The Phantom of the Opera (Musical)
| The Phantom of the Opera | |
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| Musical dates | |
| Title: | The Phantom of the Opera |
| Original title: | The Phantom of the Opera |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| Book: | Richard Stilgoe |
| Lyrics: | Charles Hart , Richard Stilgoe and Mike Batt |
| Literary source: | The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux |
| Premiere: | October 9, 1986 |
| Place of premiere: | Her Majesty's Theater , London |
| Roles / people | |
& Ensemble |
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Phantom of the Opera (Engl. Title The Phantom of the Opera ) is a 1986 premiered Musical in two acts by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe , which on the novel The Phantom of the Opera the Frenchman Gaston Leroux based of 1911. The lyrics in English were written by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, as well as by Mike Batt ; the German translation was penned by Michael Kunze . The Director of the original production took Harold Prince .
With productions in 27 countries and more than 130 million visitors, it is considered the most successful musical of all time.
background
The English-language premiere of the musical took place on October 9, 1986 at Her Majesty's Theater in London . The play has been running on Broadway in New York since January 26, 1988 in the Majestic Theater and has been the longest played on Broadway since January 9, 2006, with 7,486 performances to date . The Broadway version won 7 Tony Awards , the most important American award for theatrical performances.
The German-language premiere was shown in Austria at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on December 20, 1988. In Germany, the play was performed for the first time on June 29, 1990 in the specially built Theater Neue Flora in Hamburg. In Switzerland it ran for the first time at the Musical Theater Messe , Basel , on October 12, 1995. On February 19, 2013, Stage Entertainment announced that the musical would be played again in the Neue Flora Theater in Hamburg for 10 months from December 2013 . However, due to the great success, the season was extended and the last curtain fell on September 30, 2015.
The musical premiered on November 12, 2015 at the Metronom Theater in Oberhausen . The musical had its Dernière there on September 4, 2016.
Lloyd Webber's musical is one of the world's best known and most popular musicals today. It has been performed successfully in England, the USA, Austria, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Canada and the Netherlands ( Het spook van de opera by Seth Gaaikema ). In 2016 it comes to the Mogador Theater in Paris .
On October 1 and 2, 2011, the musical celebrated its 25th stage anniversary with a new and lavishly staged version, presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh , in London's Royal Albert Hall . There were three performances, the third of which was broadcast live via satellite in cinemas worldwide.
Some of the most famous music tracks are:
- Phantom of the Opera ( The Phantom of the Opera )
- You could be with me again ( Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again )
- Think of me ( think of me )
- Angel of Music / Muse ( Angel of Music )
- The Music of the Night / Night ( The Music of the Night )
- From now on there's no going back ( The Point of No Return )
Leroux's novel was processed into other stage versions (including musicals), but these were less internationally known than the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Plot and staging
prolog
Paris 1905
An auction takes place at the Paris Opera , where props from days gone by are auctioned off. For auction comes with the lot number 665 initially "a music box made of paper mache one in the form of barrel organ . On it the figure of a monkey in Persian costume, which beats the cymbals ” . Raoul, 70 years old, buys this piece, which was found in the cellars of the opera, for 30 francs . He ponders that she (Christine) told him about this very character. Next, the once broken chandelier from the auditorium of the opera is called up with lot number 666. In order to convince the present bidders of the quality of the repair, it shines in bright light and is pulled up from the stage to the ceiling above the auditorium to the pompous sounds of the overture.
Act I.
Paris 1870
Rehearsals for the opera “Hannibal” by Chalumeau; during the aria by the prima donna Carlotta Giudicelli, part of the backdrop collapses. Carlotta refuses to go on singing. The choir girl Christine is proposed as a replacement. She sings first, and during the song the scenery changes to the gala performance (Think of me / Denk an mich). Raoul is sitting in the box and is amazed to see Christine. After the performance, Christine goes to the cloakroom. Meg Giry followed her, and Christine tells her how the Angel of Music taught her to sing. After the performance, Raoul visits Christine in her dressing room and congratulates her on her success. Both know each other from childhood and meet again for the first time in a long time. Raoul, with whom she often played in the attic of her parents' house as a child, explains his affection for her (Little Lotte / Dear Lottchen). Both do not know that they are being watched by the phantom, who has also fallen in love with Christine and her voice.
