Buquet

This should be an interesting post. I’ve thought it about it quite a bit, always looking at this story through a microscope. You think I’m bad? I’ve seen symbolism attributed to the poor man hobbling across on a peg leg in the early morning hours (movie version). That scene was supposedly added as a symbolic gesture that all of us are hobbling through life with some emotional disability.

Now we have Joseph Buquet, a wretched man and disgusting looking individual. He’s the resident Opera House drunkard, stalker, and peeping “Tom.” He has the distinction of becoming the victim of the Phantom’s revenge, strung from the end of a taunt rope. Why has the Phantom chosen Joseph Buquet as his target? Did he speak too often of the Ghost? Make one too many jokes about his appearance and existence? Did OG think it was time to silence him? Even Madame Giry warns Buquet that silence is prudent.

There’s an interesting human behavior that we all have seen displayed in others, or we ourselves have sunken to its depths. That behavior being we tend to judge others harshly on character flaws that we ourselves often possess. We’ve all heard shocking news stories about high profile individuals caught in some sin or weakness. Usually before their own downfall, they have publicly attacked or defamed another with the same flaw.

Joseph Buquet is obsessed with the chorus girls, peeking at them dressing and undressing, stalking and watching them in the darkness. Our Opera Ghost seems to have relatively the same problem, only in slightly different proportions. He’s obsessed with Christine, daydreams about her, watches her, and stalks her from the darkness. Yet the Phantom throws a noose around Joseph Buquet’s neck and strangles the life out of him dropping him from the scaffolding for all to behold his twitching at the end of a rope. He stands vindicated above, as he watches his limp body fall to the stage floor. (Frankly, I thought Butler portrayed that strangle scene quite well – effective enough to see the morbid enjoyment in the Phantom’s eyes while strangling the life out of the poor man. Gave me the shivers.)

What wretchedness did the Phantom see in Joseph Buquet that he had to strangle the life out of him anyway? Sure, he was a drunkard and a peeping “Tom,” but his sin wasn’t worthy of the death sentence, was it? Did the Phantom see something hateful in that wretched man that reminded him of himself and he wanted to strangle the life out of it whether he did so consciously or subconsciously? The Phantom shows no compassion or forgiveness for Buquet’s flaws, though he yearns for compassion and redemption himself. Of course, Erik at that point in his life has never experienced compassion – it’s simply not in him to offer it anyway.

That’s usually our problem when we judge others too harshly for flaws, especially when we ourselves sometimes possess the same ones. There’s little compassion and tons of judgment on our part. It's also a great way of making ourselves seem quite the better person in the face of others. What’s that saying -- judge not lest you be judged?

I love provoking all of you…you know I do!

The Phantom's Student

Order Lessons From the Phantom of the Opera Here

Managers

You would think I’d run out of things to write about on this blog, but alas, I haven’t talked about our managers of the Opera Populaire - M. Armand Moncharmin and M. Firmin Richard. The sign has been hung outside. “Opera Populaire -- Under New Management.” The retiring owner is leaving, and the new management is coming on board. For some reason that always carries with it the assumption new management means better things to come, but that may not necessarily be the case. Our new managers thought they were buying themselves into the world of the arts, but little did they know the Opera House was haunted!

What does their presence represent in the story of the Phantom of the Opera – the age old struggle of control; and it’s a struggle that many of our players are staging against one another in this story. “So it is war between us?” declares the Opera Ghost in Leroux. In the movie, the Phantom declares to Christine and Raoul, “Let it be war on you both!” Yes, it is war, everyone struggling for control of territories, hearts, and stardom.

Messrs. Moncharmin and Richard have amassed their fortune in the junk business. Oh, excuse me, I stand corrected, that’s “scrap metal.” (Apparently, that’s the politically correct term.) They have purchased the Opera House from the retiring owner, who by the way is leaving because of his health and moving to Australia. (Sounds like he couldn’t get far enough away.) No doubt, the new managers, having amassed their fortune, suggest they both had humble beginnings. Now having hit the big time, they can buy their way into society’s acceptance of the upper class, who regularly attend the performances.

On the day of their arrival, announcement of their ownership, and the introduction to the cast and crew of their new patron, the Viscount de Chagny, they are immediately greeted with two obstacles. First, our controlling Carlotta, who as we all know from my prior post possesses a bit of an attitude problem. She’s out to manipulate and control the new managers from the get-go, and they learn early to grovel, grovel, grovel in order to appease her.

