Dr. Phyllis on "Phantom of the Opera"

"The Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind" after watching this strange, but none the less stunning musical. I guarantee the chords of Phantom will be running through your mind as well.

Okay here's the basic situation to this musical. The story takes place in the year 1870 in a most unusual opera house in Paris that is said be haunted by the mysterious Opera Ghost. No one knows where this man came from, who he is or what is up with the half of a mask he wears on the left side of his face? Well Christine Daae is about to find out what horror hides behind the mask.

Christine Daae was orphaned at the age of seven after her father died. On his death bed her father said to her: "When I'm in heaven child I will send the angle of music to watch over you." Once orphaned Christine came to the Opera to become a member of the ballet, there she would light a candle every night for her late father and hear someone singing songs in her head...the angle of music perhaps?

Years pass and Christine shows promising talent in both dance and song. The story begins when the Opera is under new management, accompanying said new management is Raul, an old childhood friend of Christine's. They arrive in the middle of a rehersal and of course the leading lady Carlotta is a total prima donna who is basically unhappy with everything. She even threatens to leave right in front of her new managers. The best advice their prediessor can give them is grovel. They grovel and beg like dogs for her to stay even asking her sing for them. Talk about mood swings. She goes from crying and complaining to "it my managers command". Then she sings this romantic love song in her harsh saprone voice that makes dogs cringe, and this lady is sopposed to be the lead saprano for the past five seasons. I'm not kiding. Well of course the phantom won't have that. Silently he drops the current on Carlotta's head. Well after that Carlotta is having none of it. She leaves right then and there. This is the former manger's que to high tail it our of there. Before leaves he informs his secessors: "if you need I shall be in Austrailia." How's that for your first day. A current falls on the leading lady, she storms out, and moments you recieve a note from this Opera Ghost demanding that box five remain empty for his use, and a reminder that his salary is due. Well now it seems that the show must be canceled since the star has just stormed off. Yet all is not lost. Madame Jerrey, the ballet teacher, tells them that Christine can take Carlotta's place. Christine blows them away and sings on Clarlotta's behalf. Here starts the madness of the Phamtom of the Opera and his obession with Ms. Daa as he tries to win her love, after inspiring her voice to take flight. Yet he has come too late, for Christine already given her heart to an old friend from a lost childhood sending the Phantom into a dangerous plan to somehow claim Christine, willingly or not.

The film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Phantom of the Opera is a good representation of the originally stage version. The music is haunting and difficult to forget. The story itself is an exploration of death, love, beauty, good and evil, as well what is divine. We huamns have an uncanny ability to use the name of God, not matter what name he takes, and use it to bring about terrible crimes. The Phantom himself can be seen as representation of false divinity as Christine goes from calling him the Angle of Music, seeing him as a diety in his own right to seeing as a mad man with a troubled past. Here in lies the loss of innosence. The question for our character is now which path will Ms. Daa choice? Watch the movie or see the play to find out and watch the mad genius at work. For a rating I'd give this movie/musical an A or an R. If you like musicals you'll enjoy this.