unscheduled blackout and when the lights come back up, Christine has disappeared. The show quickly adjourns and the rest of the cast search high and low for her all over the Opera House, taking their lanterns into the audience ("No Sign! I See No Sign!"). But to no avail. The scene switches to the Phantom's underground domain where he has kidnapped Christine in his boat and ties her to a post at his mist-shrouded dock before rowing slowly back into the darkness, leaving Christine behind ("Somewhere Above The Sun Shines Bright").

Meanwhile, the search party above ground migrates to the boiler room and the Persian reveals his true identity, and fills us in on the Phantom's history ("Born With A Monstrous Countenance"). Raoul searches for a way down to the cellars below the Opera House ("In The Shadows, Dim And Dreay"). He succeeds and slips through a manhole with the rest of the group, into a boiler room. However things quickly heat up, literally, as the Phantom traps them inside. It looks like the end for the motley group, and they break into a chorus of ("What An Awful Way To Perish").

The final scene takes place in the Phantom's Chapel, with his organ and its unkempt riot of sheet music as a center-piece. He seems determined to wed Christine and expresses his love for her ("Ne'er Forsake Me, Here Remain"). As the song ends, Christine tears off his mask and the Phantom screams in anger and shame, hiding his face from Christine. His sobs fade and he turns back, with a determined and violent look in his eyes, and produces a priest and chorus girl to bear witness to the forced marriage between him and Christine. But just in time, Raoul, the Persian and the rest of the group burst in, having escaped the Boiler Room and come through The Phantom's traps. The Phantom, suddenly finding himself in a tight spot, produces a knife and pulls Christine in front of him. In act of love to Christine, the Phantom stabs himself with his own dagger and dies in Christine's arms ("Ne'er Forsake me, Here Remain"). Christine remarks that the Phantom was always the angel of music ("He Will Not Go Without A Friend").

Characters

Musical numbers

"All of My Dreams Faded Suddenly", sung by the character Christine, was added to the show in 1992 for the first Japanese tour, based upon an aria by Antonín Dvořák. It replaced "Love Has Flown, Never Returning", but not before the latter had been recorded onto the West End cast recording of Phantom of the Opera. The newer song has never been recorded and released.[ citation needed ]

Productions

Original version

As Ken Hill rummaged through a used bookstore, he picked up a copy of The Phantom of the Opera and eventually produced it as a stage musical. The show started off as a production at Morecambe Pier as the first staged musical version, [7] and then when Hill was working as Director of Productions for the Newcastle Playhouse.[ citation needed ] This first production was produced at The Duke’s Playhouse in Lancaster on 26 July 1976, where it proved to be a hit. It was directed by John Blackmore, designed by Clare Lyth, with musical direction by Gary Yershon. [8] It differed from the later version of Ken Hill’s musical, in having a modern musical score by Ian Armit [9] (who also worked with Hill on his musical The Curse of the Werewolf) in addition to excerpts from the opera Faust by Charles Gounod. [10]

1984 version and aborted collaboration with Lloyd Webber

In 1984, Hill revived his musical version of The Phantom of the Opera. This time though, he wanted to add the kind of music that would have been heard at the Opéra Garnier in the late 19th century. Consequently, he discarded Armit's score and wrote original English lyrics, that told Leroux’s tale, set to opera arias by Verdi, Gounod, Offenbach, Mozart, Weber, Donizetti, [2] [11] and Boito. [3] This score better reflected the atmosphere of the era in which the novel was written. This updated version was produced jointly by the Newcastle Playhouse and the Theatre Royal Stratford East, and premiered at the Newcastle Playhouse on 3 April 1984, and soon moved to the Theatre Royal Stratford East.[ citation needed ] In between, the show had two brief runs at the New Tyne Theatre in Newcastle and the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton; neither of those productions did very well.[ citation needed ] When the show got the Theatre Royal Stratford East, Sarah Brightman, who would create the role of Christine in the Lloyd Webber version, was asked to perform the role of Christine in the 1984 cast but she turned it down, leaving the role for the opera singer Christina Collier.[ citation needed ]

Andrew Lloyd Webber, who at the time was married to Brightman, and Cameron Mackintosh attended a performance of Hill’s Phantom at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. [12] [7] Prompted by the good reviews, they approached Hill about the possibility of their collaborating on developing a grand scale version of his adaptation in the West End and offered to produce it. Hill and Lloyd Webber had worked together earlier on a revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Winchester Theatre. Lloyd Webber and Mackintosh had been enthusiastic when they broached the idea to Hill about his Phantom of the Opera. But in the end, Lloyd Webber chose to pursue the musical without Hill, and developed his own version. [12]

