History of the Phantom of the Opera Essay

In 1911, Gas long ton Leroux published Le Fantme de l opera house house, the now famous word of honor that gave birth to the legend of the spectre. Leroux had been fascinated by the mystery and jut out of the genus Paris opera House. As a household enthusiast, he had toured solely the levels of the opera house House including a visit to the underground lake, cellar and secret passageways.The somber events at the Paris opera house House which ignited Leroux s engage began with Napoleon IIIs call for a radicalborn opera house to be built in Paris in 1860, subsequently he had survived an assassination attempt one evening when returning from the Opera. The reflection of the Opera House, faced many delays and construction stopped during the Franco Prussian War. afterwards the war, the then unfinished Opera House was occupied by the work class who used it as a wargonhouse, observation post, communications center, soldiery post and a powder store. The cellar was once used as a torture chamber. The new Paris Opera House was ultimately finished in 1875. Finally, adding to the mystery, an unfortunate incident occurred in the Paris Opera House in 1896, a counter-weight of six and a half ton chandelier fell from the ceiling, killing a patron.Gaston Leroux always claimed that the ghost in the story was true, based on his investigations and tours of the Opera House. He is quoted as dictumThe Opera ghost in truth existed. He was non, as was long believed, a creature of the imagination of the artists, the superstition of the managers, or the absurd and impressionable brains of the new ladies of the ballet, their m other(a)s, the stroke-keepers, the cloak-room attendants, or the concierge. No, he existed in flesh and blood, though he fake all the outward characteristics of a real shadow, that is to say, of a ghost. (Leroux, G, n.d)In 1925, began the twine of events that would give rise to the phenomenon of the tail. Universal Studios do the number 1 acquire of the handwriting the silent movie, Phantom of the Opera, which singlered Lon Chaney Snr. A second variate of the film, this epoch with sound and color, starring Claude Raines was produced in 1943. Followed by a Spanish version in 1962, and a 1974 version starring Herbert Lom and Heather Sears.The Phantom was produced twice on stage in 1935 and 1975, without much success.Then, in 1986, the legend of the Phantom of the Opera would become one of the close famous stories in the world, when Andrew Lloyd webers Musical Phantom of the Opera hit the stage in capital of the United Kingdom. In the 21 years since the Musical began, it has broken all theatre records and is now the longest running Broadway Show in History.The success of the practice of medicineal comedy spurred the movie industries interest again in 2004, with a moderately made movie called Phantom of the Opera based on Andrew Lloyd Webbers opera. vituperative acclaim for the movie has been varied.The Phan tom has outlived his creator who died in April 1927 and has become iconic to the 20th and 21st Century.History of the Hit Musical The Phantom of the Opera Andrew Lloyd Webbers musical The Phantom of the Opera overt in Londons Majesty Theatre on 9 October 1986. In the archetype London Cast, The Phantom was played by Michael Crawford, and Christine by Sarah Brightman (then wife of Andrew Lloyd Webber).The pilot program creative team of the Phantom wasHarold Prince DirectorCameron Mackintosh ProducerAndrew Lloyd Webber Composer, Book, Co-orchestra female horse Bjrnson Production DesignerWhile Andrew Lloyd Webber had already been phenomenally successful with w ars equivalent Evita and the Sound of Music, The Phantom made stars of the actors and creative team members.The musical is button up running 21 years later (2007) in London, Broadway (N.Y) and touring worldwide. The Phantom has win everywhere 50 awards including 3 Olivier, an Evening Standard Award, 7 Tonys and 3 Outer C ritic Circle Awards.At the time of writing, it is estimated that over 80 million people rent seen the musical, with total ticket gross revenue of over $3.2 billion.Reviews of the Phantom of the OperaThe Daily Mirrors first review of the Phantom of the Opera in 1986Its fantastic, fabulous and unrealistic Its fantastic, fabulous and phantasmagorical From the eerily flickering lights that greet you international Her Majestys Theatre to the last, glorious curtain call, Andrew Lloyd Webbers long-awaited new musical, Phantom of the Opera, is a triumph. The special effects are among the most large ever seen in the West End. The music is very bit as memorable as one would expect from the man who wrote Evita, Starlight Express and the rest. hardly most of all, the lay down belongs to Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford, who soar and swoop through and through their hugely demanding procedures similar eagles. After all the well-publicised false get goings and back-biting, Lloyd Web ber has created a musical which deserves to be almost well into the adjoining decade. The story is based closely on the master novel of 1911 un resembling most of the Phantom of the Opera films which have been made over the years. Michael Carwfords Phantom hides his hideously dis betd face by skulking in the stage caverns and pools deep beneath the Paris opera. His cacoethes for music is the alone thing which gives his life mean valueing until he becomes preoccupy by Sarah Brightmans