History Franchise / ThePhantomOfTheOpera

* The 1990 tv miniseries actually got to film most of its scenes in the ''Opera Garnier'' itself, and takes every opportunity to show off the beauty of the building.

** The sets and special effects of the play (most infamously the chandelier) were groundbreaking for their time and still impress today. They may be flashy and overwrought, but they're done spectacularly well.

* ''Film/KISSMeetsThePhantomOfThePark'': A 1978 MadeForTV movie, starring you-know-who. [[OldShame The band would prefer not to talk about it]].

* ''Film/KISSMeetsThePhantomOfThePark'': A 1978 made-for-TV movie, starring you-know-who. [[OldShame The band would prefer not to talk about it]].

* ''Film/KISSMeetsThePhantomOfThePark'': The band would prefer not to talk about it.

* An American television version starring Charles Dance aired in 1990. So yes, the same man played the Phantom of the Opera and [[Series/GameOfThrones Tywin Lannister]].

* AdaptationalHeroism: The 1990 miniseries featured Charles Dance as a kinder, gentler and more sympathetic Phantom than his counterpart in the novel.

* OriginalCastPrecedent: In every replica production of Phantom (and most nonreplica ones) Christine has brown or nearly black hair; the original Christine, Sarah Brightman, has very dark hair. Really Useful Group has also been known to keep a tight leash on character designs and appearances, so ExecutiveMeddling may come into play here.
** However, Harriet Jones (no, not [[DoctorWho that one]]), who played Christine in 2013-2014, [[http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/72/d8/65/72d865980a4f0f4aceb036e2f685afc9.jpg does appear]] to be [[http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1f/35/b0/1f35b00bd37a35b1cc681d6abc79a774.jpg blonde.]]

* RaceLift: Robert Guillame was cast as the Phantom during the first national tour. To this date, he is the only African-American actor to play the role.

* AdaptationDyeJob: The book Christine was blonde, but in most stage and film productions she is a brunette.

* AdaptedOut: The Persian and Raoul's unfortunate older brother... except in the Lon Chaney version.

* InNameOnly: Subverted with the [[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1989 1989 reimagining]] starring Creator/RobertEnglund as the title character. Many often mistake it for this given its nature as a gory horror film -- but in actuality, it is much closer to the original novel than the famous musical (which itself at times borders on the trope), maintaining the sadism of Leroux's Erik which many adaptations tend to downplay.

* There are also multiple musical adaptations apart from Andrew Lloyd Webber's. The one most frequently performed -- developed at around the same time as the Lloyd Webber show but unstaged until several years after it -- was written by Maury Yeston (''Nine'') and Arthur Kopit and is simply called ''Phantom.'' The story is also spoofed in the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}''.

* ''Film/PhantomOfTheParadise'', a '''very''' loose, modernised, adaptation of the story that also includes elements of ''{{Faust}}'' and ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray''.

* There are also multiple musical adaptations apart from Andrew Lloyd Webber's. The one most frequently performed -- developed at around the same time as the Lloyd Webber show but unstaged until several years after it -- was written by Maury Yeston (''Nine'') and Arthur Kopit and is simply called ''Phantom.'' The story is also spoofed in the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Maskerade''.

* MuggingTheMonster: In the '89 version not only are people stupid enough to try to mug the Phantom, they have to mug the one played by [[Creator/RobertEnglund Robert frickin' Englund!]]

** The HammerHorror version is so light and soft that the Phantom doesn't even kill anybody! Instead, a homicidal little person who's friends with the Phantom does all the killing, so the Phantom's hands are technically clean throughout the whole movie. Also, the Phantom has no romantic interest in Christine, just wants to hear his music performed, and [[spoiler: performs a HeroicSacrifice in the end]].

* Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund starred in a loosely adapted and quite gory 1989 film.

* InNameOnly: Subverted with the 1989 slasher reimagining starring Creator/RobertEnglund as the title character. Many often mistake it for this given its nature as a gory slasher -- but in actuality, it is much closer to the original novel than the famous musical (which itself at times borders on the trope), maintaining the sadism of Leroux's Erik which many adaptations tend to downplay.
** The DarioArgento version is very much an example of being ''The Phantom of the Opera'' in name only, starting with how The Phantom is not deformed and was raised by rats.

* AdaptationDyeJob: The book Christine was blonde, but in all stage productions and most movie versions, she is a brunette.

* AdaptedOut: The Persian and Raoul's unfortunate older brother... except in the Lon Chaney version (see below).

* DramaticUnmask: The silent film has the most dramatic version (see below).

[[index]]
* ''Literature.ThePhantomOfTheOpera'': The novel that started it all.

[[index]]

[[index]]

** ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' (the sequel musical to the original ''Phantom'' musical)

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Phantom.jpg]]

''The Phantom of the Opera'' was originally a novel by French author Gaston Leroux, published in serialized form in 1909 and 1910. Leroux tells what he insists is the true story of a young soprano, Christine, who believes she is being tutored by the "Angel of Music", sent to her from Heaven from her deceased father. Originally considered nothing special, especially compared to her rival and the opera's resident diva, Carlotta, after three months under the Angel's tutelage, Christine shines. The managers quickly realize the depth of her talent... and so does Christine's childhood best friend, Raoul, who sees her in all her newfound glory and realizes that SheIsAllGrownUp.

