Theater: Phantom of the Opera

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Phantom of the Opera

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The Phantom of the Opera is of course the story of the mysterious figure that haunts the Paris Opera House circa 1881. He tutors the young chorus girl, Christine Daae, and attempts to win her love, but is foiled when Christine falls for her childhood friend, Raoul, a wealthy patron of the opera. The Phantom seeks his revenge and stops at nothing to have Christine for his own.

The story of a disfigured man who was rescued from a circus by a kind ballet dancer and spends his life living in the basement of the Paris Opera Populaire is well known. Gaston Leroux?s novel, Le Fantome de L?Opera) has made this writer famous. For those who would like a slightly different interpretation of Leroux?s novel, read Susan Kay?s Phantom (Dell, 1991) The man becomes known as the ghost who haunts the opera, ?The Phantom,? and is a teacher to a young singer, Christine.

The lead soprano, Carlotta, is selfishness-personified, but through various ?accidents,? Christine gets her big chance and becomes the toast of Paris. Enter, Raoul, a childhood friend, who now becomes Christine?s boyfriend, much to the anger of the Phantom who wants Christine all to himself. We are talking stalking and harassment here.What happens to the trio as they fight their way to a resolution through music is one of Broadway?s biggest hits.

The sets are indeed lush. ?Masquerade? has the actors in black and white costumes until the Phantom makes his appearance in red. Christine visiting her father?s grave in a cemetery is both mysterious and poignant. Almost every scene in Phantom is designed to look like a picture from a Gothic book. Intricacies of the Paris Opera show up nicely as the singers do the word, ?labyrinth.? The lair of the Phantom is surreal, and while we don?t hear him play the pipe organ, they are in the scene. The actors may have done their own singing (with the exception of Minnie Driver who is dubbed by Margaret Preece), but there is a microsecond delay between music and facial motions. Nothing is perfect.

Gerard Butler looks menacing, dashing, romantic and slightly askew, while Patrick Wilson is dashing, romantic and slightly emotion-less. Emmy Rossum looks slightly undressed, in distress and worried, while Carlotta steals her scenes. Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry the ballet mistress holds her own and is the calm force here. Jennifer Ellison plays her daughter, Meg, Christine?s friend and a young dancer, while Simon Callow and Ciaran Hinds are the new owners of the opera house and not sure how to deal with a phantom in their building.

Andrew Lloyd Webber?s Phantom of the Opera met my expectations of bringing this larger-than-life musical to the big screen. One wonders how Antonio Banderas would have played the Phantom, but Gerard Butler does nicely. You will never look at a single, red rose the same way again.