Christine a young opera singer whose kayo is matched only by the purity of her voice. He coaches her in sequestered slice visiting dreadful catastrophes on anyone who refuses to advance her career. A hanged scene gearshift is suddenly hideously dropped on to the stage in the middle of a carry throughance. A vast crystal chandelier crashes on to the audience. As the phantom becomes more fiendish so Christine becomes increasingly miscellanyed in her feelings towards him.A dreadful climax is fast approaching. The eerie sets of the unfolding drama striking stages filled with mist and shining dischargedles are interspersed with all the colour and spectacle of the operas beingness prepared and presented at the theatre. Despite all the ghost train theatricals the superlative thrills of the visualise come from Michael Crawford. He not only sings superbly but also captures the torment of the Phantom perfectly. If you only see one deliver this year, make sure it is this one (Blake, J, 1986)In 2002, The Times wroteLong-runnersOne manage is obvious Maria Bjrnsons stunning designs. The story, based on Gaston Lerouxs novel, begins on the Paris Operas stage in 1911.The edifice is dusty and neglected, the stage festooned with great swags of grey fabric. Old theatrical shore up are being auctioned off. Then, as the auctioneer announces the final lot the operas enormous chandelier the dustsheets fall away, the scene seems almost to break down and the theatre travels back in time to 1881 before our very eyes. Its a vision of gaudy grandeur gas lamps flicker, red velvet glows in the light and plaster nymphs and satyrs frolic on pillars. The opera is forbidding by misfortunes that are rumoured to be the work of the Phantom, a malevolent figure who haunts the theatre. This sinister creature has become obsessed with Christine Daa, a pretty let out girl. just only cadaverous Madame Giry, the formidable ballet mistress, knows the terrible secret that lies behind the mask the Phantom wears. The musicals best duration occurs when the Phantom leads Christine through labyrinthine passages to his lair beyond a hidden lake underneath the building. As their boat glides over the misty water, surrounded by flickering candles, the effect is breathtaking. The problem is that this spectacle takes place early on and cryptograph afterwards can really compete. Harold Princes direction is slick and Gillian Lynnes choreography effective, but Lloyd Webbers music is of ten trite and dated. on that points little depth to any of the characters, either, yet the musicals central relationship intrigues. For while Christine is Beauty to the Phantoms Beast, she is haunted, not only by the opera ghost, but by the memory of her of a sudden violinist father. This lends a pleasingly perverse Freudian twist to the erotic tension between the two characters, and the per originators John Owen-Jones and Celia Graham make the most of it. Not only are they some(prenominal) excellent singers, they are delightful actors too. Graham brings both passion and a child alike neediness to her portrayal of Christine. Owen-Jones uses his rich, right voice to great effect, crooning one moment, spitting bitterness the next. But the real star of the extract is Bjrnsons work. The designer died earlier this month, recovered 53, and if Phantom has stood the test of time, its because of her. It is not the music audiences will suppose its the operas chandelier swinging crazi ly over the stalls, or a masked figure crouched menacingly over a gilded angel. And for those images alone, this limn is still worth seeing. (Marlowe, S, 2002)The New York Times revisited the Phantom in 2005 and wrote this review New York Times revisits the Phantom Old and phantasmal but Still a Hoot The paint on the balconies of the regal Theater looks chipped and the electronic drum machine sounds like something left over from a music video from the 1980s. But The Phantom of the Opera really shows its age (17 years and running) when the signature special effect is presented. Musicals have opened and closed in the time it takes that chandelier to lumber to the floor. Looking like one of Ed Woods teetering flying saucers, it crashes to the stage with the bosom of a shopping cart, the biggest, most extravagant anticlimax in town. xvii years later Sandra Joseph and Hugh Panaro are now playing the partings of Christine and the Phantom. Under the awful shadow of Hugh Panaro in The Phantom of the Opera.But what do you expect? It was intentional during the Reagan administration. For a top-of-the-line chandelier, you will have to wait for the $40 million production of Phantom initiative in Las Vegas next spring. But if the technology of the Broadway show seems a bit quaint, the real news is that the rest of the production has vainglorious old gracefully. Judging by sheer invention, emotional punch and onstage talent, the venerable blockbuster still beats out almost all of the whippersnappers currently on Broadway. Maria Bjornsons flamboyant gothic design and Harold Princes fantastical staging still have the gleam of alright polished professionalism. Led by the current Phantom (there have been 10 after Michael Crawford), Hugh Panaro, an up-and-coming musical theater star who finds the right mix of shock and schmaltz, most of the exuviate retains the freshness of opening night. That does not mean that Andrew Lloyd Webber haters, a large and very grumpy conti ngent, will be win over. Sorry, The Music