After a show, Raoul is eager to be reacquainted with Christine, but she is kidnapped by the Angel (really the titular Phantom) and taken to his lair. There, the Phantom puts her under his spell with his music and tells her that he wants her for his bride. However, when Christine takes off his mask to reveal his disfigurement, the Phantom throws her out in shame.

Shortly afterwards, Raoul and Christine become engaged. The Phantom overhears them, and decides to win Christine's love, once and for all... or, failing that, punish them both for their arrogance.

Leroux's novel has been adapted for film and television many times.

* The first was a Russian production, which has since been lost.
* The second and most faithful screen adaptation was the famous 1925 silent film with Creator/LonChaney as Erik (which has since fallen in the public domain and may be watched [[http://www.archive.org/details/ThePhantomoftheOpera here]] and [[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5224364451553593147 here]]. And [[http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Phantom_of_the_Opera/854375?trkid=2361637 on Netflix]], if you have it). This film depicts the Phantom as tragic, but also murderous and criminally insane.
* It was filmed again in 1943, starring Creator/ClaudeRains. This one has [[Film/PhantomOfTheOpera1943 its own page on the wiki]].

[[quoteright:194:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imgres_3425.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:194:Lon Chaney as Erik in the 1925 film.]]

But no doubt the most well-known adaptation is Andrew Lloyd Webber's wildly successful musical. The musical premiered in London in 1986 and Broadway in 1988 and has been running in both locations ever since. The musical was itself made into [[TheMovie a movie]] in 2004 after years in DevelopmentHell, starring Emmy Rossum as Christine and Gerard Butler as Erik, the Phantom. In 2011, London's Royal Albert Hall hosted a 25th anniversary staging that was released on video the following year.

''[[FanNickname Phantom]]'' is an absolute ''juggernaut'' of a musical; if it's not the most iconic musical in the world, it is superseded in that regard only by ''Theatre/LesMiserables'', another Cameron Mackintosh production (and coincidentally also based on a French novel), which began its run a year earlier. ''Les Mis'' remains the longest-running musical theatre production in the world, having been going in the West End continuously since 1985, but with the close of ''Les Mis'' on Broadway in 2003, ''The Phantom of the Opera'' -- which is still running on Broadway and in London -- holds the crown as the longest-running ''Broadway'' musical in history. It has been called the single most financially successful entertainment venture ''[[http://nationaltours.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Flash_PHANTOM_Tour_Becomes_First_to_Reach_7000_Performances_20100128 of all time]]'', and it may well be.

There are also multiple musical adaptations apart from Andrew Lloyd Webber's. The one most frequently performed -- developed at around the same time as the Lloyd Webber show but unstaged until several years after it -- was written by Maury Yeston (''Nine'') and Arthur Kopit and is simply called ''Phantom.'' The story is also spoofed in the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Maskerade''.

''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' is the sequel to the AndrewLloydWebber musical and has its own page; for the FrederickForsyth novel derived from early plans for it, see ''Literature/ThePhantomOfManhattan''.

For the 1990 novel by Susan Kay, see ''Literature/{{Phantom}}''.

!!Tropes found in...

