Chasing Phantoms

A Forbidden Peek Behind the Curtain

Have you ever sat in the audience before a show and wondered what was going on in those last few moments before the curtain rises?  What is it really like backstage without the illusion of the lights and costumes?  Without the assistance of  the music to underscore the actor's every passion?  What is the real heartbeat of the world backstage?  Gaston Leroux’s novel, “Phantom of the Opera”, is the answer to those questions – and many more.

Gaston Leroux takes us past the grandeur of the Paris Opera House and the high society life of the late 19^th century and leads us on a forbidden tour backstage where we can eavesdrop on intimate conversations and peer behind dressing room screens.  We move silently, undetected, through the backstage corridors – so close to this gritty world that we can smell the whiskey on the stage hands breath.  Mmmm!?

When I tell folks that we are doing a new musical version of “Phantom of the Opera” at the Players Theatre in NYC their first reaction is always – Wow!  Their second is “how are you going to do that?”  Most people are familiar with the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical on Broadway, so of course they can’t imagine how we can put such a spectacle on the dominative stage at the Players Theatre.  But the truth is, Leroux’s story, written almost 100 years ago, is really very intimate.  So what better setting than the intimate 180 seat house of the Players Theatre.

In a production meeting recently, Michael Sgouros, the composer of this new version, made a great comment.  He said “On Broadway you are one of two thousand at the Players you are one of two hundred.”  In the weeks to come we will start to explore this new production.  I hope you’ll join me as I journey through the forbidden corridors of the world behind the curtain!

Until next time … Be Bold!

Brenda

Rue the Day

Recorded in my travel journal: July 26, 2009

 

Rue the day?

 

I have to admit – I had a fair amount of trouble navigating the streets of Paris.  On minute I’d be walking along Rue This and without making a turn or a change of step I would suddenly be on Rue That!  Very confusing and quite frustrating – but I never seemed to be able to back away from the challenge.  It’s as if the demands of the task made the realization of the prize all the more glorious.  In plain words – I found the street where Mama Valerius lived and I was thrilled!

 

Shall I paint the scene?  It was mid evening and particularly gloomy.  Smokey clouds were brewing overhead and yes, I dare say, I just heard thunder.  I obediently followed the map in my hand as I trotted over cobblestone streets that led to boundless frustration!  It may be me, or it may be the twisted labyrinth of the Parisian streets, but nothing ever seems to be where I expect it to be.  But I was dauntless; at this point I had to find it.  Following the only clue I had from chapter 4 of Gaston Leroux's "Phantom of the Opera":

 

“What would he (Raoul) learn at Mama Valerius’ house?  He trembled to think of it as he rang the doorbell of the little apartment on the Rue Notre Dame-des-Victoires”.

 

Now a little research confided that the street was named after a church that stood on it and I found out that this rather brief street was situated between Place des Petit Peres and Rue Montmartre.  Missing it once I endeavored to retrace my steps and on my second trial I hit gold.  There it was, as you see in the photo I have provided as proof, Rue Notre Dame-des-Victoires. 

 

 

The novel never specifies the exact address.  I don’t think it does, but if I’m wrong please let me know.  So I walked the street’s length several times, taking in all of the possible locations and finally, I decided upon one particular building.  In my mind, this is where Mama Valerius lived.  Perfectly simple, not too fancy, but not without charm either.

For a moment I turned back towards Place des Petit Peres and imagined Raoul, striding indignantly around the corner, past the church, fully focused on the answers he would demand of Mama Valerius and I must admit – it really made me chuckle.  What a huff he must have been in.  He would know the status of Christine’s’ “purity” and the Angel of Music’s intentions.

 

As we know, his fever pitch was in vain and he left her house more furious and confused than before.  This we learn from one of the funniest exchanges in the book.  Perhaps if Mama Valerius had not been so daft or if Raoul had not been so innocent – things would have been different, but then again – what fun would that be?

Until next time!

 

Brenda

Christine! Christine!

Reported in my travel journal on: July 23, 2009

 

Christine!  Christine!

 

I have often conjured up a moving image in my mind of the evening when Raoul, having heard that Christine had been spotted in a carriage on an avenue in the Bois de Boulogne, decides to venture out into the bitterly cold night in hopes of catching a glimpse of his vanished young love.  Today I stood in the exact same spot and caught the edge of his opaque breath, even though there was full sunlight and I was basking in 75 degree temperatures.  The very idea that Gaston Leroux’s literary breadcrumbs led me straight to one of the most vivid scenes in the book brought welcome shivers down my spine.

 

It was no easy setting to locate.  Finding the Bois de Boulogne, a sprawling park on the northwest corner of Paris known in Raouls day as the gathering place for fashionable people, took some investigating.  I felt that Leroux himself must have had a good chuckle as I tromped through Paris, two maps in hand, seeking the locations he described.  The park itself is quite well known but only a tiny piece of it existed on any of my maps.  The Longchamps Racetrack that Raoul finds himself waiting behind on that winter night has been renamed Hippadrome Racecourse.  All the same, after a roaring metro ride, I found it!

