Ball Chandelier
Phantom Of The Opera Tickets
With the opening of this wonderful Phantom in1988, its special effects, impressed the audiences with its massive crashing chandelier. The production with its modern adjustments is still doing the best even after 19 years of its existence. Costumes are more elaborate, and the chandelier descends more quickly. "Phantom" also got a boost from the 2004 movie adaptation, which helped renew interest in the show even though the film wasn't a hit.
ACT ONE
Prologue--1911. An auction is being held on the stage of the Paris Opera House. There are many items for sale. A musical box with the figure of a mechanical monkey is one of the items for sale. An old man bids for it, and it seems to hold some special memory for him. This man is Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny.
The next item is the remains of a great chandelier. The auctioneer calls for a demonstration of the new wiring, and suddenly the chandelier rises to the ceiling of the theatre, transporting the stage back to the time of Raoul's youth.
1881-- Hannibal is the new Opera which is being rehearsed by the Opera company. The manager of the Opera announces his retirement on his arrival. Andre and Firmin are the new managers. Andre asks Carlotta, the company's prima donna, to perform a piece from the opera for them. As she starts singing, a backdrop falls suddenly, almost killing her. Buquet, the chief flyman, is called, but he can offer no explanation. The ballet girls whisper that it must be the work of the "opera ghost".
Carlotta is infuriated with these strange incidents. He storms out and vows not to return until there is an end of these happenings. The new managers have to face the more problems when Madame Giry, the ballet mistress, hands them a note from the opera ghost in which he demands a salary and the use of Box Five for the opera.
Madame Giry has a daughter named Meg Giry who suggests to the managers that her friend Christine Daae could take Carlotta's place. Christine has been taking singing lessons but she fails to tell the name of her teacher. Madame Giry's convince the managers in granting her an audition.
Christine' impressed them with her performance and she is given the role in the opera. Raoul, a new patron of the Opera House, appreciates her performance while watching the opera from the managers' box. These sentiments are echoed by an unseen voice.
While answering the question about her teacher, Christine explains that it is the "Angel of Music" which her late father had promised he would send to her. She has never seen him but has only heard him in her dressing room.
Raoul approaches Christine in her dressing room to congratulate her. It is a wonderful meeting as they discover that they were playmates as children. Raoul wants to take her out to dinner and would leave her to get his coat.
After his departure, the strange voice is heard again, and there is a appearance of a figure behind the mirror. It is the Phantom, her Angel of Music. The mirror glides open and the Phantom draws Christine inside with him. Raoul returns and hears the voice, but the door is already locked. Suddenly it opens, but when Raoul enters the room, the mirror has slid shut and it is empty.
Christine and the Phantom journey through the labyrinth beneath the Opera House, crossing a lake to arrive at the Phantom's lair. It is here that he explains to her why he has been teaching her--so that she may sing his music.
Christine falls into a trance. On the next morning, she wakes to the sound of a musical box, the same one from the opening scene. The Phantom is now seated at his organ, absorbed in his composition. Christine is in a great sensation. She quietly approaches him and unmasks his from behind. Furiously, he turns on her, and Christine recoils from the horror of his face and his anger. Once his anger is spent, he breaks down.Christine feels pity for him and returns his mask. He takes her back to the surface.
Buquet catches sight of the pair as they return. Madame Giry also witnesses the scene, and cautions Buquet not to speak of what he has seen.
Christine's sudden disappearance has arose many confusions. Raoul, Carlotta, Piangi, Madame Giry and Meg all meet in the managers' offices, brandishing notes from the Phantom. The managers are considering the demand of replacement of Carlotta by Christine in the lead role of the upcoming opera Il Muto. The group learns of Christine's return, and the managers reassure Carlotta that she will remain the star. The Phantom's voice is heard warning them against that course of action.
For the performance, Raoul sits in Box Five and Christine is cast in a silent role. The Phantom interrupts the show and repeats his demands. He magically causes Carlotta to croak like a toad instead of singing when his demands are ignored.
The managers are helpless before Phantom. They offer a ballet sequence while Christine changes for the performance. During the ballet, however, Buquet's body, hung with the Punjab lasso, falls from the flies. In the ensuing panic, Christine and Raoul flee to the roof.
There she tells him of her experiences with the Phantom. Raoul does not believe the existence of Phantom. However, He promises her protection. They profess their love for each other, and agree to leave together that night.
Once they leave, the Phantom emerges from where he has been listening and vows revenge. As the cast of Il Muto are taking their bows, he brings down the chandelier, which lands at Christine's feet on the stage.
ACT TWO
Six months later--The Opera is preparing to celebrate the New Year having a masked ball. Raoul and Christine are engaged now but Christine wants to keep the fact a secret. She wears engagement ring on a chain around her neck. However, a figure dressed as Red Death appears on the staircase in the middle of the ball. It is the Phantom.He tears the engagement ring from Christine's neck and disappears.
Raoul questions Madame Giry about the Phantom, and she tells him of what she has knowledge.i.e., he is a deformed genius who escaped from a freak show, and was presumed dead, but that he still lives somewhere in the Opera House.
Andre and Firmin have no wish to perform the Phantom's work. However, Raoul proposes a plan, in which they go along with his plans, and then, when he attends the performance, they will be prepared. Christine agrees to become the part of the plan with reluctance.
Christine visits her father's grave. Againt, the Phantom appears and attempts to regain his influence over her. However, Raoul arrives to her rescue.The Phantom is furious and declares war on them both.
The performance of Don Juan Triumphant, the Phantom's opera, begins. Police officers have made all the security arrangements at all the doors. As the opera progresses, it becomes obvious that Piangi has been replaced by another singer. Christine realizes this, and unmasks him in front of the audience. Police rush onto the stage, but the Phantom is able to take Christine and escape. Piangi, who has also met with the Punjab lasso, is discovered behind the scenes.
Raoul along with Madame Giry attempts to follow the Phantom. Madame Giry shows him the way to the lake. An angry mob is also following them.
Down in the Phantom's lair, Christine confronts the Phantom with the fact that his true disfigurement is that of his soul, not his face. Raoul arrives, and the Phantom lets him in, only to trap him in a noose and offer Christine an ultimatum: either she stays with him, or Raoul dies. Christine's answer is to kiss him.
Stunned by this act, the Phantom lets them both go. Christine comes back to return his ring, and he tells her he loves her. She leaves with Raoul in the boat. As the mob draws in to the lair, the Phantom sits in his throne, drawing his cloak around him. Meg is the first to arrive, and she approaches the throne and tears the cloak away. All that is left is the Phantom's mask. It was indeed a very sensational and stunning story.
This fall marks the return of some long-running shows that ruled Broadway in the 1980s: these shows' record runs have since been surpassed by "The Phantom of the Opera," which turned 18 in January; meanwhile, "Chicago" will hit its 10-year anniversary next week, becoming Broadway's longest-running revival. These shows, along with Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King," use a range of strategies to keep audiences coming back, from casting celebrities to tweaking costumes and effects.
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About the Author
Macie is a staff writer for Ticket Nest ( www.ticketnest.com ) and enjoys writing about her travel, theater and concert experiences. She can be reached at macie@ticketnest.com