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:The original novel and its fandom]]
* AboveTheInfluence: Christine obviously expects several times to be raped during her two abductions, but it turns out the Phantom [[AffablyEvil respects her privacy and honor]].
* AffablyEvil: The usher Madame Giry certainly thinks so -- as far as she knows, the Phantom is always a polite patron and a generous tipper!
* AgentScully: Mifroid and Faure, the police commissary and examining magistrate, laugh at Raoul's and the Persian's stories about the phantom of the opera.
* AlasPoorVillain: Even Christine, the Persian, and the {{Narrator}} feel sorry for the homicidal maniac stalker's DeathByDespair.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The lake (see TruthInTelevision).
* AntagonistTitle: [[ProtagonistTitleFallacy But then again...]]
* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: Except not PlayedForLaughs, and Christine doesn't feel insulted that she escapes this FateWorseThanDeath.
* ArtifactTitle: For English translations that refer to Erik as "the Opera ghost" or "the ghost" in the text instead of "phantom."
* {{Backstory}}: The Persian tells the Phantom's backstory to Raoul (and to the {{narrator}} later).
* BadLiar: Christine, to the point where the Persian is practically {{Face Palm}}ing as she fails to ShowSomeLeg to Erik to get him and Raoul out of the torture chamber unnoticed.
* [[BatheHerAndBringHerToMe Bathe and Come to Me]]
* BastardBoyfriend: Erik could be a {{deconstruction}} if not an UnbuiltTrope: In the original book the author wants you to think Erik's a {{Jerkass}} and Christine is a saint for putting up with him: (DomesticAbuser meets LoveMartyr), but the MisaimedFandom (and [[LostInImitation all the adaptations]]) wants you to think Erik's totally hot and the relationship is [[CorruptTheCutie deliciously kinky]].
* BeastAndBeauty: Tragic enough to border on {{Deconstruction}}.
* BetaCouple: Count Philippe and La Sorelli.
* BettyAndVeronica: With Raoul as Betty, the nice childhood sweetheart, and The Phantom filling the role of Veronica, the passionate madman.
* {{Bishonen}}: Raoul, according to Leroux's description of him in Chapter 2.
* BittersweetEnding: Letting Christine go is, unquestionably, the right thing for Erik to do... but it's still hard not to feel sorry for him.
* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: The Opera House. Originally this was because the Phantom was actually the architect and did it on purpose, but later versions leave it unexplained.
** The Phantom also has a gigantic mirror room, which he uses to torture Raoul and the Persian, by introducing a sun lamp. This is one of the stranger moments in the melodrama.
** Parts of it are TruthInTelevision; the Palais Garnier really is like a maze.
** The Daroga mentions that Erik built a palace at Mazenderan where ''you could not utter a word but it was overheard or repeated by an echo.'' With his trap-doors Erik spied for the Sha. {{Ventriloquism}} explains how Erik could be heard at First Tier Box Five, [[FridgeBrilliance but this trope explains how Erik can hear all the conversations in the ghost’s box without being present.]].
* {{Blackmail}}: The Phantom demands 240,000 francs a year and exclusive use of First Tier Box 5 or else he'll drop chandeliers on people. One has to wonder what he does with all that money, although [[{{Franchise/Batman}} one possibility springs to mind.]]
** The Batman reference is perfectly appropriate because the answer is:
** WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: Erik being a MadArtist / MadScientist / EvilGenius can make a lot of HomemadeInventions, but still needs the money to buy supplies (the mirrors of his RoboticTortureDevice came to mind). Given the Opera is administrated by two [[PointyHairedBoss Pointy-Haired Bosses]], [[FridgeBrilliance Erik must have not a problem getting everything delivered there]].
** He describes exactly what he intends to use the money for: he wants to live what he considers to be normal life, and no longer hide from the world. He needs funds for that. He's even described using a false nose and moustache, which allow him to appear simply strange and ugly rather than outright monstrous, to move in public and do his shopping.
* BuildingOfAdventure: The Paris Opera.
* CassandraTruth: After Christine is abducted from on-stage, Raoul quickly gains a solid reputation as a madman when he begs anyone who will listen to believe that she's been kidnapped by the phantom of the opera who lives in the cellars under the building.
** The Persian confessed everything to the Judge. The [[AgentScully Judge doesn't believe a word]].
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Christine and Raoul.
* ColdIron: Is that the phantom coming? Run to touch iron, if you didn't take the precaution of having keys or a horseshoe near you!
* CompellingVoice: Yes, this ''does'' come across all too well in a literary medium.
* CorruptTheCutie: Long time before even meeting Christine, [[{{Backstory}} Erik worked for the Sha-in-Sha]]: the little sultana, the favorite of the Shah-in-Shah, was boring herself to death. Erik built a HallOfMirrors for her. When she got bored of that, Erik transformed it into a RoboticTortureDevice aptly named “the chamber of horrors”, used to [[DrivenToSuicide execute people sentenced to death]]. He also taught her how to strangle people efficiently with the punjab lassoo. The little sultana [[MoralEventHorizon soon applied that knowledge to simple peasants]] ''[[MoralEventHorizon and her own friends.]]''
--> "Wretched man!" I cried. "Have you forgotten the rosy hours of Mazenderan?"
--> "Yes," he replied, in a sadder tone, "I prefer to forget them. I used to make the little sultana laugh, though!"
* CrazyJealousGuy: Erik becomes more and more vicious and threatening towards Christine as his jealousy of Raoul grows.
* DamselInDistress: Christine.
* DeadpanSnarker: Mifroid.
** Erik also has his moments.
* DeadGuyOnDisplay: The final line of the novel is a plea for giving Erik's body this treatment. Oddly enough, it seems to be a Type 1, where the person was an honored figure (despite the fact that Erik was a PsychoticManchild unrepentant killer), and his body would be preserved as a relic/object of reverence:
