Maddie’s Guide to The Great White Way

Picture this: A young girl is sitting with her family watching a movie. Normally, she would be playing with toys or dancing around, but for some reason she isn’t. For the first time, she has her eyes completely glued to the screen. As time goes on, she continues to watch this movie again and again, each time falling in love with it more. This movie was “The Phantom of the Opera.” And that little girl was me.

I was six when I first watched the 2004 movie adaptation of the classic Broadway musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” From the moment it started, I fell head over heels for the plot, the characters, the music and the sets. Everything seemed new and exciting to me.

“The Phantom of the Opera” is a story of heartbreak, solitude, companionship, love, friendship and music.

A mysterious “ghost” has been haunting the Paris Opera House for years, but it isn’t until the opera house is put under new management that things begin to go awry.

I love Phantom for many reasons. But one of the main reasons I love Phantom I didn’t recognize until more recently. I love “The Phantom of the Opera” because of the lesson it has taught me.

The Phantom has been mistreated his entire life. Why? Because he is different.

The Phantom was born deformed. Not only was he mistreated by gypsies and travelers, but his own mother hated him because of how he looked. He became a form of entertainment to people.

He was placed in a gypsy traveling show. He was beaten and abused in front of an audience just to give people a laugh. No one was kind to him. Not a soul showed him mercy.

He became a cruel and unkind person. He has shut himself away from society after killing his “master.” He doesn’t trust anyone. He has no clue how to treat people.

Now, some may argue that he didn’t have to kill his master, or that he did this to himself. But, he didn’t do any of it to himself. All he wanted was love, and because he didn’t look like everyone else, he didn’t receive it. Instead, he was treated like an object instead of a human being.

The saddest part is he had so much to offer the world. He was a bright, intelligent and a musical genius.  He was just not given the chance to live the way he could of because of society’s stupid and unjust standards.

“The Phantom of the Opera” is almost all told through song. For me, the music was what first made me fall in love with Phantom. From the iconic title song, “The Phantom of the Opera” to the soft and gentle love ballad, “All I ask of you” to the dark and seductive duet like, “The Point of No Return” and to the painful and broken, “Final Lair,” phantom has a mix of music that will take any viewers emotions on a crazy roller coaster.

My most recent Phantom encounter was when my mom and stepfather took me to see the show on Broadway at the beginning of March. For me, getting to go to the show wasn’t just seeing another show, I was coming home.

After being obsessed with “The Phantom of the Opera” for seven years, to finally see Phantom live on the exact same stage it was on 30 years ago was a dream come true.

“The Phantom of the Opera” isn’t just a musical. The story has had many adaptations that give the tale a new light. From the 1925 silent film starring Lon Chaney, to the 1962 horror version with Herbert Lom, Phantom has had its fair share of retellings. 

“The Phantom of the Opera” is a hard topic for me to talk about. Not because I don’t love it, but because I love it so much, that it is difficult to narrow down what to talk about and how. In all honesty, I could talk of Phantom for hours and never tire of it.

I give “The Phantom of the Opera” a five out of five star rating.

The musical, the novel, the movies, the actors, the music and of course the memories will be loved by those who watch and will enchant all those who listen.