I had the opportunity to take my daughters to see The Phantom of the Opera today, so after delivering a swathe of content warnings to my thirteen-year-old, we settled into our seats prepared to enjoy the show—for it is genius. Written in 1910 by Gaston Leroux, the novel has been adapted into several films and more than one musical, but it is the 1986 Andrew Lloyd Webber version that has entranced me and many others for decades.

What is it about Phantom that is just so juicy? Well, it is a musical about music; it is funny, touching, horrific, heart-breaking, and transcendent; and it is a story that brings together heaven and hell—the best and worst of human capacity—and heals the divide. 

So much mirroring is apparent in this masterpiece, and music is the perfect vehicle to convey it—the echoed themes themselves very deliberately chosen to subliminally transmit the paradox at the heart of this story. Listen carefully and you will hear it, particularly in the final song that masterfully layers all the various themes into one glorious finale. 

Raoul and the Phantom are mirrors for each other too, and that is no more obvious in their love themes. ‘Music of the Night’ is all about seduction, control, and conquering, all wrapped up in a melody so beautiful, we almost forget how depraved the words really are—it’s genius. It lets hell look attractive before it unmasks it. Anyone else just get shivers? ‘All I Ask of You’ on the other hand, is the complete opposite—Raoul wants to set Christine free, nurture and protect her, and safeguard her consent. 

The Phantom and Raoul represent lust vs love, toxic vs healthy, taking vs giving, enslavement vs freedom, and ‘I’ll die for you’ vs ‘I’ll kill for you’. Which brings me to the biff I have with so many modern authors, who write toxic relationships and sell them as desirable instead of destructive—but that might be another blog for another day.

This is not to say that Christine’s internal struggle is a no-brainer—for the Phantom creates as well as destroys. He is both angel and demon, and this dichotomy is played on to perfection in the song ‘Stranger Than You Dreamt It’. It’s not one of the most popular songs in the musical, so here is a reminder of the words: 

Stranger than you dreamt it

Can you even dare to look

or bear to think of me:

this loathsome gargoyle, who burns in hell,

but secretly yearns for heaven,

secretly... secretly...

Christine...

Fear can turn to love - you'll learn to see

to find the man behind the monster:

this repulsive carcass, who seems a beast

but secretly dreams of beauty, 

secretly... secretly... 

Oh, Christine...

I believe it is this moment that allows Christine to make her choice—and set them all free. As an added bonus, Lloyd Webber chooses the ‘Angel of Music’ theme for her declaration:

Pitiful creature of darkness... 

What kind of life have you known? 

God give me courage to show you, you are not alone...

And that’s what we all want, isn’t it? To be seen. To be understood. To not be alone.

The Phantom of the Opera strikes at the heart of the monster in all of us, and lifts us—even briefly—to heaven.