--> And, now, what do they mean to do with that skeleton? Surely they will not bury it in the common grave! ... I say that the place of the skeleton of the Opera ghost is in the archives of the National Academy of Music. It is no ordinary skeleton.
* DeathByChildbirth: Raoul's mother.
* DeathTrap: The Phantom installed one as the first room beyond the back entrance to his lair to intercept trespassers. When Raoul and the Persian fall into it, it starts as a SaunaOfDeath and ends as a DrowningPit, although its' greatest torture is psychological.
* DecoyProtagonist: La Sorelli seems to be set up to be the female lead in the first chapter.
* DeceptivelyHumanRobots: Erik ''"also invented those automata, dressed like the Sultan and resembling the Sultan in all respects, which made people believe that the Commander of the Faithful was awake at one place, when, in reality, he was asleep elsewhere."'' for Mehemet Alí Bey.
* DisappearedDad: During his MotiveRant, the Phantom laments (among other things) how he never knew his father.
* DramaticUnmask
* DrivenToSuicide: TortureTechnician Erik's favorite method of disposing of his victims with his RoboticTortureDevice. If you are lucky, he only will strangle you to death.
* ElaborateUndergroundBase
* EntitledToHaveYou: Erik sees Christine's love for Raoul as betrayal.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: [[AnAesop The whole point of the novel]] is that Erik never believed that Christine could love him and so [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds he was ready to destroy himself, her and everyone in the Opera house]], [[ThePowerOfLove but when she really accepts to be with him if he spares Raoul]] and kisses him, Erik is so moved that he lets her go.
* EvilLaugh: Which leads Christine and the Persian to suspect poor Erik is (going) insane.
* ExactEavesdropping: Raoul, twice. Christine is not too happy about it.
* {{Fainting}}:
** Christine faints on stage after her splendid gala performance in chapter 2. Either an emotional or exhaustion type.
** Christine faints again during her first abduction when Erik grabs her. Fits both the monster reveal type faint, since it is the smell of death on his hand that causes her to faint, and also the emotional type faint, since she is already freaked out with what's going on.
** When Raoul first comes face to face with Erik unmasked in the Perros graveyard, he faints. Fits both the monster reveal and emotional type faints, since Erik had already been trying to freak him out by playing the ghost and throwing skulls at him.
* FallingChandelierOfDoom: Probably not the {{Trope Maker|s}}, but definitely the TropeCodifier and still one of the most famous examples of the breed. Based on a real-life accident when one of the counterweights of the Opera House's grand chandelier fell into the auditorium and killed a woman.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Christine tries to kill herself before the Phantom can force her to "marry" him in the climax.
** It's worth noting, though, that Erik seems to have an almost humorously non-sexual view of marriage- his chief goal in having a pretty wife, as described to Christine herself, is to buy her nice things and take her for walks in the park on Sundays, while he wears a mask that (he thinks) sufficiently makes him look "like anyone else".
*** From a ''modern'' perspective, the threat of Christine being unable to be with the man she loves (and actually ''wants'' to marry) and in a forced state of virginity thanks to a sexless marriage with a repulsive man who treats her like a living doll could be seen as a Fate Worse Than Death in itself.
*** For all his talk about the happily married life they're going to have, Erik seems to be dead-set on a double-suicide with his new wife, once they've been married; he explains in the end that he only began seeing her as his ''living'' wife once she kissed him out of pity, and this prompted him to let her go. It has to be remembered that Erik is extremely unhinged and has a morbid obsession with death which doesn't let him go even when he's trying to become "normal".
* FauxAffablyEvil: In the same conversation Erik explains how he pulled the PracticalJoke on Carlotta with his {{Ventriloquism}} he casually uses it to prank Raoul and the Daroga in the TortureCellar.
* FixFic / SelfInsertFic / WishFulfillment: An example InUniverse: Erik, ([[StalkingIsLove who terrorizes his beloved Christine]] [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe into being his wife]]) is writing a music [[{{Fanfic}} masterpiece based on the Opera]] DonGiovanni, TheCasanova who really believes the woman who wants to love him has to accept him as a [[YourCheatingHeart cheating]] {{Jerkass}} BastardBoyfriend, and who ends being dragged to hell (and DidNotGetTheGirl) to please the MoralGuardians. Why is a FixFic? Because the title: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin “Don Juan Triumphant”]].
* ForegoneConclusion: Anyone who reads the prologue knows that the Persian survives to tell his story to the narrator, Christine and Raoul disappear from Parisian society never to be seen again, and Erik and Philippe both die.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: After running away from home, Erik [[ComeToGawk was exhibited as “the living corpse” in fairs across all Europe]], then learnt to be a [[StageMagician magician]] and artist from the [[{{Roma}} Gypsies]]. He was a great singer and {{ventriloquis|m}}t and displayed [[StickyFingers great feats of legerdemain]]. The Shah-in-Shah, hearing about him, sent the Daroga to bring him to Persia. While there, he became an AboveGoodAndEvil EvilGenius TortureTechnician who also was a ProfessionalKiller.
* GenreSavvy: Raoul seems to know he's the [[BettyAndVeronica "safe" love interest]] in a Gothic romance, given his utter lack of surprise at Christine's love for her stalker/kidnapper despite no recognition of StockholmSyndrome as such at the time.
* GildedCage: Christine's Louis-Philippe bedroom in Erik's house.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The Phantom's gold eyes can only be seen in the dark, and they glow like a cat's.