Then to complicate matters, they are introduced to the Opera Ghost. The first response is that everyone is obsessed. (Okay, I admit it, I am.) The Opera Ghost drops his welcome note, and Madame Giry reads it. He has the gall to welcome them to his opera house, proceeds to outline his stipulations for their peaceful existence in his domain, which includes leaving Box 5 empty for his use, and reminds them that his salary is due.

The stage is set – it’s war! Our Opera Populaire has become a battle ground. Control is at stake. Both have claimed the domain to be theirs, and the fight has begun. Our dear Phantom struggles to keep his reign, and the new managers struggle to reject his rule. They call him a lunatic and insane, reject his demands, refuse to pay his salary, give Box 5 to Raoul, and cast Carlotta in Miss Daae’s place. The Opera Ghost warns them of dire consequences should his orders be rejected and retribution ensues. Carlotta loses her voice, and Joseph Buquet is hanged. As far as O.G. is concerned, the managers should stay in their offices and leave the arts to him. He ultimately ruins them completely by destroying the Opera Populaire.

Of course, the entire story is laced with struggle and control. We have the managers against the Opera Ghost, the Opera Ghost against the managers, Raoul against the Phantom, the Phantom against Raoul, and Carlotta nipping at Christine’s heels. All of these characters are warring against each other for territorial possession, whether it is the Opera house, a woman’s heart, or stardom.

So whose hand do we raise and declare the winner in this war? Was it the managers? The Phantom? Christine? Carlotta? Raoul? I guess we could turn this into a modern day reality show. I’ll provide a 1-800 number for you to cast your vote. We’ll announce the winners on next week's blog.

Your obedient, but slightly wacky,
Phantom’s Student

Order Lessons From the Phantom of the Opera Here

Meg

Probably the most difficult thing I encounter writing my blog are the different portrayals of the characters from the original Leroux, to the stage play, to the movie. There are variations in each, and Meg Giry, the daughter of Madame Giry, is no exception. Referred to as “little” Meg in Leroux, and termed by him as the “most charming star of our admirable corps de ballet.”

In the novel she is described as having eyes black, black hair, a dark complexion, and being little boned. Perhaps that’s where the “little” reference comes in. In the film version she is opposite, much more beautiful, fair, curvy, blonde and blue eyed, but still on the petite side. Leroux states that eventually in life she becomes the Baroness de Barbazac, perhaps in fulfillment of O.G.’s earlier prophecy to her mother that some day she would be “empress.”

Meg knows about the Opera Ghost, and has received that knowledge from her mother. O.G. apparently helps her career by arranging for her promotion to “leader of a row” in the ballet. She knows about Box 5, and shares secrets about the Ghost with the other girls in the ballet corps, sometimes to her amusement by frightening them with stories about his existence. She states at one point, “Awful things!” said Meg cheerfully, “truly awful. The floor in our dressing room starts to run with blood...”

Leroux never mentions that she is friends with Christine Daae. She does, however, comment in the novel on Christine’s ability to sing by stating that before she obtained a divine voice, six months prior to that she “sang like a rusty hinge.” The storyline, of course, in Webber is different, and she is close friends with Christine, her mother having taken her as her own daughter and the two of them growing up like sisters.

From Webber’s character, I like to think of Meg as a woman of possibilities. It’s clear she knows more than she’s telling Christine. When in the chapel, she asks if she thinks it’s the spirit of her dead father coaching her. Christine replies “who else,” but Meg turns her head, seemingly knowing it’s the Phantom. She also seems to have a fascination for the Phantom while watching his interaction with Christine; and if we are to read behind the lines of their friendship, she must know of Christine’s love for Raoul and her plans to betray him. When Christine is taken, she wants to run to his lair with Raoul, but her mother holds her back. At the end, she obviously persists in her longing to see where he lives, as she is the first to enter the Phantom’s lair. She looks for him, finds him absent, but sees his mask and carries it off with her.

To me, the movie portrays her as a woman of possibilities beyond the sad ending of the story, perhaps for our benefit and imagination. Sequels have been written to follow that line of thought, as my readers no doubt know. It’s not difficult to believe that this man, who she has known since childhood as the Phantom of the Opera, did not hold for her as a woman some mysterious attraction to his genius and existence as well. After all, her mother served him faithfully throughout the years. Perhaps she is drawn toward him out of thankfulness, curiosity, or dare I say it, even love.

Meg – the woman of possibilities. Who is Meg to you? If you were her, would you have followed Erik through the mirror or reunited him with Christine or another? That’s the great thing about fiction; you can write whatever you choose and take the story wherever your imagination chooses to go.

