How is the play of the 'Phantom of the Opera' different from the novel by Gaston Leroux?

Answer 1

The play obviously adds alot more detail and scenes that were not even in the book and makes the phantom a whole lot nicer that he is in the book

Maybird-Zero: There are MANY differences between the ALW play/musical and the book. And a MASSIVE amount of differences between the ALW 2004 movie and the book. But at least in the play, it's closer to the book in a slightly alternative way.

Anyway, here are some examples (e-mail me if you have any more questions regarding the versions):

• In the book, the Phantom's name is Erik, but in the play, he doesn't have a name-- he's only referred to as the Phantom or the Opera ghost (O.G.).

• Instead of being Christine's teacher for many years in the play, the Phantom/Erik has only been teaching her for 3 months in the book.
• In the play, it is focused more on romance, but in the book, it's mostly tragedy and horror. And of course, mystery is also a big genre for both productions. It pretty hard to identify what the book really is. In Behind the Mask Documentary for the musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber commented that he couldn't really decide what genre the book truly is. The book sounds a lot like a police report if you ask me. It gives lots of references and is mostlytold from Leroux's POV, but there are other POVs as well. Nevertheless, it's still a classic and one of my most favorite versions because of the originality.
• In the book, the Phantom/Erik is described as having a full black mask, parchment yellow skin, full deformity, no nose, has a skeletal frame (meaning he's skinny), and golden eyes that can be only seen in the dark. It is also implied that he is a tenor. You can kinda get an idea what he actually looks like from the original French cover of the book and the 1925 silent film starring Lon Chaney as the Phantom/Erik.

  Lon Chaney as Erik (MASKED)- http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews16/a%20Rupert%20Julian%20The%20Phantom%20of%20the%20Opera%20DVD%20Review%20Lon%20Chaney/a25%20Rupert%20Julian%20The%20Phantom%20of%20the%20Opera%20DVD%20Review%20Lon%20Chaney%2035.38-ff-1925.jpg

  Lon Chaney as Erik (UNMASKED)- http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LonChaney

  Original French cover- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ec/Phantom_of_the_Opera_Cover.jpg

  More images and info of the 1925 silent film- http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews16/phantom_of_the_opera_DVD_review.htm

• The Phantom/Erik talks in third person in the book.
• In the book, Christine is blond and has blue eyes, like Little Lotte does from the story her father told her, while in the play, Christine is a brunnette.
• In the book, Christine is Carlotta's understudy. She was never in the Corps de Ballet with Meg, so she was never really friends with her. And that pretty much meant that the Phantom/Erik was the only person she could really interact with at the Opera.
• Instead of Monsieur Lefevre in the play, the book had Messieurs Debienne and Poligny as the retiring managers. Lefevre is just a combination of the two in one person. The reason why I think Webber did that was because there would be too many characters.
• Instead of Monsieur Gilles Andre in the play, the book had Monsieur Armand Moncharmin. Webber just changed his name for the play, really. It's still the same person though. At least he didn't change Richard Firmin's name.
• In the book, Madame Valerius is Christine's foster mother, not Madame Giry like in the play.
• In the book, Don Juan Triumphant was never performed on stage. The Phantom/Erik made it clear about that to Christine when they were in his house by the lake.
• In the book, Raoul's older brother Philippe de Chagny, the count, makes an appearance.
• In the book, The Persian/daroga makes an appearance. He is the Phantom/Erik's old friend.
• In the book, they tell you about the other members of the management, such as Messieurs Lachenel and Remy. Lachenel is the stable manager and Remy is the secretary.
• The horse that the Phantom/Erik has is called Cesar and is originally white. He stole Cesar from the stable. In the ALW versions, Cesar is black.
• And finally, in the book, the Phantom/Erik has manyaliases: the Phantom of the Opera, the Opera ghost (O.G.), the Red Death, Le Mort Vivant (the Living Corpse), the Trapdoor Lover, the King of Stranglers, the Prince of Conjurers, the Angel of Music, the Voice, Her "good genius", and the Monster.

Answer 2

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, his Phantom is dying of an unusual illness and a broken heart. He wants to be loved yet he is cruel to Christine by threatening the life of her boyfriend Raoul. Before this, she was torn between the two men the Phantom and Raoul: One could offer her luxury and other could offer her music, she loved them both for different reasons, did not want to lose either, she wanted both men. When she kisses his forehead, not his lips from the Phantom of the Opera Musical of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, caused him to let her go and Raoul go to fall in love and to marry. He died a few hours later when they leave. A while he was dying, he blessed their relationship and he grateful that Christine did not die when she had kissed him.

Lon Chaney's Phantom of the Opera 1925, there is no hint of romance between them, she believed at first the Phantom was Raoul or Phillipe his brother in disguise who was teaching her music. She is horrified when she had unmasked him. Because of the mysterious murders and the death of Philippe he is attacked by people of Paris, he is either becomes arrested or murdered by the mob.

All movies of the Phantom of the Opera, some follow Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera to perfection, some do a variation what caused his deformity whether it was acid thrown at his face or he was burned alive who were jealous of his music or beaten by gypsies, but in Gaston Leroux, the Phantom was born this way and the reasons are unknown to the readers.

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera this is both the stage and the movie version, the Phantom is more alluring, more romantic, more of a good chance with Christine to be his love than any other version. Instead of showing his death at the end, the Phantom disappears when he tells Christine and Raoul to leave after she had kissed him on the lips. His reasons, all he could offer her was nothing and wrong to keep her a prisoner and wrong to kill Raoul. The kiss from Christine reveal to him, she loved him, but all he could offer her was a dark cellar and the underground world to live. Raoul could offer her life and sunlight and happiness, a normal life.