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Phantom
30m, 7f, plus ensemble (doubling possible.) / Ints./exts. This mesmerizing Phantom is traditional musical theatre in the finest sense. The Tony award winning authors of Nine have transformed Gaston Leroux' The Phantom of the Opera into a sensation that enraptures audiences and critics with beautiful songs and an expertly crafted book. It is constructed around characters more richly developed than in any other version, including the original novel. "Everything is first rate." - N.Y. Daily News
134 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Arthur Kopit
60 books14 followersArthur Lee Kopit (born May 10, 1937, New York City) is an American playwright. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist (Indians and Wings) and a three-time Tony Award nominee: Best Play, Indians, 1970; Best Play, Wings, 1979; and Best Book of a Musical, for Nine, 1982. He won the Vernon Rice Award (now known as the Drama Desk Award) in 1962 for his play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad and was nominated for another Drama Desk Award in 1979 for his play Wings.[1]
Nine returned to Broadway in 2003 with Antonio Banderas as Guido and won two Tony Awards, including best revival; in 2009 Rob Marshall directed the film Nine based on Kopit's script, the principle cast consisting of Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, and Fergie (singer).
Kopit attended Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Nassau County, New York.
Kopit attended Harvard University. His first plays were staged while still an undergraduate at Harvard University. Later, Kopit taught at Wesleyan University, Yale University, and the City College of New York. In 2005, Kopit donated his papers to the Fales Library at NYU.
Nine returned to Broadway in 2003 with Antonio Banderas as Guido and won two Tony Awards, including best revival; in 2009 Rob Marshall directed the film Nine based on Kopit's script, the principle cast consisting of Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, and Fergie (singer).
Kopit attended Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Nassau County, New York.
Kopit attended Harvard University. His first plays were staged while still an undergraduate at Harvard University. Later, Kopit taught at Wesleyan University, Yale University, and the City College of New York. In 2005, Kopit donated his papers to the Fales Library at NYU.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 23, 2015
Long known as the "Other Phantom", Maury Yeston's version of the Opera ghost was written at the exact time Andrew Lloyd Webber was writing his own version. Yeston was in the process of securing financial backing for his musical when Lloyd Webber announced he was staging an adaption of the Phantom story. Easton's investors backed out, not wanting to compete against the man who wrote the hit show "Cats". In 1991, a full scale production premiered in Houston and the show has gone on to live a happy life, with over 1,000 productions having been mounted.
The story itself is very loosely adapted from the original novel by Gaston Leroux and does have a much better book than the Lloyd Webber version. For one thing, there is more character development between the Phantom and Christine. However, Kopit is too liberal with his source material and adds several unnecessary changes to the script. The Phantom is given a father, whereas all versions have him as an orphan. Count Philip, Christine's love interest is a philandering aristocrat, instead of the more noble if slow Raoul de Chagney. Christine is made to be French, and not Swedish, and she gets no opportunity to wow all of Paris with her voice on stage. One bright spot in this show are the comic pair of the Opera House manager Cholet and is diva wife Carlotta. Phantom reminds me a bit of Gigi, in that both shows are essentially a love letter to Paris in the Bel'Epoque.
Overall, I find this version to have its charms and moments, but it is not a memorable production. What is lacks to real passion. There are no soaring love ballads and the duets of The Phantom and Christine do not reach ethereal heights. The "Phantom Fugue" is by far the worst written song in the entire show. Count Phillipe's number "Who Could Have Dreamed You Up" is a dead on arrival duet that lacks the romance to the soaring and crowd favorite "All I Ask of You". There is a chandelier crash, to be sure, but it happens on stage and not on the heads of the audience.
I am willing to admit that I prefer the Lloyd Webber version. Both he and the story were made for each other. Only he could have turned The Phantom of the Opera into a hit. Yeston's version is a fine attempt at creating his own adaptation of the Phantom legend, but it will not remain the cultural touchstone as its more popular cousin.
The story itself is very loosely adapted from the original novel by Gaston Leroux and does have a much better book than the Lloyd Webber version. For one thing, there is more character development between the Phantom and Christine. However, Kopit is too liberal with his source material and adds several unnecessary changes to the script. The Phantom is given a father, whereas all versions have him as an orphan. Count Philip, Christine's love interest is a philandering aristocrat, instead of the more noble if slow Raoul de Chagney. Christine is made to be French, and not Swedish, and she gets no opportunity to wow all of Paris with her voice on stage. One bright spot in this show are the comic pair of the Opera House manager Cholet and is diva wife Carlotta. Phantom reminds me a bit of Gigi, in that both shows are essentially a love letter to Paris in the Bel'Epoque.