When Christine is alone in her dressing room again, she hears the voice of the Angel of Songs (The Mirror / Der Spiegel) again. Angry with jealousy, the angel reveals to Christine his true identity as the Phantom of the Opera and takes her down to the opera house's vaulted cellar in a passionate duet. Arrived in the hiding place of the phantom, Christine sings of his love for music (The Music of the Night), shows her a replica of herself - a doll in a wedding dress - whereupon she faints.
Christine wakes up and looks around. She discovers a paper mache music box in the shape of a barrel organ. The phantom sits at the organ and composes (I Remember… / The memory returns). Completely absorbed in his work, it does not notice Christine sneaking up on him. Christine rips off his mask and sees his face, but the audience does not see it. After a burst of wild anger and sadness (Stranger than you Dreamed it / Worse Than a Nightmare), which Christine responds with a first hint of compassion, the Phantom brings her back to her dressing room.
The stage master Joseph Bouquet tells the ballet girls horror stories about the phantom. The frightened girls listen intently to his description: a skin like parchment and a black hole under the eyes, where otherwise a nose should be. If you meet the phantom, you should be more careful, because otherwise he will catch you with his “magic lasso”, the “Punjab lasso” (a thin loop of cat's intestines, also called “Indian lasso”). The phantom appears with Christine, the ballet girls flee, the phantom stares at Bouquet and leaves. Giry has observed everything and advises Bouquet to be silent (Magical Lasso / Zauberlasso).
Firmin, André, Raoul and Carlotta have received letters signed OG, Operngeist. It demands that Christine continue to take on the roles of Carlotta. Carlotta foams with anger (Notes / Briefe). André and Firmin try to get Carlotta to stay (Prima Donna). The voice of the phantom threatens that if his demands are not met, catastrophe will occur.
Performance of “Il Muto” by Albrizzio; Carlotta sings the main role, Christine has the role of the silent page. The phantom is annoyed that his instructions are not followed. While the phantom laughed, Carlotta only managed to squeak over her lips (Poor Fool He Makes Me Laugh). André and Firmin calm down the audience and announce that the performance will continue with Christine in the lead role. During the early ballet, the hanging bouquet falls from above onto the stage. Christine and Raoul flee to the roof. Christine is terrified of the phantom, Raoul tries to calm her down. (Why Have You Brought Us Here? / Why have you so far?) They confess their love for each other, and Raoul promises to protect her (All I ask of you / I don't want more from you). The phantom has watched the scene and is furious. (All I Ask of You (Reprise) / I don't want more from you (Reprise)). It appears high above the stage and brings down the chandelier, which falls spectacularly on the stage.
Act II
Six months later
Masquerade ball for New Year, André and Firmin are looking forward to the new year (masquerade / masked ball). Raoul and Christine have previously secretly engaged and now want to announce it. The Phantom is of course not invited, but still appears stylishly disguised as the Red Death. (Why So Silent? / What scares you so?). It reveals itself and gives the directors its latest composition, the opera “Don Juan, the winner” .
Raoul introduces Giry. She tells him that years ago at the fair she saw a child prodigy locked in a cage, locked up because his face was disfigured. Then it could flee. Raoul suspects that this child is now the phantom, but Giry thinks she has already said too much.
Again the phantom wrote letters to the management, this time regarding his opera "Don Juan, the winner". Christine is supposed to take on the main female role of Aminta, Carlotta only a supporting role. Raoul and the directors plan to set a trap for the phantom at this performance: Assuming that the phantom will be present when Christine sings, they want to catch it and render it harmless (Notes / Even more letters). The rehearsals that follow for the opera of the phantom are chaotic.
Fearful, Christine flees to the cemetery, to the grave of her father, from whom she hopes for consolation and help to break away from childhood dreams (Wishing you were somehow here again / Could you be with me again). But the phantom also appears again in the cemetery and tries to cast a spell over her again (Wandering Child / helpless child). But the suddenly appearing Raoul can prevent worse (Bravo Monsieur). The phantom swears vengeance.
During the performance of the last act of his opera, the phantom murders the leading actor Ubaldo Piangi, takes his place as Don Juan completely unrecognized and sings the duet with Christine (Point of no Return / From now on there is no turning back). The phantom takes a ring from her finger and Christine lights it. The dead Piangi is discovered. Christine unmasked the phantom so that the audience can see it. In the opera a big mess arises, which enables the phantom to flee and to kidnap Christine again to his hiding place in the catacombs of the opera (Down Once More / Nun down, Track Down This Murderer / Fasst This Murderer).