 

Standing on cobblestone streets (Avenue Du Maréchal Lyautey and Avenue Du Maréchal Franchet d’Espery) now barely used, I believe I found exactly where Raoul stood as Erik’s carriage rolled slowly towards him in the night.  The surrounding buildings, all created in the 19^th Century, gave me further encouragement that this was Raoul’s spot of grave solitude and anguish just as Leroux described in his novel "Phantom of the Opera".

 

I must save the thrill of the preverbal hunt was exciting!  So exciting that I could not stop at Longchamps.  After another tussle with my city map, I am off to find Mama Valerius’s house – I am on a roll!

 

Catch me later – if you can!

 

Brenda

The Masked Ball - Unmasked

Entry: July 22, 2009  BB Paris Travel Journal

 

On my way to the masked ball I reread Christine’s letter to Raoul:

 

Dear –

 

Meet me at the masked ball at the opera tomorrow night at midnight in the little sitting room behind the great hall, stand near the door that leads to the rotunda.  Tell no one of our meeting.  Wear a white domino that masks you well.  If you would save my life, let no one recognize you.

 

- Christine

 

 
  
Feeling the same anticipation that Raoul must have felt, I too rushed up the grand marble staircase in search of the Great Hall.  Along the way, I imagined that instead of tourist, I was surrounded by hoards of Bohemian artists and fashionable folk of the late 1800’s.  How easy it would have been to manage a secret rendezvous on such an evening.  So much vibrant confusion – lace and velvet swirling and mingling in every direction – no ones true identity being revealed.  Yes, simple - if it were not Erik that Christine and Raoul hoped to deceive.

 

Finally my determined exploration led me to a room that could only be the Great Hall.  Peeking from behind the velvet curtain – still richly lush – the sight before put me in a gilded daze.  Slowly I crossed the hall from its furthest end – my ears aware of my tiny footsteps tapping along the floor.  I felt so small under the soaring ceiling and thought how insignificant and plain Christine must have felt against this elaborate backdrop as she followed this same path to her dangerous tête-à-tête.

 

Following her instructions as Raoul would – I easily found the small sitting room behind the large fireplace that divided the rooms.  To the right was the door that led to the rotunda; it was easy to imagine Rauol waiting there with little patience and large expectations.

 

Although the sitting room was closed off to contemporary visitors, I was able to poke my head around the mantle and get a glimpse of the room that Christine bade her friend to meet her in.  In contrast to the great hall – it was simple, rather plain, but ultimately comfortable.  It suddenly struck me that these two rooms were exact representations of Christine’s two relationships.  The great hall, like Erik, was exciting, impenetrable, hypnotic and complex; while the sitting room was reminiscent of a relationship more lived in, familiar and comfortable but a little worn.

 

Standing on the threshold of these two worlds, I began to appreciate the complexity of Christine’s choice.  Who would she choose?  How would she choose?  Why must she choose?

 

Until next time …

 

Brenda

 

PS – Why Must I Choose? Is the title of one of Christine’s songs in the new up-coming NYC production.

A Banner Day! – The Phantom of the Opera Banner is Hanging Proud at the Players Theatre

One would think that in a city of theaters it would be pretty easy to get a show banner hung – but alas for me – it has been a constant learning experience that never seems to end.  Could there be so much to learn about a simple strip of vinyl?  Oh yes, there is!

My first attempt at this rather tricky art was last January when I ordered the much anticipated “Treasure Island” banner for the Players Theatre.  It all seemed so simple – 2 feet x 20 feet – what could go wrong?  As it turns out – a lot!  Now mind you – I was and I guess I still am – a novice.  A banner virgin, if you will.  UPS handed me the ill-fated box – I opened it – wow!  The banner looked smashing in all its black and white swashbuckling glory.  And then John arrived.  Yes, John, the man who hangs the banners, the man who was to guide me through the murky world of banner ordering for what seems to be the rest of my life.

 

John did not share my excitement for this lovely banner.  Oh, no – he was in great distress.  “This will never do!” he said shaking his head and frowning.  “This will never stay up”.  You see, when you order a banner you are supposed to have them cut “smiley faces” into it.  This allows the wind to pass through the banner without tearing it down.  Who knew?  Well, John knew.  And I never told him this, but when I called the banner company the next time and asked for “smiley faces” they thought I was an idiot.  Apparently, the banner printers like to call them wind vents.  Personally I like smiley faces better.

 

Luckily, John was a good sport and cut smiley faces into the “Treasure Island” banner for me.  Unfortunately he cut them while the banner was upside down and so we had frowny faces – but maybe that’s okay for a pirate show – I chose to look at it as an arrrrr-tistic choice.