* TheGrotesque: Subverted by Erik, whose deformities make him a living corpse, but also averts being a GentleGiant: he is so socially deformed that his attitude as a PsychopathicManchild BastardBoyfriend make him truly terrifying. Ironically, his AboveGoodAndEvil attitude lets him fit into society very well, as a TortureTechnician, ProfessionalKiller and {{Blackmail}}er, because HumansAreBastards. The {{Narrator}} lampshades in the Epilogue that Erik, with an ordinary face, ''would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind''. However, Erik is vindictive towards the humanity that rejected him, he holds human life at no value, and his [[EvilCannotComprehendGood act of mercy surprised even him]].
* HallOfMirrors: The Phantom uses one to convince Raoul and the Persian that they are trapped in a desert.
* HappilyAdopted: Christine by Madame Valerius after her father died.
* HelloNurse: La Sorelli.
* HeWhoMustNotBeNamed: Half the dancers and employees of the Paris Opera constantly try to tell the other half never to speak of "the ghost." The Persian refers to him as "He" around Raoul and orders Raoul not to say his name.
** In Chapter XX, Raoul and the Persian come across a mysterious appearance while on the trail of the phantom. When asked by Raoul if this is another member of the theater police, the Persian responds "It's some one much worse than that!", the authors note attached to it further more states how the author "can give no further explanation touching the apparition of this shade", saying the reader must have to try and guess for himself. The nature of this mysterious person is then dropped, never to be mentioned again.
* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: The Phantom spends a lot of time as TheVoice and TheFaceless.
* HilariousInHindsight: The {{narrator}} refers to Christine's first abduction (the one where she disappeared for two weeks) as "not the infamous abduction" which everyone has heard of. In context, this refers to how famous her second abduction became in the news in-universe, but the story is so famous now through PopCulturalOsmosis that this clarification seems to be LeaningOnTheFourthWall.
* HypnotizeThePrincess: The Phantom's voice has a seemingly mesmeric effect on Christine.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Given that the Phantom [[AboveTheInfluence is not interested in sex]], he pulls a AndNowYouMustMarryMe.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: The Phantom's motivation -- the guy doesn't actually ''like'' living underground.
* InterruptedSuicide: The Persian only just manages to stop Raoul from shooting himself in the torture chamber.
* InTheBlood: Christine is following in her father's footsteps with her career in music.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Arguably, everyone except Christine, the Persian and Madam Valerious:
** Raoul: After Christine murmurs: “Poor Erik!”
-->''At first, he thought he must be mistaken. To begin with, he was persuaded that, if any one was to be pitied, it was he, Raoul. It would have been quite natural if she had said,'' "Poor Raoul," ''after what had happened between them. But, shaking her head, she repeated:'' "Poor Erik!" ''What had this Erik to do with Christine's sighs and why was she pitying Erik when Raoul was so unhappy?''
** Erik: After his LoveRedeems scene, meets the Daroga, who asks him (repeatedly) about the murder of Count Philippe:
-->''"Daroga, don't talk to me ... about Count Philippe ... "'' … ''"I have not come here ... to talk about Count Philippe ... but to tell you that ... I am going ... to die..."''
** Mme. Giry:
--> ''"Mme. Giry. You know me well enough, sir; I'm the mother of little Giry, little Meg, what!"''
--> This was said in so rough and solemn a tone that, for a moment, M. Richard was impressed. He looked at Mme. Giry, in her faded shawl, her worn shoes, her old taffeta dress and dingy bonnet. It was quite evident from the manager's attitude, that he either did not know or could not remember having met Mme. Giry, nor even little Giry, nor even "little Meg!" [[SmallNameBigEgo But Mme. Giry's pride was so great that the celebrated box-keeper imagined that everybody knew her.]]
** Moncharmin: Excerpt from the (exceptionally long) ''"Memories of a Manager"'':
-->''"A grievous accident spoiled the little party which MM. Debienne and Poligny gave to celebrate their retirement. I was in the manager's office, when Mercier, the acting-manager, suddenly came darting in. He seemed half mad and told me that the body of a scene-shifter had been found hanging in the third cellar under the stage, between a farm-house and a scene from the Roi de Lahore. I shouted: "'' 'Come and cut him down!'
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: The Phantom, at the end.
* IWasJustJoking: Raoul wonders aloud how Erik knows how to work all the trap doors and navigate the secret passages. What, did he build them? The Persian explains, yes, he did.
* KilledOffForReal: The Phantom kills 3 people that we know of by name -- [[spoiler: Josef Buquet, the chief stagehand, for accidentally discovering the back entrance to his lair; the new concierge because the new managers didn't comply with his demands; and Raoul's brother, although he insists to the Persian that the Count just fell in the lake and drowned.]]
* TheKindnapper: Erik. He kidnaps Christine multiple times with the intention of romancing her and making her his wife so that he can buy her nice things and take her out on Sundays. He keeps her in a [[GildedCage luxurious bedroom]] as well. Despite his becoming increasingly controlling and aggressive towards Christine, she develops a case of StockholmSyndrome so bad that she even asks Raoul to take her far away from the Phantom NoMatterHowMuchIBeg. Not that Raoul has a chance to follow up on that...
* LemonyNarrator: Gaston Leroux, which Lowell Bair, at least, mostly preserves.
* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: The {{Narrator}} ''really'' insists that he's telling a true story.
* LivingMacGuffin: ''Christine.''