Subsequent productions

Hill's Phantom of the Opera premiered in America in 1987 at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. This production starred Sal Mistretta as The Phantom; his performance won him the St. Louis Theatre Critics Award. A second US production was mounted in 1988 in San Francisco at the Theatre in the Square, produced by Jonathan Reinis. [13] The productions in St. Louis and San Francisco were so successful that Hill was asked to mount a national tour of the United States. Jonathan Reinis (who later produced Ken Hill’s The Invisible Man in London) formed the Phantom Touring Company, which acted as the producer for the tour, along with Electric Factory Concerts. The tour began in 1989, with musical arrangements and designs by the original Newcastle Playhouse team. It played for a few years to packed houses all over America, travelling to approximately 110 cities, and grossing a total of $72 million.[ citation needed ]

In 1991, Phantom of the Opera returned to the United Kingdom, where it embarked on a national tour produced by Stewart Macpherson and then transferred to London’s West End. It opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 18 December 1991 with a similar cast to the 1984 production: Peter Straker was The Phantom, with Christina Collier as Christine. But despite positive reviews, the West End production did poorly at the box office at the time of IRA bombings, and closed earlier than expected on 11 April 1992.[ citation needed ] However, the production was nominated for two Olivier Awards for Best New Musical and Best Director of a Musical.

Since 1992, Phantom of the Opera has been performed around the world, in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Germany, Japan and Korea. The 2013 production in Tokyo, Japan, running from 19 to 29 December 2013 was produced by Stewart Macpherson, who originally produced the West End production in 1991.[ citation needed ] Other Tokyo productions included one in 2018.[ citation needed ] Another Tokyo production is set for January 2024, starring Ben Forster as The Phantom and Paul Potts as Faust. [14]

Recording

The official cast recording of the show was released in 1993 by D Sharp Records. It featured the entire West End cast. It was later released by two other record labels: Stetson Records (an offshoot of The Stetson Group), and BMG. The latter versions of the CD were mainly sold in Japan (in Japanese packaging), Australia and New Zealand, on national tours.

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 tragic 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 (1909-2014), 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.

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.

Ken Hill was an English playwright and theatre director.

<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>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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramin Karimloo</span> Canadian actor, singer, composer (born 1978)

Ramin Karimloo is a Canadian actor, singer and composer recognized for his work in London's West End and New York's Broadway theatre.

"The Music of the Night" is a major song from the 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera. The music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. Initially made famous by Michael Crawford, the actor who originated the role of the Phantom both in the West End and on Broadway, "The Music of the Night" has appeared on many cast recordings of the musical, sold millions of copies worldwide, and has been translated into many languages.

<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, the 1962 remake starring Herbert Lom, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.

"The Phantom of the Opera" is a song from the 1986 stage musical of the same name. It was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics written by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, and additional lyrics by Mike Batt. The song was originally recorded by Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley, which became a UK hit single in 1986, prior to the musical. In its theatrical debut, it was sung by Brightman and Michael Crawford in their roles as Christine Daaé and the Phantom.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1998 film) 1998 Italian film

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1998 Italian horror film directed by Dario Argento, adapted from the 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. It is not to be confused with the 1987 film Opera, also directed by Dario Argento.

<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.

<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.

Anna O'Byrne is an Australian actress and soprano singer best known for her portrayal of Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and the original Australian production of Lloyd Webber's sequel, Love Never Dies, for which she was nominated for a Green Room Award.

References

  1. ↑ "Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterpiece, the second longest running musical in London". Telegraph Box Office. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  2. 1 2 Goddard, Dan R. Phantomania strikes San Antonio when the original, 1976 version by San Antonio Express-News. mySA.com (San Antonio Archives). 2 November 1990.
  3. 1 2 "A NORTHWEST 'AS YOU LIKE IT' COMING". Richmond Times. 3 January 1993.
  4. ↑ Crew, Robert.A Phantom for the fun of it Toronto Star. 18 February 1990.
  5. ↑ Harrison, Thomas B. PHANTOM MANIA Anchorage Daily News. 27 January 1991.
  6. ↑ Kershner, Jim (18 January 1991). "There's more than one 'Phantom'". Spokane Chronicle.
  7. 1 2 Mosley, Andrew. Four decades of change in theatre This Is Lancashire. 28 October 2007.
  8. ↑ "Production of the Phantom of the Opera | Theatricalia".
  9. ↑ Richard Corliss and William Tynan.Phantom Mania Time. 1 March 1993.
  10. ↑ Herman, Kenneth. CLASSICAL MUSIC / KENNETH HERMAN Batiquitos Festival Wasn't Music to Performers' Ears Los Angeles Times. 19 July 1988.
  11. ↑ "The differences". The Pantagraph. 2 November 1990.
  12. 1 2 Drake, Sylvie (28 May 1989). "'Phantom' composer rules over musical theater". Anchorage Daily News.
  13. ↑ Smith, Sid (10 December 1989). "'Phantom' phuror There actually are two versions coming to town". Chicago Tribune.
  14. ↑ "Phantom of the Opera by Ken Hill", Theatre Orb. Retrieved 10 December 2023
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.