Phantom of the Opera

Background Information

 Le Fantôme de l'Opéra

• Novel by Gaston Leroux• Published in 1909• Partly inspired by historical

events at the Paris Opera during the 1800s

Phantom of the Opera

• Musical• Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber• Opened in 1986• Most financially successful

entertainment event to date• Estimated worldwide gross

receipts of over $5.6 billion

Characters

• The Phantom of the Opera (Erik)• Christine Daae• Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny• Carlotta Giudicelli• Madame Giry

• Meg Giry• Monsieur Richard Firmin• Monsieur Gilles Andre• Ubaldo Piangi

Prologue

SETTING• Paris Opera House• 1905

PLOT• Auction of old theatre props• Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, buys

a couple items

• Old chandelier is uncovered• It illuminates and slowly rises

over the audience to its old position in the rafters• The years roll back and the

Opera returns to its 1880s grandeaur

Act I

SETTING• Paris Opera House• 1881

PLOT• Carlotta (soprano prima donna) is

rehearsing for the evening’s performance• A backdrop collapses without

warning

• The Opera’s new owners (Firmin and Andre) try to downplay the incident• Carlotta refuses to continue and

leaves• Madame Giry tells the owners

that Christine could sing Carlotta’s role• Owners reluctantly audition

Christine and are surprised at how good she really is

• After her performance, Christine admits to her friend Meg that she only knows her teacher as an invisible “Angel of Music”• Raoul (an old playmate of

Christine’s) finds Christine in her dressing room• Raoul invites Christine to dinner• The jealous Phantom appears in

Christine’s mirror• He guides her into a ghostly

underground realm

• They cross a subterranean lake to his secret lair beneath the opera house• Christine sees a mannequin that

looks like her in a wedding dress• She faints and the Phantom

carries her to a bed• Christine awakens to the sound

of the monkey music box• She slips up behind the Phantom

(while he is composing music) and lifts his mask

• The Phantom gets very upset• He admits that he longs to look

normal and to be loved by her• In the opera house, Joseph

Buquet (the chief stagehand) regales everyone with tales of the Phantom• Madame Giry warns him to be

careful• The Phantom sends a note to

the new owners demanding that Christine take Carlotta’s place in the new opera

• Carlotta is enraged• The owners assure Carlotta that

she will remain the star• During her performance,

disaster strikes – the Phantom reduces Carlotta’s voice to a frog-like croak• The corpse of Buquet drops from

the rafters• Christine manages to escape to

the roof with Raoul• She tells him of her

subterranean rendezvous

• Raoul is skeptical• He swears to love and protect

her always• The Phantom overhears the

conversation• He is heartbroken• The Phantom angrily vows

revenge against Raoul• The opera’s chandelier crashed

to the stage

INTERMISSION

Act 2

SETTING• Paris Opera House• Six months later

PLOT• Masquerade ball• Phantom appears costumed as

the Red Death

• He announces to the stunned guests that he has written an opera• He demands that it be produced

and that Christine is to be in the lead role• The Phantom seizes Christine’s

engagement ring and vanishes• Raoul demands that Madame

Giry tell him about the Phantom

• Madame Giry tells Raoul that the Phantom is a brilliant musician and magician born with a terrifyingly deformed face• The Phantom escaped from

captivity in a traveling freak show and disappeared• Raoul hatches a plan to use the

new opera to capture the Phantom• Christine is torn between her

love for Raoul and her gratitude to the Phantom

• She visits her father’s grave (longing for her father’s guidance)• The Phantom appears again• Christine nearly falls under his

spell but Raoul rescues her• The Phantom taunts Raoul• After Christine & Raoul leave,

the Phantom sets fire to the cemetery• The new opera opens with

Christine and Ubaldo singing the lead roles

• During their duet, Christine realizes that she is singing with the Phantom• Christine rips off his mask &

exposes him to the shocked audience• Ubaldo is found strangled

backstage• The Phantom seizes Christine

and flees the theatre• An angry mob (led by Meg)

searches for the Phantom

• Madame Giry tells Raoul about the underground lair• She also warns him about the

lasso that the Phantom likes to use• Christine is forced to put on the

wedding dress• Raoul finds the lair but the

Phantom captures him• The Phantom tells Christine that

he will free Raoul if she stays with him forever

• If Christine refuses, the Phantom will kill Raoul• Christine tells the Phantom that

it is his soul that is deformed, not his face…and she kisses him• The Phantom (having

experienced kindness and compassion for the first time) sets them both free• Christine returns the Phantom’s

ring to him• He tells her that he loves her

• Christine cries and forces herself to run away• The Phantom (weeping) huddles

on his throne and covers himself with his cape• The mob storms the lair and

Meg pulls away the cape• The Phantom has vanished –

only his mask remains

Musical Numbers

PROLOGUE• Overture

ACT 1• Think of Me• Angel of Music• Little Lotte / The Mirror• The Phantom of the Opera

• The Music of the Night• I Remember• Magical Lasso• Notes• Prima Donna• Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh• Why Have You Brought Us Here• All I Ask of You

ACT 2• Entr’acte• Masquerade• Why So Silent?• Notes• We Have All Been Blind• Wishing You Were Somehow

Here Again• Wandering Child• The Point of No Return

• Down Once More• Finale