** On the other hand, she could be this trope until the end of the novel, but then we discover that any normal woman would have GoneMadFromTheRevelation or be DrivenToSuicide rather than marry with Erik. Only Christine could have really agreed to marry him without trying suicide, and Erick is so shocked that he quits his plan to KillThemAll.
* LostWeddingRing: Erik gives Christine a plain wedding ring and says that she is protected so long as she wears it, although Raoul doesn't like it since he wants to marry Christine himself. Christine is thoroughly distressed when she loses the ring, because she doesn't know what will happen.\\
\\
In the final scenes, Erik is revealed to have found the ring, and he gives it to Christine when she promises to marry him.
* LoveAtFirstNote: Writ large!
* LoveHurts
* LoveMakesYouCrazy and [[LoveMakesYouEvil Evil]] ''and'' [[LoveRedeems Redeems]]: Probably one of the few cases of a single character managing to hit all three of these.
* LoveTriangle
* MachiavelliWasWrong: The connection between love and fear and which is the strongest is a recurring theme.
* MadArtist: The Phantom composes beautiful music. And, you know, kills people. Besides the music, [[ProfessionalKiller Erik's]] [[{{Blackmail}} many]] [[StickyFingers talents]] include being a great [[{{Bizarrchitecture}} architect]], the world’s best {{ventriloquis|m}}t and TortureTechnician.
--> "Did you design [[TortureCellar that room?]] [[RoboticTortureDevice It's very handsome]]. You're a great artist, Erik."
--> "Yes, [[IronicEcho a great artist]], [[TortureTechnician in my own line]]."
* MadScientist: Subverted by Erik: He built a RoboticTortureDevice / DeathTrap and a DeceptivelyHumanRobot at the middle of the 19th century, but his tragedy, as the {{Narrator}} lampshades in the Epilogue, is that he is so ugly he could never become a scientist, but rather a toyman or stage magician:
--> ''And he had to hide his genius or use it'' to play tricks with, ''when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind!''
* MailerDaemon: The Phantom's M.O. for seducing Christine is particularly HilariousInHindsight, considering it pre-dates the Internet by almost a century!
* MasqueradeBall
* MatchlightDangerRevelation: Escaping the DeathTrap to find a room full of gunpowder... this is just not your day, Raoul.
* {{Melodrama}}
* [[MayDecemberRomance May December...It's Complicated]]: We never learn Erik's actual age, but at the very ''least'' he's old enough to be Christine's father. Possibly her ''grandfather.''
** He's only a few years younger than the old veteran of the opera company, Madame Giry.
* TheMoralSubstitute: Erik is DonGiovanni done right: While Don Giovanni (and all versions of the Don Juan legend) is TheCasanova who [[BastardBoyfriend never cared if he hurts the women he claims to love]] [[EnforcedTrope and is sent to hell at the finale of the opera only to please the]] MoralGuardians who insist that DonGiovanni must be punished so the audience [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing would not do this cool thing]], Erik (who is DonGiovanni's {{Fanboy}}) also plays BastardBoyfriend to Christine while claiming to love her, but after breaking Christine’s spirit and successfully blackmailing her into being her wife, let her go with Raoul ''by his own will'' after Christine gives Erik his first TrueLovesKiss.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: According to the narrator, the figure Raoul shot on his balcony was Erik coming to attempt this. Erik then gets another chance when Raoul and the Persian come to rescue Christine, and is only prevented from doing so when Christine swears to marry him.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Many of the characters in the original novel, including some of the main cast, are thinly veiled versions of real people who lived in Paris around the time Leroux wrote the story, and a few references to real events are also made. Some scholarly fans have even suggested that apart from the parts which involve the Phantom, the book was essentially a true story, although this is almost certainly heavy exaggeration.
* NoMatterHowMuchIBeg: Christine eventually tells Raoul to take her out of the country away from Erik no matter how much she protests later (see StockholmSyndrome).
* OffscreenTeleportation: The Phantom is everywhere and sees and hears everything!
** JustifiedTrope: The Phantom can move through the hatches on the Opera, and some rooms were designed by Erik where ''you could not utter a word but it was overheard or repeated by an echo.''
* ParentalSubstitute: Mama Valerius for Christine. Count Philippe is also 20 years older than his brother Raoul and has raised him since their father died when the latter was 12.
* PluckyGirl: Christine is a Swedish peasant girl trying to make her way in the world and a name for herself with her singing, not to mention all the physical, mental, and emotional torture she has to endure, mostly on her own unless she's trying to protect her boyfriend as well.
* PsychopathicManchild: The Persian and Erik himself lampshade Erik's attitude as childish, and despite his multiple talents, he is [[AboveTheInfluence not interested in sex]] but to [[TheFourLoves have a beautiful wife]] and [[IJustWantToBeNormal a life like any other guy]]. It’s only [[AndThenWhat when he actually triumphs that he realizes how impractical those dreams are]].
* PointyHairedBoss: Deconstructed with Opera managers Richard and Moncharmin: Everybody knows they get their jobs [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections thanks to their connections]], that they don’t know a lot about music or how to run the Opera. Nobody really respects them and are accustomed to cruel pranks and jokes, and that is the cause they never take seriously the Phantom’s menaces until the FallingChandelierOfDoom incident.
* ThePowerOfLove
* PracticalJoke: [[AgentScully Opera managers Richard and Moncharmin]] believe that all and every of the strange happenings at the Opera are this. JustifiedTrope: they are two [[PointyHairedBoss Pointy-Haired Bosses]] and [[DudeWheresMyRespect they get no respect]].
* ThePrimaDonna: Carlotta.
* ProfessionalKiller: According to the Persian, [[{{Backstory}} Erik did this as part of his work for the Sha-in-Sha]]:
--> ''He took part calmly in a number of political assassinations;''
* TheRival: Carlotta for Christine.
* RedundantRescue: Raoul's and the Persian's rescue mission ends with Christine forced to save ''them'' from the Phantom's DeathTrap.
