The Phantom of the Opera is one of the longest-running shows in West-End history, and is by far the longest running in Broadway history, being first performed in 1986. It is probably also one of the most famous musicals, having been made into a film, and being based on a classic French novel by Gaston Leroux. When first opened, it won both the Olivier and Tony Awards for Best New Musical, already being at the top of its field, and has gone on to amaze and entertain audiences nightly ever since, making it not only a hit, but also a classic built to last, and it’s story and message is as relevant now as it was when the show first opened.
The music of the show is written by master composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and is probably his biggest of many hits. The music to the piece is very stylised around the setting of the story, a 19th century Opera house, feeling very classical and operatic in its tone, with some pieces, such as ‘Think Of Me’ being sung as if they were actually part of an opera. The title song is oddly an exception, with a slightly more rocky style, but the same dramatic feel as the rest of the score. This song in particular has become extremely well known and has gone on to be used by plenty of other artists for cover versions.
The story begins when the current Prima Donna (lead female in the opera house’s productions) quits after some heavy scenery almost falls on her. The new owners of the opera house do not understand the anxiety of the cast, but as we soon discover, the opera house is inhabited by a ‘Phantom’, who acts temperamentally when he does not get his way. Christine, a chorus girl, is cast in the prima donna’s role and puts on an amazing performance that night, to everyone’s surprise, however she is later visited by the Phantom and led by him down into his underground dwelling. She is at first mesmerised by him, but when he removes his mask is terrified since his face is incredibly deformed. As the story continues, the Phantom grows jealous of Christine’s relationship with the handsome Raoul, and angry at the way the opera house is being managed. He lashes out, with terrifying consequences. The two opera house managers, Raoul, and Christine decide that enough is enough and they must fight back against the Phantom once and for all, but as the musical reaches its dramatic climax, Christine must decide whether she can condemn someone so misunderstood by the world, and who really just wants to be loved.
The story is one whose message is eternally relevant. It is about a character who is persecuted based on purely how he looks, and who has grown up being seen as a freak, and it is about how he reacts adversely to this. The characters in the show judge him and want to catch him and fight with him, but all he really wants and needs is to be loved. It’s an extremely moving premise, and is brought to life beautifully by the music and lyrics.
This show features some of the most extravagant staging I have ever seen in a musical, and really is a wonder to behold, with a large cast, complex choreography, and extreme sets, including a falling chandelier and a gondola which moves across the stage as if across an underground lake. It’s also featured some brilliant actors and actresses in lead roles over its history, including Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, as well as Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess more recently.
The latter two appeared in the 25th anniversary concert production of the show, which was performed in 2011 for 3 nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London. This production equally featured great staging and a great cast, and is available on DVD and Blu-ray for the chance to see the stage production come to life from home. As well as this, you can watch the 2004 motion picture version of the musical starring Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler in the two lead roles, but as with most theatre productions, to really experience the spectacle, it’s best seeing them live.
Image from: http://www.musicalheaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/The-Phantom-of-the-Opera-Broadway-Poster.jpg
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