The Phantom of the Opera

One of the most brilliant musical theatre composers of all time would have to be Andrew Lloyd Webber. He has composed two of my favorite musicals; Cats and the Phantom of the Opera.

What most people don’t know about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, is that some aspects of the story are based on a book called Phantom, by Gaston Leroux. The following is the very beginning of the prologue in Leroux’s Phantom:

“The opera ghost really existed. He was not, as was long believed, a creature of the imagination of the artists, the superstition of the managers, or a product of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box-keepers, the cloak-room attendants or the concierge. Yes, he existed in flesh and blood, although he assumed the complete appearance of a real phantom; that is to say, of a spectral shade.”

Webber’s version of the musical is in fact, very different from the book. However, there was an earlier version of the musical written by Maury Yeston before Webber’s version. Yeston’s version was significantly less popular than Webber’s version but it followed the books version of events.

Due to the popularity of Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, especially with the movie in 2004, Webber has contributed significantly to raising awareness of musical theatre.

For those of you who do not know about the story of the Phantom of the Opera, I strongly suggest that you take the time to watch the movie or read the book. It is an amazing story.