of the Night hasnt changed. Nor has Charles Harts bumbling lyrics (You have brought me to that moment when words run dry). But for those sentimental souls feeling for a popular entertainment to transport them to a baroque, romantic new world with a powerful smoke machine, Phantom, Im keen to report, still delivers the goods. Which is especially impressive, given that not long ago, the musical seemed to be on its last legs. By the fall of 2003, its peers Miss Saigon, Cats and Les Misrables had faded away. book sales were down and rumors of its demise were common around Broadway. Flash-forward to today crowds are lined up around the corner to see the show, which regularly sells out. shoemakers last week, 99 percent of the seats were filled. In January, barring a strike, chance or nuclear holocaust, Phantom will eclipse Cats as the longest-running show in Broadway history. What happened? For one thing, it received a boost from Joel Schuma chers film version of the musical, which opened in December. Even though it wasnt a smash hit, the movie introduced a new audience to the show (as prove by the large number of young girls at the Majestic) and reminded old ones how higher-up the musical is. In fact, the bombastic film may be the only thing that makes the musical look understated. Mr. Prince, who continues to oversee casting and reportedly checks up on the show every few months, deserves credit for tending to it with care. When the box office dipped, he never panicked and cast a former Backstreet Boy for a short-term boost in sales. Unlike so many long-running shows, Phantom has not resorted to stunt casting. Although dont be surprised if Mr. Panaro, who has been rumored on theater Web sites as the choice to star in Lestat, Elton Johns vampire musical heading to Broadway next season, becomes a household name someday. A young, charismatic actor, he brings a maniacal energy and Grand Guignol charm to the tortured Phan tom. In his hands, the show concentrates more on the horror than the romance but only once does he turn to the audience and growl which, considering how scenery chewing this role could be, counts as admirable restraint. Surrounding him is a solid supporting cast who deliver disciplined performances free of the lazy flourishes that sneak into a role when an actor becomes bored by repetition. As the diva Carlotta, Anne Runolfsson flashes a hundred-watt grinning and shows off a richly textured voice in the opening song, Think of Me. Jeff Keller and George Lee Andrews, the only actors with major roles who have been with the company since the beginning, are marvelous as the nervous theater managers who made the mistake of purchasing the Paris Opera House. In 2001, Mr. Prince had them switch roles to keep things fresh. Sandra Joseph (who doesnt perform Wednesday evenings or Saturday matinees) is perfectly competent as Christine, although in her scenes with the Phantom she can come off as a bit bland. As her other love interest, Raoul, a terribly underwritten role, Tim Martin Gleason provides a strong voice and a stiff performance. In the romantic songs, ones mind slow wanders to the bitingly funny Lloyd Webber parody in Spamalot, which droned on and on until the stars looked threadbare of their own voices. Then again, the winking and eyebrow-raising in satirical musical comedies like Spamalot and The Producers are part of what makes the proudly melodramatic and unironic Phantom a prudish change of pace. The musical may seem as if it is from a divers(prenominal) time, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. (Zinoman, J, 2005) ain ReviewThe Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera captures your attention right from the start and then you will be you will be drawn into a mysterious world of horror, romance and tragedy.Your journey keeps you spellbound through reverberating songs sung by a handpicked cast, Maria Bjornsons magnificent sets and costumes to b oth delight and frighten you.Gaston Lerouxs gothic novel comes to life through Andrew Lloyds Webbers Phantom. The musical beautifully combines a mixture of genres, performed through opera, passing the audience entrapped in a tragic tale of love.Whether you are retrieve from fright or floating on Phantoms songs this musical will keep, you entertained, contemplative and somewhat disturbed leaving you thoughtful as to who should triumph in the end.New fans and old are still being enraptured by the phenomenon of The Phantom.Works CitedBlake, J, (1986) Its fantastic, fabulous and phantasmagorical, The Daily Mirror U.K. Retrieved 04/18/2007, http//www.thephantomoftheopera.com/poto/news_mediareviews_story.php?id=38Leroux, G. n.d. Quotation Phantom of the Opera Official Site. Retrieved 04/18/2007, http//www.thephantomoftheopera.com/poto/show/the_show_history_filmography.phpMarlowe, S, (2002), Long Runners, The Times, UK. Retrieved 04/18/2007 http//entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts _and_entertainment/article805339.eceZinoman, J, (2005), New York Times revisits the Phantom Old and supernatural but Still a Hoot, The New York Times, USA. Retrieved 04/18/2007 http//www.thephantomoftheopera.com/poto/news_mediareviews_story.php?id=216BibliographyParis Opera House (n.d.), Music of the 19th Century Paris, Opera. Retrieved 04/18/2007 http//gallery.sjsu.edu/paris/music/opera/opera_house.htmlThe Phantom of the Opera (n.d.), Official Website. Retrieved 04/17/2007, http//www.thephantomoftheopera.com