Artist:
Phantom of the Opera
Genre: Musical
Background: The Phantom
of the Opera premiered in London in 1986
with Michael Crawford as The Phantom and
Sarah Brightman as Christine. Based on the
novel by Gaston Leroux, Phantom tells the
story of a strange, disfigured man who lives
in the bowels of the Paris Opera House.
He becomes obsessed with Christine, a young
singer, and takes it upon himself to further
her career at any cost--even if it means
murder.
The Phantom of the Opera was transferred
to Broadway in 1988 with Crawford and Brightman
repeating their roles. The show was a resounding
success and gave Andrew Lloyd Webber the
distinction of being the first composer
to have three musicals running simultaneously
in London and New York.
It is 1911 and the contents of the Paris
Opera House are being auctioned off. Present
are the auctioneer, porters and bidders.
Raoul, now seventy years old and in a wheelchair,
buys a poster and a music box. As the auctioneer
displays the Opera House chandelier, he
explains that it is connected with the legend
of The Phantom of the Opera. With a flash
of light, the audience is flung back in
time, when the Paris Opera was at its height.
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