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6 Phantom of the Opera Facts You Didn’t Know

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The Phantom of the Opera has held the fascination of readers, playgoers, and movie buffs for decades. It’s little wonder that this legend has remained so popular– the story is perfectly intriguing, and it contains just enough truth to make one wonder whether the Phantom might really have existed after all. While most of the story is pure legend, there are some interesting facts surrounding both the narrative and the stage adaptations. Here are some fun facts you might not know.

  1. Phantom has a name. Yes, that’s right! The elusive Phantom of the Opera has a real name. In the original book by Gaston Leroux, the Phantom is named Erik. However, this name is never mentioned in either the Broadway hit or the popular 2004 film version. phantom of the opera erik
  2. The Paris Opera House exists– and so does the underground lake. Palais Garnier is an old and famous opera house in France, and you can go visit it in person or even take a virtual tour. The most famous scene from Phantom is the subterranean boat ride taken by Phantom and Christine as they sing the theme for the musical. In the film and stage renditions, this lake below the opera is an eerily romantic world of gargoyles, meandering turns, and mysterious passages. In the book, it is an expansive lake with the mysterious house in the middle. In real life, the lake is a murky holding tank, created as a solution for a structural issue when the opera house was built. Of course, there are no floating candelabras or ghosts, but there are lots of fish for the opera staff to feed!Palais_Garnier
  3. Many events in Phantom are based on real life. The opening of Leroux’s novel is a journalistic-type argument for the existence of the Phantom of the Opera. In this introduction, the author lays out several events that he claims are proof of the ghost’s existence. Although the skeletons in the basement are fictional, many elements are fact. The chandelier really did fall, causing a fatality. There really are tunnels below the opera. And there was supposedly a mason who asked to live in the bowels of the opera house and was granted permission to do so.
  4. Christine was based on a real person. The fictional Christine Daae and the factual Christian Nilsson were both famous sopranos born in Sweden. Many people believe Leroux based his protagonist on this woman. phantom
  5. Phantom of the Opera is the longest running Broadway production and the highest-grossing show of all time. Phantom opened on Broadway in 1988, and is still running today. It is also one of London’s longest-running shows in Her Majesty’s Theater. The play has been adapted for over a dozen different languages, and the combination of box office sales from both stage and film productions are higher than any other show in the world, including Titanic.
  6. Gaston Leroux never saw the success of Phantom of the Opera. In Leroux’s lifetime, Phantom was only moderately popular, and then only in a serialized format. It was not until after his death that the book became popular and the stage version became a hit. Sadly, this seems to be the case for many now-famous authors.

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The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway

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“There is a terrible mystery around us…a mystery much more to be feared than any number of ghosts or genii!”
― Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera

One of the most magical and mystical stories I know is that of the Phantom of the Opera. I have always loved stories of elusive figures, like Peter Pan, Edmond Dantes and Percy Blakeney, but the Phantom of the Opera holds a special fascination for me. Perhaps it is because it has become one of Broadway’s most iconic hits. I especially love shows with a soundtrack is as classic as the original book. 

phantom of the opera

For years, it has been a dream of mine to see Phantom on Broadway. My mom and sister have also dreamed of seeing a great musical on Broadway. My dad isn’t exactly a Broadway buff, but he has always encouraged our artsy habits and enjoys seeing a good show now and then. So when my sister and I realized we were going to be in New York City on the same weekend, my whole family decided to make a trip of it and cross “Broadway show” off our bucket list. The choice between Les Miserables, Wicked, and Phantom was quickly resolved. You just can’t pass up the Phantom of the Opera.

family at Phantom

To be honest, I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that this really happened. We went to see PHANTOM on BROADWAY, and we got to build a whole New York City trip around it. I’ve been drooling over these shows and these soundtracks for years, and I actually got to see one in real life with my family.

Majestic

When we saw Phantom of the Opera, it was playing in Majestic Theater. This was appropriate, because the theater is pretty old yet well maintained, so it has the right look for a play that takes place in an old Parisian opera house. My dad went all out and got us the best seats in the house: front row balcony seats, right in the middle. Even beats Box 5, if you ask me!

majestic theater

Of course, the show was fantastic. Broadway is the apex of American theater, and it certainly did justice to itself, to expectations, and even to the great show Phantom of the Opera. It was appropriately eerie, and the use of stunt doubles, secret entrances, and unexpected staging played with our senses. We could feel the heat of the flames that shot from the stage floor. The singing was phenomenal! It was absolute perfection in every note.

Phantom Majestic

As a Phantom nerd, I’ve done a lot of research about the story’s creator, the background of the setting, and the history of the musical. Be sure to check back soon for a “Did You Know” post about the Phantom of the Opera! For example, did you know that the Phantom has a name? Subscribe to this blog to get an email when the next post arrives! I always appreciate it when you like, share, and pin. See you back next time!

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Tradition! Tradition!

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And who does Mama teach to mend and tend and fix,
Preparing me to marry whoever Papa picks?

The daughter, the daughter! Tradition!
The daughter, the daughter! Tradition!

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In my family, “Tradition!” means seeing a high-quality stage performance every year with my mom and sister. When I was little, we’d see the short version of The Nutcracker Ballet at Christmas time. Over the years, our tradition changed from the long version of the Nutcracker to any Christmas play, to matinee performances of fine theater, to dinners at the Arizona Broadway Theater. This year, we doubled the traditional value of our girls’ night out and saw ABT’s performance of Fiddler on the Roof, a family favorite for three generations.

If you’ve never seen it, Fiddler on the Roof is the story of Jewish family in pre-revolution Russia. Reb Tevya, his wife, and his five daughters walk a fine line between the tension of a changing society under the czars and the centuries-old traditional order of Jewish life. Tevya’s oldest daughter breaks tradition by choosing her own husband. He allows it. His second daughter breaks tradition by not only choosing her own husband, but choosing a man who with progressive ideology. He blesses it. The third daughter crosses the line by eloping with a Russian Orthodox Christian soldier. Tevya is forced to decide whether his relationship with his daughters or tradition is most important.

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The story gives an interesting perspective on family, religion, and culture. The soundtrack is excellent! We still have my grandpa’s old record of the score.

What’s that? You say you’ve never seen it? What! Why are you still reading this? By all means, open a new browser window and reserve the movie at your nearest public library!

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You’re back? You reserved it? Wonderful! You won’t be disappointed. We certainly weren’t disappointed by the live performance. The characters seemed to have stepped right out of history or the screen of the movie version.

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The performance of Fiddler at ABT is going to be very hard to beat. However, I have a feeling that the next stage production that we see may be even better. Next on our playbill is Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in New York City. Stay tuned for a blog post on Phantom, coming soon to a 3rd Culture Wife blog near you.

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