Overall, I find this version to have its charms and moments, but it is not a memorable production. What is lacks to real passion. There are no soaring love ballads and the duets of The Phantom and Christine do not reach ethereal heights. The "Phantom Fugue" is by far the worst written song in the entire show. Count Phillipe's number "Who Could Have Dreamed You Up" is a dead on arrival duet that lacks the romance to the soaring and crowd favorite "All I Ask of You". There is a chandelier crash, to be sure, but it happens on stage and not on the heads of the audience.
I am willing to admit that I prefer the Lloyd Webber version. Both he and the story were made for each other. Only he could have turned The Phantom of the Opera into a hit. Yeston's version is a fine attempt at creating his own adaptation of the Phantom legend, but it will not remain the cultural touchstone as its more popular cousin.
June 10, 2020
Although it differs from the original source material of Leroux, Kopit rises to the task to explore the characters in this particular universe to make it work, going even further if you meld it with the Charles Dance miniseries of the early 90s which was based from this.
The motivations of the main characters make sense as well as the titular character's slip into madness. Compared to other popular versions this Erik is more... wishy-washy, sorry, but it makes his plight even more endearing and tragic.
The one thing that doesn't work for me is the use of the Acolytes. However, in the versions I have seen online of the staged production they aren't used and nor do I recall it in the version I saw in the mid-90s (I was fortunate enough to see a production of this live, albeit I was probably around 11 and an idiot and upset it wasn't ALW. Now I'd give my right arm to see it and follow the Samuel French site to see if it's anywhere remotely within a 6-hour driving distance). In the book itself, the Acolytes are just bizarre, especially when there is a backstory attached to them, it just... meh.
The William Blake thing is great, the song is beautiful, though the poem's reported meaning doesn't necessarily fit great, on the surface it sounds good, and I guess that's ok?
The ending is rushed to say the least and... well... lets say other scenes make up for it, sort of like how people used to stop reading Kay at the Counterpoint and pretend the novel was over (at least back in the day when I was really into the phantom... nearly 20 years ago)
The motivations of the main characters make sense as well as the titular character's slip into madness. Compared to other popular versions this Erik is more... wishy-washy, sorry, but it makes his plight even more endearing and tragic.
The one thing that doesn't work for me is the use of the Acolytes. However, in the versions I have seen online of the staged production they aren't used and nor do I recall it in the version I saw in the mid-90s (I was fortunate enough to see a production of this live, albeit I was probably around 11 and an idiot and upset it wasn't ALW. Now I'd give my right arm to see it and follow the Samuel French site to see if it's anywhere remotely within a 6-hour driving distance). In the book itself, the Acolytes are just bizarre, especially when there is a backstory attached to them, it just... meh.
The William Blake thing is great, the song is beautiful, though the poem's reported meaning doesn't necessarily fit great, on the surface it sounds good, and I guess that's ok?
The ending is rushed to say the least and... well... lets say other scenes make up for it, sort of like how people used to stop reading Kay at the Counterpoint and pretend the novel was over (at least back in the day when I was really into the phantom... nearly 20 years ago)
February 21, 2011
Honestly, one and a half of my three stars are because the music itself is gorgeous. The book and lyrics, on the other hand, have some structural and conceptual issues that undercut what is otherwise an inventive adaptation of Leroux's classic horror-romance.
February 3, 2016
This will forever be known as "the OTHER Phantom," due to the presence of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ubiquitous pop-opera. Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit's version of the classic tale hearkens back to operetta and Gothic horror more than Lloyd Webber's Puccini-esque romance. Unfortunately, winner takes all, so you're not likely to see this other adaptation of Leroux's horror classic anytime soon.
August 21, 2023
One of my favorite versions of The Phantom of the Opera is the one released in 1990 with Charles Dance. When I found out that the miniseries was based off this play, I had to get my hands on it. And needless to say, I was not disappointed. Some things were different, but I actually enjoyed these discrepancies. I now wish that seeing the play in person was possible.
July 16, 2024
This is the stage play of Susan Kay’s book, which of course is actually a far better version of the story than the original. I gave her book 5 stars, I knocked one star off this because I don’t like stage scripts as a way of reading especially, but I chose to read it just to compare it, so I’m being petty really.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews