“Leroux’s novel reproduces in astonishing ways exactly that ‘ heure historique’ of the opera house of the Third Republic (1870-1940)…It is an extraordinary evocation of the fantasies that surrounded that space and that population of thousands of spectators, performers and workers who came together every day in central Paris to fabricate jointly a dream world of spectacle.” Jann Matlock, in (2011) introduction to the Penguin Classics English translation by Mireille Ribière, observes his recreation of the grand opera scene: The novel is crammed with allusions to particular dances, operas and arias that echo or foreshadow the novel’s own events, and the melodramatic plot is itself worthy of Eugène Scribe, the librettist behind some of the best known operas of the age. Leroux’s novel is full of references to the operas, singers, rumors, lore, technical details and customs associated with the Paris Opera of the nineteenth century.

He loved music and his brother Joseph (to whom Le Fantôme de l’Opera is dedicated), who was a singer. Before Gaston Leroux turned to writing fiction full time, he was a lawyer, an international correspondent and…a theater critic. Not surprisingly Phantom made it to the big screen in this adaptation but Starlight did not.Le Fantôme de l’Opera (first published as a serial 1909-1910) is not only a gothic horror story but also a paean to and a parody of grand opéra, the spectacle that was an important part of Parisian society for much of the nineteenth century. Andrew Lloyd Webber admits that although he does not regret doing the show he should have marketed it as a 'Disney kiddie ride sort of a thing' a special effects extravaganza just for kids, to be performed at amusement parks exclusively, not a serious big budget Broadway musical for the masses where it would be compared to much more critically acclaimed Webber shows like Jesus Christ Superstar Evita Joseph and Phantom. But where Phantom got positive reviews and is mostly considered a classic Starlight was slammed by the critics some who say though it was a hit it is one of the worst Broadway and London theater productions of all time focusing as it does on people dressed up like trains and roller skating and featuring a sporting event like race replete with monitors. This theatrical production premiered in London in 1985-6, the same year Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber rolled out Starlight Express, an adaptation of the Thomas the Tank Engine novels (with all character and place names changed when the rights deal fell through).

Best phantom of the opera songs