Raoul follows the two with the help of Giry, who advises him to always keep his hand at eye level so that the lasso only encircles the arm and he can free himself from it again. When Giry does not venture further down into the dark cellar, Raoul goes on alone and is captured by the Phantom. This gives Christine a choice: Either she spends the rest of her life with the Phantom and Raoul is released, or Christine can live in freedom and Raoul has to die. In a trio, each of the three thoughts thinks about the situation that has arisen. Finally, the phantom asks Christine to decide. With a touch of pity, Christine decides to hug the phantom and kisses it on the mouth. The pursuers are getting closer. The Phantom orders Raoul to leave and take Christine with him. Christine and Raoul leave. But Christine returns and gives him back the ring, after which she leaves again. The phantom sits on the throne and before the pursuers arrive, it disappears under his cloak. Meg Giry reaches the throne and picks up the mask that was left behind in her hand (Final Lair / Im Versteck des Phantom).
Music track
Some music titles exist in different translations. In these cases, the newer translation is given in brackets after the older translation.
1st act
- prolog
- overture
- Rehearsals for "Hannibal"
- Think of me (carlotta)
- Think of me (christine)
- Angel of Songs (Angel of Muse)
- Dear Lottchen / The mirror
- The Phantom of the Opera
- The music of the dark (The music of the night)
- The memory comes back / Worse than a nightmare
- Magic lasso
- Letters I.
- Prima donna
- A performance of the opera "Il Muto"
- Make that fool laugh
- Why up so far
- Raoul, I saw him
- I do not want more from you
- I don't want more from you (recapitulation)
- Now you are doomed
2nd act
- Between act music
- Masked ball
- What scares you so?
- Letters II
- Here I stand alone
- A musical rehearsal for "Don Juan, the winner"
- You could be with me again
- Helpless child (touching child) / Bravo, monsieur
- Don Juan, the winner
- The last step (from now on there is no going back)
- On stage
- Now down
- Track down this killer
- The hiding place of the phantom
Performances and cast
German language version
The German-language premiere took place on December 20, 1988 in the Theater an der Wien . From June 9, 1990, the musical was shown in the Raimund Theater in Vienna . The last performance was on June 30, 1993. In a total of 1363 performances, around 1.4 million visitors saw the musical.
In Germany, the play was performed for eleven years from 1990 to 2001 in the specially built musical theater Neue Flora in Hamburg. The 4400 performances were seen by more than 6 million visitors. From 2002 to 2004 the play ran in the Palladium Theater in Stuttgart and from autumn 2005 to March 2007 it was performed 508 times in the Colosseum Theater Essen.
From December 2013 to September 2015, the German-language version of the musical was shown again at the Neue Flora Theater in Hamburg after a twelve-year break . This version was performed with an orchestra reduced by almost half.
- Vienna : Premiere: December 20, 1988, dererniere: June 30, 1993
- Hamburg : Premiere: June 29, 1990, Derniere: June 30, 2001
- Stuttgart : Premiere: November 1, 2002, dererniere: May 23, 2004
- Essen : Premiere: September 29, 2005, denier: March 10, 2007
- Hamburg : Premiere: November 28, 2013, Derniere: September 30, 2015
- Oberhausen : Premiere: November 12, 2015, Derniere: September 4, 2016
English version
Differences in the staging
Apart from the Hungarian and Polish versions, which have their own sets, all international versions are very similar in terms of dramaturgy and set design. However, there are differences: The London version is the only production in which a trio (Phantom, Christine, and Raoul) is sung in the scene in the cemetery when Christine takes the Phantom for her father (this was added to the Hungarian Version adopted). In all other versions, Raoul is not on stage at this point. There is only a duet between the phantom and Christine. The trio was added to Broadway in 2014 and used in the UK and on US tours as well as Stockholm.
The chandelier falls down in different lanes and speeds, depending on the circumstances of the auditorium. In London it slowly slides down, while in the German versions it moves very quickly to the ground. The candlestick of the first Australian production had a falling speed of approx. 160 km / h and was thus the fastest in the world.
filming
In 2004 a film adaptation of the musical was made under the direction of Joel Schumacher .
Some changes have been made in the movie version. The chandelier does not fall at the end of the first act, ie after “All I ask of you (recapitulation)”, but almost at the end of the film, after “Point of no return”. In addition, some scenes from the stage version have been omitted or moved in the film. Examples are the rehearsals for Don Juan or “Notes 2”, from which some passages can be found in other places. Instead, new scenes have been incorporated into the film, such as the sword fight between Raoul and the phantom in the cemetery.
