Stage Sounds: The Phantom of the Opera

I've been listening to the soundtrack to Phantom for pretty much my entire life because my mom loves it so much, but I didn't really begin to appreciate it for myself until I was in middle school and I watched the movie for the first time. Since then, I've bounced between the two main soundtracks (original West End and film) and gotten the opportunity to see it on stage twice when it's come to Dallas. The show seems to be a bit polarizing, where you either really love it or really don't, but no matter what camp you're in you have a hard time denying that it's masterfully composed, beautifully staged and costumed, and has hosted some of the best theatre talent of the times throughout its run.

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with a book by Richard Stilgoe, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Charles Hart. Inspired by Gaston Leroux's 1909 novel The Phantom of the Opera, the show opened in London's West End in 1986 at Her Majesty's Theatre and made its way to Broadway in 1988 at The Majestic Theatre on W 44th Street, where it remains in residence to this day as the longest ever running Broadway show with over 10,000 performances. The original Broadway run was nominated for ten Tony Awards in 1988 and won seven of them: Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Michael Crawford), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Judy Kaye), Best Direction of a Musical, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Lighting Design. Apart from Broadway, the show has so far been seen in 28 countries, including but not limited to Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Panama, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey. 2004 saw a feature length film starring Gerard Butler as The Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, and Patrick Wilson as Raoul. The show also has a sequel, Love Never Dies, which was written by Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth, and Glenn Slater and premiered in the West End in 2010.

As before, I will focus on one song for each main cast member. In the case of this particular show, I will discuss the original West End cast recording as well as the 2004 film soundtrack. There will be honorable mentions again because it was so difficult to pick just one song per character, and if I talked about every song I wanted to I'd be writing for a week straight. Therefore, here we go! Warning: possible spoilers ahead.

The Phantom (Baritone)

Spotlight Song: The Point of No Return

Honorable Mentions: The Phantom of the Opera; The Music of the Night; All I Ask of You (Reprise); Why So Silent; Down Once More; Finale

Original West End Cast (1986): Michael Crawford

Film (2004): Gerard Butler

Michael Crawford is an absolute legend, and to me he is and always will be the one true Phantom. I know a lot of people took issue with the casting of Gerard Butler in the movie, and maybe he wasn't the strongest choice, but I think it took a lot of balls for him to do that role and his voice is honestly not half bad. The Phantom has to be a looming, commanding presence over the entire show whether he's on stage or not, and I think Crawford and Butler both achieved that feeling in their own ways. This character has some of the most incredible moments in the show and it was really hard for me to choose, but I'm spotlighting Act II's The Point of No Return. This duet with Christine is so tense and such a huge tipping point into the finale of the show that it never ceases to be incredible.

Past the point of no return, no backward glances/The games we played 'til now are at an end/Past all thought of if or when, no use resisting/Abandon thought and let the dream descend/What raging fire shall flood the soul, what rich desire unlocks its goal/What sweet seduction lies before us/Past the point of no return, the final threshold/What warm unspoken secrets will we learn beyond the point of no return

Christine Daaé (Soprano)

Spotlight Song: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Honorable Mentions: Think of Me; Angel of Music; Little Lotte; The Phantom of the Opera; Why Have You Brought Me Here; All I Ask of You; Masquerade; Notes/Twisted Every Way; The Point of No Return; Finale

Original West End Cast (1986): Sarah Brightman

Film (2004): Emmy Rossum

I feel for Christine as a character - she's just a kid, literally only supposed to be like 18, and super messed up in the head from the tragedy of her father dying, verbal abuse from Carlotta, and grooming from The Phantom. However, I do get frustrated with her when she makes stupid decisions throughout the show, but maybe that's just me. The original Sarah Brightman (whose then-husband Andrew Lloyd Webber basically wrote this part for) is a very talented soprano, but I think she tended to oversing these parts and, in my opinion, doesn't play a convincing young adult. Emmy Rossum looked more the part in the film, but I don't think her voice was quite strong enough to handle a role like Christine and I think she over sexualized the part a bit as well. Christine does have one of my favorite songs in the whole show, Act II's Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, which will absolutely break your heart if you've ever lost someone close to you and felt like you had no closure over it.

You were once my one companion/You were all that mattered/You were once a friend and father/Then my world was shattered/Wishing you were somehow here again/Wishing you were somehow near/Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed/Somehow, you would be here/Wishing I could hear your voice again/Knowing that I never would/Dreaming of you won’t help me to do/All that you dreamed I could

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny (Tenor)

Spotlight Song: All I Ask of You

Honorable Mentions: Think of Me; Little Lotte; Notes/Prima Donna; Why Have You Brought Me Here; Masquerade; Notes/Twisted Every Way; Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer; Finale

Original West End Cast (1986): Steve Barton

Film (2004): Patrick Wilson

Raoul is supposed to be our knight in shining armor swooping in to save Christine and the day, but holy crap can he be incredibly stupid as well. He tends to get blinded by jealousy and frustration, at times treating the incidents with The Phantom as a game that includes Christine as a pawn or bait and not thinking about her feelings (all things that come into play again in Love Never Dies). Steve Barton does a good job in the original cast making you feel like he wants nothing more than to keep Christine safe and he has a great, warm, full tenor voice, and Patrick Wilson definitely looked the part of dashing, handsome nobleman even if his voice wasn't quite there (but it was still alright). For Raoul, my spotlight song is Act I's All I Ask of You, one of the most well known and romantic love songs in all of Broadway in my opinion.

