'PHANTOM OF THE OPERA' BY ANDREW LLOYD-WEBBER

Today, The Winsors and The Grandma are going to the London Theatre to enjoy the Phantom of the Opera, one of the most amazing musicals of all time. The family has received the great visit of Ana Maria Bean, the most famous Portuguese influencer, who is a master in making Venetian masks.

 

Before this visit, the family has studied some English grammar with the Reflexive Pronouns, written some templates and explained how to make a carnival mask.

 

More information: Reflexive Pronouns

 

 More information: From Venice to Rio de Janeiro, Shadows & Lights

 

The story of the Phantom of the Opera was originally published in a series of articles in La Galois and then in a book in 1911 entitled, Le Fantôme de l’Opéra written by a French journalist, Gastón Leroux. 

When the story was first published it was not popular and the book went out of print.

Leroux whose speciality was investigative journalism based his story on true-life incidents. In fact, many who have researched this subject believe with just a few exceptions the story has several elements that are true.

The opera house in the story was based on the real Opera Garnier in Paris. The Opera Garnier does have underground tunnels and it also has an underground lake. Leroux used this setting in several dramatic scenes in his story.

There was an incident where a chandelier did fall in the Opera Garnier setting the building on fire and killing a woman.

Leroux used a falling chandelier in his story as a distraction so his Phantom could kidnap Christine.

The romance between the Phantom and Christine in the story is just fantasy but it is believed that Leroux based both characters on real people.

 

More information: The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom is based upon a man named Erik who was born in a small village in Normandy, near Rouen. He was born with a horribly disfigured face so his parents abandoned him when he was eight. A circus basically took him and for 7 years he was used as an attraction.

It was believed that someone was secretly living in the opera house and many felt it was the ghost of the real Erik. In fact, many claimed that near Box 5 they heard ghostly voices and whispers when the area was unoccupied.

There were other witnesses that stated that they saw this phantom running through various parts of the opera house. Even more eerie these witnesses stated this figure wore a black cape and a mask over its face.

Renata de Waele in 1993 wrote a narrative that compared the fictional to the real stories. She worked in public relations at the Opera Garnier for many years. 

Some of her speculations have been proven others have not. So reality is blurred with fiction which leaves the curious with an intriguing mystery. 

More information: Archive

 

 Every legend, moreover, contains 

its residuum of truth, 

and the root function of language 

is to control the universe by describing it. 

James A. Baldwin