Originally published in Movies Plus Magazine, 2004
The Phantom of the Opera is a romantic horror tale of a masked musician living in the dark recesses of the Paris Opera House whose obsession with a young opera singer drives him to murder.
Gaston Leroux’s novel le Fantome de l’Opera was first published in 1911. He was inspired to write the novel after roaming the labyrinthine catacombs under the Paris Opera House. Leroux, in his novel, claimed that the phantom really existed, and that the book was a work of “faction”. Leroux intertwined his story of the kidnapping of a young opera singer, Christine Daaé, with the rumours of the “opera ghost” that, it was claimed, haunted Box Five of the Paris Opera House. A famous incident when one of the counterweights of the chandelier in the opera house fell from the ceiling was tied into the book and made it even more believable.
The Phantom of the Opera was first filmed in 1924 with acclaimed horror actor Lon Chaney in the title role.
The set for the 1924 film version of The Phantom of the Opera was built on stage 28 at Universal Studios. It was so soundly built that it has never been removed and still stands there to this day. It has been used in many films including the 1943 version of The Phantom of the Opera and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1966 film, Torn Curtain.
The first revealing of the phantom’s face in the 1924 film was anticipated to have such a dramatic effect on the audience that theatre managers were urged by the film’s distributors to stock up on smelling salts for nervous ladies who were likely to faint at the awful sight.
Lon Chaney’s make up for the phantom was not based on a mask, but on his real face, as is the make up for both the current stage and film productions.
Andrew Lloyd Webber was not the first to transform Leroux’s novel into a musical. In 1984 a raucous and unashamedly camp version of The Phantom of the Opera was mounted at the Theatre Royal in Stratford. Sarah Brightman played Christine in this version.
The first audience to see any of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s version of Phantom was at his home in Sydmonton. Lord Lloyd Webber stages a music festival there every year and in July 1985 an early draft of Act One of Phantom was presented to a small intimate audience. Colm Wilkinson sang the role of the Phantom and Sarah Brightman sang the role that her husband to be wrote for her, Christine.
Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to test the reaction to The Phantom of the Opera in 1985. A single version of the title song was released with ex-Cockney Rebel frontman Steve Harley singing the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine. The single reached number 7 in the UK charts.
The Phantom of the Opera as we know it now debuted on London’s West End with Michael Crawford as the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine on Thursday 9th October 1986.
The phantom’s name is Erik. He is never referred to by name in the Lloyd Webber version, instead he is referred to only as “The Phantom”. Christine calls him her “Angel of Music” and he describes himself as the “Opera Ghost”.
2004 marked Phantom’s 19th year in Her Majesty’s theatre in London, making it London’s longest running musical.
The Phantom of the Opera has played in over 100 cities in 17 cities around the world, won 7 Tony Awards and spawned 3 Top Ten singles before it debuted in London in 1986.
Ardent followers of the stage production call themselves Phantom Phans and have been known to travel around the world to see the show.
There has been talk of Phantom the movie for several years. The project was ready to begin filming in 1990 and was set to star Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Just before filming began, Andrew Lloyd Webber divorced Brightman and the project was put on hold.
Although there have been several different directors rumoured to be attached to Phantom ,Joel Shumacher was always Andrew Lloyd Webber’s first choice for the job.
Rumours of actors in talks to appear included Martine McCutcheon as Christine and John Travolta as the Phantom. Antonio Banderas was also mooted for the role of the Phantom after his successful turn as Ché in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita and spent several years in vocal training for the role. Keira Knightley, Charlotte Church, Katie Holmes and Anne Hathaway were all considered for the role of Christine.
Emmy Rossum (Christine) has been singing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York since she was seven.
Andrew Lloyd Webber once said ‘the greatest couplet written in the English language is “She was just 17, you know what I mean…”‘. Coincidentally, Emmy Rossum was 17 at the time of filming Phantom.
Jennifer Ellison was cast as Meg Giry (Christine’s best friend) after director Joel Schumacher saw her on GMTV.
Gerard Butler’s facial prosthetics for the disfigured face of the phantom took four hours to apply every time.
Minnie Driver (Carlotta) has just released her first album, Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket.
Our very own Ciaran Hinds (who previously appeared with Gerard Butler in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life) appears in the film as one of the Opera House’s owners Monsieur Firmin. Firmin’s co-owner, Monsieur André is played by Simon Callow.