 

As the year went on, I continued to order banners and each time John has said “no, this isn’t right!”  I have learned something new with each order and still have not been able to get it right – but I am so close.  I won’t go into the detail of all the mistakes I have made.  If you have to order a banner call me and I will share all my knowledge with you – but it still won’t be enough – not yet.

 

At any rate – as you can see from the photo taken with my iPhone today, the new Phantom of the Opera banner now proudly hangs from the corner of the Players Theatre on MacDougal Street in the West Village.  The anticipation of our April 17 opening is mounting – just around the corner – yet still so far away!

 

Come on down and check out!  Get a free membership just for stopping in and save on your next night out in the village.

 

BB

The Paris Opera House

Recorded in my travel log on:  July 21, 2009

 

Ascending the grand staircase of the Paris Opera House, I could almost feel the breath of the “Phantom of the Opera” on my neck as my hair stood up – just a little. With the cool slick marble beneath my feet and subtly shaped marble banister steady under my hand, I climbed in awe and thought – “I am here!”  Here where I have so often imagined Raoul racing, determined and breathless, as he dashed to meet Christine at the masked ball.

 

Yes, my friends I have made it to the Paris Opera House, as magnificent and striking as I have always imagined, the reality does not disappoint!

 

I spent the day in the opera – wandering the halls and corridors with my nose in Leroux’s novel tracking down sites I could only imagine before today.  Yes, I knocked on Box Five and neither M. Giry nor Erik answered – but it was a thrill all the same.  I can’t even express my anticipation as I entered the auditorium – my eyes feasted on a room so lush and opulent that for a moment I truly felt the elegance of Leroux’s Parisand I could so easily imagine the upper crust of Parisian society parading into the theatre demanding to be noticed. Magnificent!

 

Interestingly, I was surprised at how intimate the theatre was.  Did you imagine it to be massive as I did?  With just about 2,000 seats on six levels designed it a horseshoe – it is rather petite.  The stage too is quite small for an opera house.  In fact while speaking with Gwen, an informative and entertaining young woman who is well versed in all things Palais Garnier, told me that its dominative size was the reason for building a new opera house in Paris (Opera Bastille built in 1989 with 3,400 seats).  For my money I would prefer the Garnier Opera house any day.  But then I love the old gilded, opulent style of an era long past.

 

It also made me realize even further how perfect the Players Theatre will be for our intimate theatrical  production of Gaston Leroux’s novel this coming April.

 

My long day of investigating led me to the Loggia – the sculpted marble terrace that hovers over the bustling city of Paris with serene defiance.  There I sat for some time on the cool marble floor, my back pressed against a carefully carved pillar.  I closed my eyes and began to imagine Christine sitting in the same spot, perhaps after a long day of rehearsal, slipping away from the probing crowds of singers and ballet dancers.  As big and grand as this place is – it offers a subtle strength and power that you can feel right through to your marrow.  I think Christine must have felt safe here – secure – as if nothing could possibly harm her inside these walls.  I know I felt that way.

 

It is so still on the Loggia – and even though I could hear the noisy life of the street below – I felt above it – literally and figuratively.  It’s as if I was existing in some dream-world that acknowledged reality but didn’t partake in it.  I think Christine would have liked this.  She lived in her own world, a dream world that was created by her life with her father and then influenced and nurtured by Erik.  The Opera House offered her the solitude she was accustomed to and needed.   Of course this desire and need for isolation is also what led her to be completely susceptible to the Phantom’s whims.  But alas, that is a discussion for tomorrow – for I am off to explore a café or two.  Chocolate Mousse is calling my name!  But please check back because I have so much to tell you!!

 

Until next time … Bon Appetite!!

 

Brenda

 

*** Photo by Michelle Lynch - my lovely niece and travel companion

The Chase Begins

Where does one go to chase an enormous tale, a tale that comes down to single, intimate moments?  Where do I go to find out the truth about a legend, to chase phantoms – the Phantoms of Gaston Leroux’s enduring novel – “Phantom of the Opera”?  Why Paris – of course! 

 

So to begin our little adventure - my next first few posts will be entries and photos from my travel journal keep during this summers journey to Paris.

 

Dated: July 20, 2009 

An so my friends, here I sit with my ultra-contemporary writing tool, poised to set out on an adventure in true Leroux investigative style, to chase down the phantoms of a story that has captured the imagination of generations for almost a Century.

 

Of course this might seem like an odd journey if you do not know my deeper reasons for pursuing such a quest.  In eight months, April 2010, a new, Leroux-authentic version of “Phantom of the Opera” will make its way to the New York City stage – to the Players Theatre - which is nestled in the heart of Greenwich Village.  A petite and intimate setting for this larger-than-life tale that begs to be told with delicate intimacy.

 

Here in Paris, I hope to find inspiration from what truth remains of the finer details of the novel.  An inspiration that will lead me back to New York, to create a truly authentic production that Leroux himself would enjoy.

 

Today – the Opera House!  Join me tomorrow to share what delights I stumble upon!