The Story

The play starts with an auction on the stage of the Paris Opera House in 1911. Among the attendees is Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, who is around seventy now. He buys two items- a poster for the oper "Hannibal" and a music box with a monkey on it. The box is to play an interesting role in the course of the story. One of the items auctioned is "a chandelier in pieces" which the auctioneer believes figured in a famous disaster involving the legend of the Phantom of the Opera. He tells his men to light the chandelier. There is a great flash, the chandelier begins to rise, and the stage is slowly transformed to a set of a rehearsal of "Hannibal" taking place in 1881, thirty years earlier. There are new managers arriving to the opera- Messieurs Andre and Firmin. Carlotta, the lead in the opera, is persuaded into singing a few bars of "Think Of Me" for the managers, but when she does, the lights flicker on and off and scenery is dropped and raised mysteriously. It is believed by most to be the work of the Phantom of the Opera. Carlotta is angered and leaves with Piangi, the male lead. Meg Giry suggests that Christine Daae sing the part. The managers agree after hearing her and she enjoys a great success during the gala. Attending the performance is Raoul de Chagny, an old childhood friend of Christine's, and also the new patron of the theater. He goes to her dressing room after the show and wants to take her out to dinner, but she insists that her voice teacher, "the Angel of Music" is very strict and will not allow her to leave. Raoul insists and leaves to grab his hat. While he is gone, the Phantom comes to Christine's mirror and takes her to his underground lair... ...where he sings to her and bewitches her with his voice. When he shows her a wax figurine of her in a wedding dress, she faints. When she wakes the next morning, she snatches off his mask. He is angry and tells her "now you cannot ever be free". Meanwhile, in the managers' office, it has become apparent that O.G., the Opera Ghost, has been sending various people notes, detailing "how my theater is to be run". They promptly ignore the notes and casts Carlotta as the lead in the next play, "Il Muto". During the performance, Carlotta croaks like a toad during one of her songs. Also during the performance, Joseph Buquet is found hanging from the flys. Christine calls to Raoul and they flee to the roof at her insistence. On the rooftop, Christine tells Raoul that Erik has taken her to his underground lair and she has seen the ugliness of his face. Raoul calms her and declares his love for her, and she does the same. They are in better spirits after this scene, and they hurry off together. However, what they didn't realize was that the Phantom had been perched atop a statue of an angel the whole time, and is heartbroken and infuriated upon hearing their conversation. When Christine is taking her bow that night, Erik cuts the chandelier loose and it falls towards her, but Raoul grabs her and pulls her out of the way just in time. Act Two Act Two starts six months later during a masquerade ball. The Opera Ghost has not been seen in six months. Raoul and Christine are engaged but are keeping it a secret. During the ball... ...the Phantom shows up dressed as Red Death. He has written a new opera entitled "Don Juan Triumphant" and warns everyone to comply. Christine is cast as the lead. She is unwilling to perform, but Raoul convinces her to in order to catch the phantom while he is attending the performance. Christine visits her father's grave, and is interrupted by the phantom. He beckons her and as she is about to be hypnotized by him once again, Raoul shows up and takes her away. Towards the end of "Don Juan", Piangi is found dead, Erik is unmasked by Christine in front of the audience, and he kidnaps Christine again and takes her to his lair. Mme Giry points out the way for Raoul and he follows them down. In his lair, Erik forces Christine to put on a wedding gown and veil in order to become his wife. When Raoul shows up, Erik allows him to enter but as soon as he does the Punjab lasso is around his neck. Erik has left Christine with an ultimatum- "Start a new life with me/ Buy his freedom with your love/ Refuse me and you send your lover to his death". Christine is terrified of what Erik will do to Raoul, so she gathers up her courage and kisses him, thus agreeing to stay with him provided he lets Raoul go. Afterwards, the Phantom sets Raoul free and tells him to take Christine and forget everything they've seen. They leave in the boat and the Phantom disappears behind his cloak when Meg descends into the lair in search of her friends. All that is left is his mask, which she picks up and examines before the stage fades to black.