* RetiredMonster: Erik, after his FromNobodyToNightmare phase, survives the assassination attempts from his employers because HeKnowsTooMuch. ''Then, tired of his adventurous, formidable and monstrous life, he longed to be some one [[IJustWantToBeNormal "like everybody else."]] And he became a contractor, like any ordinary contractor, building ordinary houses with ordinary bricks. He tendered for part of the foundations in the Opera. His estimate was accepted.''
* RoboticTortureDevice: The aptly named ''"torture chamber"'' is completely automated: when the victim falls in the room, it activates and gives him the illusion of a tropical forrest. When the victim cannot endure more, [[DrivenToSuicide there is also a rope to hang himself]]. The Phantom uses it as a defense against curious people. The first victim of the book was already dead when the Phantom found him.
* SaveTheVillain: The Persian did this in the past and now frequently laments "MyGodWhatHaveIDone"
* ScarpiaUltimatum: The Phantom threatens to blow up the Opera, killing everyone inside, if Christine doesn't "marry" him.
* ScoobyDooHoax: Erik is pretending to be a ghost haunting the opera house.
* ScrapbookStory: We hear the story from the {{Narrator}} based on his research (which contains several {{flashback}}s narrated by Christine to Raoul and by Madame Giry to the new managers), memories of one of the new Opera managers Moncharmin, and the Persian.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Deconstructed in the original book, which shows the consequences of a society that embraces this principle: Richard and Moncharmin know how to play politics better than to manage an opera house, and Carlotta knows it's easier being ThePrimaDonna than to sing better. This means that everyone is a PointyHairedBoss who doesn’t know how to do their job. What's more, every employee knows this as well, so the managers are ProperlyParanoid about being pranked by them because [[DudeWheresMyRespect nobody respects them]]. They're also the ideal victims for a {{Blackmail}}er, and that’s how Erik could convince them into letting him do whatever he pleases.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The departure of Opera co-managers Poligny and Debienne, at the very start of the book - once a Phantom starts skulking around their Opera and delivering {{Blackmail}} demands, they waste no time passing the buck and getting out of the Opera business as fast as they can.
** Also Raoul de Chagny and Christine Daae (with Mama Valerious) flee from Paris to "the northern railway station of the world." Even when Raoul is a victim of the {{Malicious Slander}}ing that accuses him of his brother’s death, they never look back.
* SheIsAllGrownUp: Before their reunion at the Paris Opera, Raoul and Christine were childhood friends and last met on the verge of adolescence and strange new feelings that they couldn't understand.
* ShootTheBuilder: After Erik built his palace in Mazendaran, the Shah-in-Shah tried to do this to Erik. It didn't work.
* ShootTheMessenger: The standard method of solving any problem by [[PointyHairedBoss Pointy-Haired Bosses]] Richard and Moncharmin is to fire those employees involved in it. Only those with [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections enough influence can escape]].
* SingleTargetSexuality: The Phantom for Christine, oh so much.
--->'''The Phantom:''' You alone can make my song take flight, and help me make the Music of the Night.
* SmallNameBigEgo: InUniverse: [[PointyHairedBoss Pointy-Haired Bosses]] Richard and Moncharmin and ThePrimaDonna Carlotta. Madam Giry is lampshaded as this (see ItsAllAboutMe), a humble usher who thinks of herself as an equal to the Opera’s administrators… just moments before they fire her. But FridgeBrilliance shows us how this is subverted: In Parisian society at this point, [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections it’s not what you do, it’s who you know]]. Madam Giry ''knows the Phantom and he is happy with her work''. Therefore, ''she is more important that Richard and Moncharmin''. She gets her job back pretty quickly.
* StalkerWithACrush: Erik to a T.
** Also Raoul, although admittedly to a much lesser extent; Christine is not at ''all'' impressed when she finds out about him listening at her door. And then he goes and hides in her closet...
* StalkingIsLove: Again, Erik. And Raoul.
* StartOfDarkness: The Phantom's exile from the human race because of his ugliness.
* StockholmSyndrome: Christine -- she herself {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it in everything but name, and Raoul is saddened but not at all surprised or confused to see how much she evidently truly loves her psychotic, jealous, possessive stalker while fearing him at the same time.
* SupervillainLair
* SympathyForTheDevil: The narrator pities Erik as much as the Persian did after hearing the end of his love story. He succeeded in making his readers agree with him... [[GoneHorriblyRight perhaps even a little too well]].
** On the other hand, the {{Narrator}} never justifies Erik's atrocities before he even becomes The Phantom. Erik is shown as a PsychopathicManchild [[EvilCannotComprehendGood truly surprised he let Christine and Raoul go]]. In the epilogue, the narrator [[{{Hypocrite}} claims to pity Erik,]] [[BeautyEqualsGoodness but never attacks the shallow societies that persecuted him. Instead, he justifies their attitudes because Erik is ''really'' ugly]]. Instead of giving Erik a grave (or even the common grave) [[MoralEventHorizon his last line is a plea for Erik to become a]] DeadGuyOnDisplay in the archives of the National Academy of Music.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Explanation for the difference between Carlotta and Christine. Carlotta is technically perfect but has no soul to her singing, which is why her croaking on stage is such a big deal as it had never happened before. On the other hand, Christine sings with incredible passion when she is on top of her game, but she is a very erratic performer and the narrator points out quite a few moments when she is not singing well.
* TemptingFate: A near-epidemic among the characters. Sure, Christine, it's ''perfectly safe'' to discuss your AxCrazy voice teacher on the roof of the very building he's been living in for years. That eerie disembodied voice you hear echoing your words is [[ItsProbablyNothing just the wind]], really...