There are also minor discrepancies in terms of content. In the stage version, Madame Giry only mentions that a long time ago she saw a disfigured man, who was however a genius, in a cage at a fair, that he fled one day and that she saw him again in the dark of the opera believes. Deviating from this - and in complete contradiction to the information in the novel - in the film version Madame Giry helps the young phantom to escape from the fair and takes him to the opera, where he grows up afterwards. In addition, the characters for the cinema audience are designed slightly differently than those of the stage version.
Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular
A modernized version of the musical was performed at the Venetian in Las Vegas from June 12, 2006 (12th “Previews”, official premiere June 24) to September 2, 2012. Special attention was paid to the special effects, such as a four-part chandelier. The $ 40 million theater is modeled after the Opéra Garnier in Paris. The original stage sets have been greatly expanded, the operas in the play are more complex, and stuntmen are used. In addition, the piece has been shortened to 95 minutes and it is played as a one-act play without a break. Some pieces such as “Zauberlaso” (Magical lasso) and “Briefe II” (Notes II) have been taken out entirely, other songs such as “Hannibal” and “Il Muto” have been cut. The chandelier case has been postponed, so it only falls after the unmasking at "Point of no return", as in the movie.
continuation
After some time the idea of a sequel to the Phantom of the Opera was celebrated in 2010, Love Never Dies (Love Never Dies) Premiere in London and has since been shown in several other countries. It was also written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and tells the story of the phantom who now lives on Coney Island and who still misses Christine. From the previous characters, Madame Giry and Meg Giry are included in addition to the Phantom, Christine and Raoul. There are some allusions to the Phantom of the Opera in terms of both content and music , but it is understandable as an independent work even without the first part.
Sound recordings
German language version
There are different recordings of the musical, which differ in the line-up and individual song texts:
- Phantom of the Opera - German original recording
- The performance began in Vienna on April 18, 1989
- Double CD, Polydor (Universal).
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Alexander Goebel
- Christine Daaé: Luzia Nistler
- Raoul: Alfred Pfeifer
- The Phantom of the Opera - The highlights of the Hamburg performance
- Recording of excerpts from the performance in Hamburg on November 15, 1990
- Compact Disc, Polydor (Universal).
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Peter Hofmann
- Christine Daaé: Anna Maria Kaufmann
- Raoul: Hartwig Rudolz
- Highlights from The Phantom Of The Opera
- 4-track single of the performance from Basel ("Phantom of the Opera", "Music of the Night",
- "I don't want more from you" and "Could you be with me again")
- Compact Disc, Polydor, 573225-2
- sung in German
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Florian Schneider
- Christine Daaé: Ute Baum
- Raoul: Bjorn Olsson
- Note: this CD is a maxi CD with only four tracks from the musical. It was only published in limited numbers and has been out of print for some time, making it difficult to find.
- The Phantom of the Opera - The Original German Film Music
- German soundtrack to the film by Joel Schumacher (September 12, 2005)
- Compact Disc, SCL (Sony BMG).
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Uwe Kroeger
- Christine Daaé: Jana Werner
- Raoul: Carsten Lepper
- Meg Giry: Jana Stelley
International sound recordings
In addition to the German-language recordings of the musical, there are other international recordings
- Phantom of the Opera - Original London Cast Album
- Recording of the London premiere cast from 1987
- 2 compact discs, Polydor (Universal).
- sung in English
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Michael Crawford
- Christine Daaé: Sarah Brightman
- Raoul: Steve Barton
- Phantom of the Opera - Original Japanese recording
- Recorded performance in Tokyo in 1988
- 2 compact discs, Pony Canyon .
- sung in japanese
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Masachika Ichimura
- Christine Daaé: Ryoko Nomura
- Raoul: Yūichirō Yamaguchi
- Note: This recording has been out of print for years and is therefore extremely difficult to find.
- Phantom of the Opera - Original Canadian Cast Album
- Recording of excerpts from the Toronto performance in 1990
- Compact Disc, Polydor (PolyGram).
- sung in English
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Colm Wilkinson
- Christine Daaé: Rebecca Caine
- Raoul: Byron Nease
- Phantom of the Opera - Original Swedish recording
- Live recording (official) of the 1990 performance in Stockholm
- 2 compact discs, Polydor.
- sung in Swedish
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Mikael Samuelson
- Christine Daaé: Elisabeth Berg
- Raoul: Bengt Nordfors
- Phantom of the Opera - Original Dutch recording
- Recording of excerpts from the performance in Scheveningen in 1993
- Compact disc, Polydor.
