The Phantom of the Opera

Based on the novel

Le Fantôme de l’Opéra

by GASTON LEROUX

Gaston Leroux

Gaston Leroux, author of The Phantom of the Opera, was a big, bold, audacious man who loved good living, drinking and dressing colorfully to hide a large, round belly. He tried to portray himself asbigger than life, and many of his novels and stories echoed his ownadventures.

Published in 1910The year it was published, Paris flooded.The Titanic sank around the same time the

book was published.The telephone was in use by 1877, but the

Phantom did not use it.

History of The Phantom of the Opera

The Opera Populaire Inspired by the Paris Opera (an opera house

built in 1869)Napoleon III held a contest for the best

design of the opera houseCharles Garnier, a 35-year old unknown architect won the competition

The Setting

Charles Garnier

Construction began in 1857, but was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War

As it was being built, an underground lake was found under the construction site

The lake became an underground reservoir beneath the building

Water was pumped for 8 months 24/7Still monitored today for safety reasons

Interesting Facts

Underground Lake

Has a total of 118,404 square feet Stage is able to accommodate up to 450

artists17 floors80 dressing rooms2500 doorsCeiling was painted in 1964 by Marc Chagall2,200 seat auditoriumThe great basements of the Opera House

were needed for the raising and lowering of giant sets, some of which could reach 50 feet high andweigh as much as 11,000 tons!

More Facts

Weighs over 6 tons (12,000 pounds)

In 1896 one of the counter-weights for the chandelier fell, killing a concierge named Mme. Chomette.

The Chandelier

Gothic literature goes deep into the gruesome nature of humanity and its journey to satisfy mankind's basic desire to understand the depths of terror.

What is Gothic Literature

CemeteryPlace where people are buried--especially with underground catacombs

Entrapment A favorite horror device of the Gothic finds a

person confined or trapped, such as being shackled to a floor or hidden away in some dark cell or cloister

The Haunted Castle or House A dwelling that is inhabited by or visited regularly by a ghost or other supposedly supernatural being.

Elements of Gothic Literature

Mist A grouping of water particles due to a change in atmosphere.  This convention in Gothic Literature is often used to obscure objects (by reducing visibility or to prelude the insertion of a terrifying person or thing.

Revenge Revenge is characterized as the act of repaying someone for a harm that the person has caused

Somnambulism

Sleepwalking, exists as a type of dissociated mental state which occurs during sleep.

Supernatural Gadgetry

Some common examples of supernatural props are "vocal and mobile portraits; veiled statues that come to life; animated skeletons; doors, gates, portals, hatchways, and other means of exit which open and close independently and inappropriately; secret messages or manuscripts delivered by specters; forbidden chambers or sealed compartments

Adaptations of the Novel

The most famous is the 1925 film, The Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney.

British film critic Milton Shulman wrote in 1975: “My most horrific moment in the cinema came when I first saw Lon Chaney spinning around from his playing the organ at the Paris Opera to display his fanged, corroded, skull-like visage to Mary Philbin, who as Christine, had dared unmask him. That tingling, hair-on-end experience has lived with me for over fifty years.”

Lon Chaney: The Man of a Thousand Faces

Andrew Lloyd Weber’s The Phantom of the Opera

The Broadway production opened on January 26, 1988 with a then-record advance of $18 million.

On January 9, 2006, The Phantom of the Opera played performance #7,486, surpassing the 7,485 performance run of Cats to become the longest-running show in Broadway history.

The Phantom of the Opera has been seen in New York by almost 11 million people.

Winner of seven 1988 Tony® Awards including Best Musical.

The dazzling replica of the Paris Opera House chandelier features 6,000 beads. It weighs one ton and has traveled 2,512,368 feet (476 miles). The original version (in London) was built by 5 people in 4 weeks.

There have been over 65,000 performances. Worldwide box office is in excess of $3.2 billion, making Phantom the most successful entertainment venture of all time, surpassing not only any other stage production, but also far surpassing the world’s highest-grossing film Titanic (at $1.2 billion) and such other blockbusters as The Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park and Star Wars. Over 80 million people have seen The Phantom of the Opera.

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber

The MovieReleased in 2004Directed by Joel SchumacherWebber was heavily involved with the music

side of production. He insisted that all the actors be able to sing their songs.

Roles from the musical were more developed and made more realistic.

The CharactersThe Phantom (Erick)

Christine Daae

Raoul the Vicomte de Chagny

Fermin

Andre

The New Ownersof the

Opera Populaire

Madame Giry

Carlotta

Piangi Buquet

Meg Giry