The Phantom of the Opera

Charakter: RAOUL

At the gala evening celebrating the farewell of the outgoing opera director Poligny, the hitherto unknown chorus girl Christine has to unexpectedly stand in for the opera's star soprano, la Carlotta, who is apparently prevented by illness. During this performance, she surprises the assembled Parisian audience with her pure voice, among them one of the patrons of the Paris Opera, the Count de Chagny. He recognizes in Christine Daaé his childhood friend.

However, the death of stage manager Buquet, who is found hanged in the understage, causes great consternation on this evening. The Phantom of the Opera is blamed for this and for many other mysterious incidents. The two new directors of the opera initially want to know nothing about the existence of the Phantom, although they are inundated with mysterious, absurd demands: Box 5 is to be permanently available for the Phantom, and 20,000 francs in annual salary is to be paid to him.

Christine owes her incredible vocal progress to her new teacher. A voice gives her singing lessons in her dressing room. At first, Christine thinks the angel of music has come to her, as her late father had once promised. In fact, it is the Phantom himself who gives Christine lessons, driven by undying love for her. Christine's heart, however, belongs to Raoul, the Comte de Chagny. Raoul's love for Christine has also reawakened, and so a duel of jealousy ensues between him and the Phantom. A chandelier falls down and Christine is kidnapped by the Phantom during the opera ball and taken to his chambers under the opera.

Now the two directors have had enough of this spook and call in the police. The entire ensemble of the opera sets out on a hopeless chase. Only Raoul finds a helper in the person of the mysterious Persian, who enables him to penetrate to the chambers of the phantom. There, however, the two are ambushed and locked in torture blocks by the Phantom. Rejected by Christine and at the end of his passion, the Phantom is ready to kill them both and blow himself up with Christine and the whole opera. However, through a moment of love, the Phantom realizes the insanity of his life.