Book Review – The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

If you’ve seen the Broadway musical or watched any of the film adaptations of this book, then you know the story. You know the names. The Paris Opera House and the lake the exists deep underneath. The enigmatic masked man who wrote the plays. And its all based on true events – one of the more memorable urban legends to exist over the centuries.

Author Gaston Leroux makes it clear at the beginning of his book that he went to great lengths to research the facts before putting them down in writing. He tells this book from the perspective of an observer, someone who was there to bare witness. And Leroux does so as if he was there himself. It was obvious when he wrote this that he was so immersed in the story that it was as if he knew the cast of characters personally.

But let me back up a beat. If you haven’t experienced the Broadway or film adaptations, the story follows Christine Daaé, a singer at the Opera House who just lost her father. When a mysterious voice beckons her, she believes it to be her father’s ghost and allows it to teach her to sing. It’s not her father though. It’s the man who lives underneath the Opera House using the labyrinth of tunnels to move around. He makes demands of the new owners of the Opera House that they use Christine as the lead in his new opera. When they refuse, he drops a chandelier on the crowd. When these new owners grow tired of the Phantom and Christine realizes it isn’t her father, they set a trap only to have him kidnap Christine down to the lake. Eventually she is rescued, but the damage is done and the Phantom must flee.

That’s the short version, of course, for the cast of characters here includes the vibrant Carlotta who is the Opera’s diva cast aside to make way for Christine. Raoul, the man in love with Christine. Madame Giry who is the person who communicates with the Phantom and passes on his demands. She also protects his privacy like her life depends on it. Her daughter Meg is fellow performer and friend to Christine.

This book, like many of the adaptations, is so steeped in Paris lore and history that it was a joy to read. It may veer sideways now and then, but when you are telling such a famed urban legend, why not tell the whole story from several characters perspectives. It always course corrects and makes connections to the greater story.

As far as adaptations go, the Broadway musical is unmatched in both memorable lyrics and grand set pieces. Performances are great regardless of who is cast, but if you can find a recording of the original cast on YouTube, check it out. The 2004 Joel Schumacher adaptation of the musical into film is also wonderful. It stars Gerard Butler as the Phantom, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, and Emmy Rossum as Christine. In 1943, Universal released an adaptation of the book that is certainly worth your time as well. You can find it among their collection of monster movies that includes Frankenstein and The Wolf Man.

4 out of 5 stars.