- sung in dutch
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Henk Poort
- Christine Daaé: Joke de Kruijf
- Raoul: Peter de Smet
- Phantom of the Opera - Studio Cast
- Studio recording of excerpts with a line-up from 1993 specially composed for this CD
- Compact disc, That's Entertainment.
- sung in English
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Graham Bickley
- Christine Daaé: Claire Moore
- Raoul: John Barrowman
- Phantom of the Opera - 1st Japanese re-recording
- Started performance in Japan in 1992
- 2 compact discs, Polydor (Universal).
- sung in japanese
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Yūichirō Yamaguchi
- Christine Daaé: Kyoko Suzuki
- Raoul: Kanji Ishimaru
- Phantom of the Opera - Studio Cast
- Studio recording of excerpts with a line-up from 1996 specially composed for this CD
- Compact disc, That's Entertainment.
- sung in English
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Ethan Freeman
- Christine Daaé: Claire Moore
- Raoul: John Barrowman
- Note: In addition to 12 songs from the Phantom of the Opera , this CD also contains four bonus tracks from the musical Sunset Boulevard by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- Phantom of the Opera - 2nd Japanese re-recording
- Anniversary re-recording of the Japanese performance from 1999
- 2 compact discs, Polydor (Universal).
- sung in japanese
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Kiyotaka Imai
- Christine Daaé: Rumi Iryo
- Raoul: Daisuke Yanase
- El Fantasma de la Opera - Original Mexican recording
- Recording of excerpts from the Mexico City performance in 2000
- Compact Disc, Columbia.
- sung in spanish
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Juan Navarro
- Christine Daaé: Irasema Terrazas
- Raoul: Jose Joel
- Phantom of the Opera - Original Korean Cast Album
- Recording of excerpts from the 2002 performance in Seoul
- Compact disc, universal.
- sung in korean
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Yoon, Young-Seok
- Christine Daaé: Lee, Hye-Kyoung
- Raoul: Ryu, Jung-Han
- Az Operaház Fantomja - Original Hungarian recording
- The performance began in Budapest in 2004
- 2 compact discs, Really Useful Records
- sung in hungarian
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Sándor Sasvári
- Christine Daaé: Andrea Mahó
- Raoul: Zoltán Miller
- Upiór w Operze - Original Polish recording
- Recording of excerpts from the 2008 performance in Warsaw
- Compact Disc, Universal Music Poland.
- sung in polish
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Damian Aleksander
- Christine Daaé: Paulina Janczak
- Raoul: Marcin Mrozinski
- Phantom of the Opera - 2009 Korean Cast Album
- Recording of excerpts from the new production in Korea from 2009
- Compact disc, universal.
- sung in korean
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Yang Junmo
- Christine Daaé: Kim Sohyun
- Raoul: JuHee Choi
- Phantom of the Opera - The Original English Film Music
- English soundtrack for the film by Joel Schumacher (November 2004)
- Compact Disc, Sony Classics.
- sung in English
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Gerard Butler
- Christine Daaé: Emmy Rossum
- Raoul: Patrick Wilson
- Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall - 25th Anniversary Live Album
- official live album of the gala performance on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the musical
- 2 compact discs, universal (Polydor).
- sung in English
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Ramin Karimloo
- Christine Daaé: Sierra Boggess
- Raoul: Hadley Fraser
- Призрак Оперы - Original Russian recording
- Recording of excerpts from the 2015 performance in Moscow
- Compact disc, universal.
- sung in Russian
-
Occupation:
- Phantom: Dmitry Ermak
- Christine: Elena Bakhtiyarova
- Raoul: Evgeny Zaytsev
Web links
- Official site of the musical (English)
- Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Kunze Adaptations. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Phantom of the Opera - Hamburg. ( Memento from June 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Information page from Stage Entertainment . Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved on April 3, 2018.
- ↑ Musical Travel in Germany - You should not miss these performances on focus.de on November 13, 2015
- ↑ Cheers for Phantom of the Opera on: DerWesten on November 13, 2015
- ^ The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall ( Memento from September 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ http://www.pop24.de/andrew-lloyd-webber/news/detail/article/201510/phantom-der-oper----wird-25/
- ↑ Phantom of the Opera - 25th anniversary ( Memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ TrendJam Magazine: Back in Hamburg's Neuer Flora after 12 years: The Phantom of the Opera . Accessed on December 1, 2013.
- ^ "The Phantom of the Opera" in Hamburg with a reduced orchestra | musicalinsider.io | Musical News | The news of the musical industry. Retrieved on July 19, 2018 (German).