The Phantom's Student and a Woman of Possibilities

Order Lessons From the Phantom of the Opera Here

Carlotta

Wonderful Carlotta! The diva of the stage – self-inflated, difficult, overbearing, rude, arrogant, egotistical, and temperamental in nature, which are only a few of her outstanding personal qualities. Carlotta, was the reigning soprano of the stage at the Opera Populaire for many seasons. In Leroux, she is La Carlotta from Spain. In Webber, she is Carlotta Giudicelli from Italy.

The name Prima Donna, an Italian term for “first lady” of the stage or a female lead singer in an opera, carries with it many connotations, most of which are negative in nature. The term diva is also used to describe celebrated female singers. Leading ladies of the opera were historically known to be very demanding and high-maintenance individuals, who thought themselves privileged and above others in rank in the opera house.

How did others view Carlotta? Leroux says the Opera Ghost stated she “sung like a squirt” and “had a common place instrument,” meaning, of course, her voice. Leroux describes her personality as “celebrated, but a heartless and soulless diva,” which probably related to both her stage performances, as well as her personality in life. In Webber, O.G. asks the managers why they must continue to cast her when she is past her prime. He recognizes it is the time to replace the aging diva with emerging Christine, and through accidents and mishaps attempts to discourage her from the stage. The Phantom wants to further Christine’s career, and warns the diva not to sing or she should be “prepared for a great misfortune” when she opens her mouth. In retribution for her ignoring his warnings, along with the managers in allowing her to sing the lead in Il Muto, he makes her sound like a toad and embarrasses and humbles her in front of her audience. A fate, no doubt, worse than death to hear her adoring fans break out in laughter at the misfortune of her losing her voice, rather than hearing the accolades of "bravo" at the end of her performance.

In Webber, she obviously thinks highly of herself as the diva of the opera, but the cast and crew have a different view of her. They stuff their ears while she rehearses, and a man later “moons” her as she goes by. No one respects her. The managers learn early that in order to control her they must appease her by groveling. They beg, cater, and shower her with flowers, jewelry, and gifts to appease her demands for attention and adoration. The ultimate act of respect for her beauty was to drink champagne from her shoe, a tradition the French have been quoted as stating, “Champagne should be drunk straight from a beautiful lady’s slipper.” Poor Maestro Reyer endures the commands of the diva, and the cast endures her insults and outbursts. Even the movie makes a comedy statement of the demanding Prima Donna’s personality by depicting Andrew Lloyd Webber’s head on a platter that Carlotta holds in the portrait of Hannibal hanging in her dressing room. Perhaps it’s the moviemaker’s statement Prima Donnas even control the composers, producers, and directors or she will have their heads!

How did Christine view Carlotta? A rival to her aspiring career no doubt. She dreamed of the limelight that Carlotta possessed, and tasted the adoration of being a first lady herself, albeit briefly. Her great tutor was pushing her towards stardom in the opera world. Carlotta, of course, viewed Christine as competition that needed to be stopped, as she was invading her reigning territory.

Probably most of us who have walked through life have met some women who we would term Prima Donnas in their own right, even if they don’t sing. You know the type, arrogant, rude, difficult, and demanding. We have modern singers, as well, who have been given the title of “diva” due to their personality traits that match the description of demanding and difficult. Do you think Christine's ultimate success as first lady of the opera would have spoiled her personality, and she would have emerged as the next difficult Prima Donna of the Opera Populaire? It would have been interesting to see where success led her.

Our Prima Donna, Carlotta, possessed an inflated sense of self worth. Our dear Opera Ghost possessed a deflated sense of self worth. Both extremes at the opposite end of the spectrum of how individuals perceive themselves and the personalities that motivate their behavior in life. Perhaps Carlotta longed to be noticed and accepted in her own life, and her misguided way of obtaining it was through her obnoxious behavior. In contrast, the Opera Ghost longed to be noticed and accepted, as well, and his misguided way of obtaining it was through violence. Another lesson perhaps buried in the characters in the story of the Phantom of the Opera? What end of the spectrum do you find yourself? Are you a diva at heart like Carlotta or a broken soul like the Opera Ghost? Hopefully, you find yourself somewhere in the middle.

NOTE: If you are interested in learning more about historical Prima Donnas of the opera, I’ve added a book recommendation under Carlotta’s picture. Below is a link to an excerpt from the book, which you might find interesting, written by Susan Rutherford, entitled “The Prima Donna and Opera – 1815 – 1930.” Some of the excerpts from the book are viewable at the link and are quite interesting regarding opera life, singers, social life, and their adoring fans that sometimes polarized between opera stars. There is also a great definition of Prima Donna on Page 27.

The Phantom's Student (PS...I can't sing a note on tune.)

Order Lessons From the Phantom of the Opera Here