No more talk of darkness/Forget these wide-eyed fears/I’m here, nothing can harm you/My words will warm and calm you/Let me be your freedom/Let daylight dry your tears/I’m here, with you, beside you/To guard you and to guide you/Say you love me every waking moment/Turn my head with talk of summertime/Say you need me with you now and always/Promise me that all you say is true/That’s all I ask of you

Carlotta Giudicelli (Soprano)

Spotlight Song: Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh

Honorable Mentions: Think of Me; Notes/Prima Donna; Masquerade; Notes/Twisted Every Way; Masquerade; Notes/Twisted Every Way

Original West End Cast (1986): Rosemary Ashe

Film (2004): Minnie Driver/Margaret Preece

I love to hate Carlotta. A true blue diva, she's so unbelievably horrible but she's so funny while she does it, and that gives major props to the incredible actresses who portray her. The original Rosemary Ashe and the film's Minnie Driver both deliver absolutely hilarious, completely over the top dramatic performances, and Ashe and singer Margaret Preece (who sang for Driver except for the credit role song) manage to turn their pristine soprano voices into something truly screechy that you both want to be over and want more of at the same time. Act I's Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh is a perfect example of what type of person Carlotta is, going from a horrendous bitch to Christine on stage in front of everyone to getting her just desserts thanks to the Phantom mere moments later.

Poor fool, he makes me laugh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha/Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha/Time I tried to get a better, better half/Poor fool, he doesn't know, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho/Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho/If he knew the truth, he'd never, ever go

Monsieur Gilles André (Tenor)

Spotlight Song: Notes/Prima Donna

Honorable Mentions: Masquerade; Notes/Twisted Every Way

Original West End Cast (1986): David Firth

Film (2004): Simon Callow

M. André is one half of the bumbling duo of "businessmen" who decide to buy the Opéra Populaire and quickly learns that they have no idea what they're doing. He and his counterpart make for good comic relief both on stage and on the screen, played by David Firth and Simon Callow respectively, and do a good job of being so funny that you don't really care they're basically burning the opera house to the ground. Act I's Notes & Prima Donna show off the character's groveling selfishness in a perfectly comedic way.

Damnable, will they all walk out, this is damnable/Andre, please don’t shout, it’s publicity, and the take is vast, free publicity/But we have no cast/But Andre, have you seen the queue, oh, it seems you’ve got one, too/Dear Andre, what a charming gala/Christine enjoyed a great success/We were hardly bereft when Carlotta left/Otherwise, the chorus was entrancing but the dancing was a lamentable mess

Monsieur Richard Firmin (Baritone)

Spotlight Song: Notes/Twisted Every Way

Honorable Mentions: Notes/Prima Donna; Masquerade

Original West End Cast (1986): John Savident

Film (2004): Ciarán Hinds

M. Firmin is the other half of our businessmen duo, and the slightly less bumbling one at that. He doesn't tend to panic as quickly as M. André does, but he does have a shorter fuse and is just as funny as his other half. Act II's Notes & Twisted Every Way numbers let John Savident and Ciarán Hinds show off their acting and singing chops while showing the way Firmin's brain works.

Dear Firmin, vis a vis my opera/Some chorus members must be sacked/If you could, find out which has a sense of pitch/Wisely, though, I’ve managed to assign a rather minor role to those who cannot act

Madame Giry (Mezzo Soprano)

Spotlight Song: Masquerade

Honorable Mentions: Magical Lasso; Notes/Prima Donna; Notes/Twisted Every Way; Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer

Original West End Cast (1986): Mary Millar

Film (2004): Miranda Richardson

Madame Giry is a bit of an enigma, always present and always knowing what's going on both onstage and behind the scenes at the opera house but not revealing how or why until forced by Raoul. The elegant but intimidating dance master, she deeply cares for her dancers and the opera house in general, wanting to do whatever it takes to keep the peace between the staff and The Phantom. Mary Millar lends an appropriately spooky tone to her singing parts in the original stage production, and Miranda Richardson did can incredible job in the movie revealing bit by bit just how big her secret really was. Act II's Masquerade is another favorite number of mine, being so intricate and weaving many character's parts together.

What a night/What a crowd/Makes you glad/Makes you proud/All the creme de la creme/Watching us watching them/And all our fears are in the past/Six months/Of relief/Of delight/Of Elysian peace/And we can breathe at last/No more notes/No more ghost/Here's a health/Here's a toast to a prosperous year/To the new chandelier/And may its splendour never fade/Six months/What a joy/What a change/What a blessed release/And what a masquerade

Meg Giry (Mezzo Soprano)

Spotlight Song: Angel of Music

Honorable Mentions: Notes/Prima Donna; Masquerade; Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer

Original West End Cast (1986): Janet Davenish

Film (2004): Jennifer Ellison

Mme Giry's daughter and Christine's adopted sister/best friend/confidante, Meg always knows more than she lets on and wants nothing more than to keep Christine safe - in fact, I'm convinced that she's the only one who has control of all of her brain cells throughout the whole show. I'm admittedly not a huge fan of original Meg Janet Davenish's voice, especially compared to Sarah Brightman, but Jennifer Ellison did a great job in the movie. For her spotlight, I've chosen Act I's Angel of Music, her duet with Christine. This is the song for most people that lets them in on the fact that something crazy truly is going on behind the scenes.

Where in the world have you been hiding/Really, you were perfect/I only wish I knew your secret/Who is your great tutor

If you've never listened to Phantom, I highly suggest you give it a try and also try to see the stage show if given the chance. It really is a beautiful show and one that I'm sure will be around forever. Happy listening, and see y'all next week!