* TenderTears
* ThereAreNoGoodExecutives: This is the reason Erik could maintain his reign of terror: In Parisian society, [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections it’s not what you do, it’s who you know]]. Therefore the executives at the Opera and the police are not only corrupt, but are also [[PointyHairedBoss Pointy-Haired Bosses]] who don’t care about how to do their job properly, but rather how to practice politics and be discreet with any problem.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Erik does this when he is particularly upset or angry. So, a lot.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Opera managers Richard and Moncharmin.
* TogetherInDeath: The Phantom's back-up plan.
** This was Erik's real plan all along. Erik really never believed that Christine could marry him without being DrivenToSuicide. When Christine convinces him she will not attempt suicide and kiss him, Erik is so shocked she let her go.
* TortureCellar
* TortureTechnician: The Persian reveals that Erik worked as one of these for the Shah-in-Shah in Mazenderan. It explains a lot of things.
* TragicMonster: The Phantom.
* TrueLovesKiss: Well, the way the Phantom describes it, anyway...
* TruthInTelevision: Because it was built on swampy ground, there really is a lake beneath the Palais Garnier. (And it has fish in it!)
* UglyGuyHotWife: What would have been, had Erik carried through with his ultimate plan.
* {{Ventriloquism}}: The Persian declares that Erik is the best ventriloquist in the whole world. He must be, because he uses this skill to do a lot of {{Practical Joke}}s, including convincing Opera Singer Carlotta (an all the Opera’s audience) [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments that she croaked like a toad]].
* VillainousBreakdown: Christine notices that Erik gets more unhinged and frightening as the plot progresses.
* WellExcuseMePrincess: Christine never lets Raoul push her around and has no problem telling him to mind his own business.
* WhatTheHellHero: Christine and her guardian both chew out Raoul for too quickly assuming the rights of a husband or lover with his love interest and meddling in Christine's private affairs. He knows they're right, but LoveMakesYouCrazy.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Leroux reveals what happened to a few minor characters in the prologue; Meg, for example, eventually marries a baron.
* WickedCultured: ''Guess''.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Leroux's original Erik -- he murders at least three people over the course of the plot and is definitely not the sanest person on the block, but Leroux expresses pity for him in the epilogue.
** Arguably, he's this the entire time due simply to his appearance; at the time, BeautyEqualsGoodness was commonly enough believed to be TruthInTelevision. Imagine what people who believe ''that'' are going to think of somebody like Erik--no matter '''what''' he does...
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tropes specific to the musical and the 2004 film of the musical]]
* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: There seems to be no consensus as to whether the female lead's name is pronounced "[=ChrisTINE=]" or "[=CHRIStine=]". Similarly, is it pronounced "OP-rah" or "o-PER-a?" The version varies according to which pronunciation best fits the rhythm of the lyrics at a given moment.
* AgeCut: Raoul, Mdme. Giry, and both The Phantom and Christine in the 2004 movie.
* AnachronismStew: Musically speaking - the electric guitar that duels with the organ during the tag of the titular song.
* AngryMobSong: "Track Down This Murderer", a reprise of the title song that's part of the lengthy climax.
* AscendedExtra: A lot of understudies and alternates for the three major roles often ended up playing the role in this or other adapations. (Ex. Rebecca Caine was an alternate Christine in the debut London production before being the main Christine in the Toronto production. Additionally, a lot of Raouls have ended up as Phantoms.
* {{Auction}}: The prologue of the musical is set at a 1911 auction of the opera house's odds and ends.
* BigDamnKiss: In the movie adaptation of the musical, Christine and The Phantom's kiss seems to go on for about five minutes. Good thing it's beautiful.
* CanonDiscontinuity: It would be impossible to make a film adaptation of ''Love Never Dies'' without breaking continuity with the 2004 movie, since it had established that [[spoiler:Christine dies in 1918, with the implication that it was because of the flu pandemic]].
* CashCowFranchise: The London and New York productions have been up and running since 1986 and 1988 respectively. Tours and foreign productions are similarly popular, and a lot of merchandise follows in their wake. In Vegas, there was [[http://www.phantomlasvegas.com/ a special condensed 95-minute version]] that retained most of the songs.
* CompellingVoice: "The Music of the Night" is an attempted seduction via this.
** "The Point of No Return" is also a double seduction scene: Don Juan (sung by the Phantom) is seducing Aminta (sung by Christine).
* CompositeCharacter: The Persian is completely absent, but his task of leading Raoul to the Phantom's lair has been given to Madame Giry.
* CostumePorn: Pretty much the whole show, but ''especially'' "Masquerade".
* CreepyDoll: In the musical Erik has one of these in a broken mirror (just go with it) that suddenly lunges out and scares Christine senseless, causing her to faint.
* CrosscastRole: Christine as the Page Boy, in an InUniverse example.
** And her character's name "Seraphino" is a ShoutOut to "Cherubino", another cross-cast role in the real-life ''TheMarriageOfFigaro''.
* CutSong: "Magical Lasso" in the Las Vegas ReCut, though, since its melody reappears elsewhere in many other songs, it's not surprising that the advertising claimed that all the songs appeared.
* DarkReprise: Several turn up in Act Two as part of longer pieces (particularly the appearances of the "Angel of Music" melody), but the Act One closing, the Phantom's reprise of "All I Ask Of You," is the best known.
** The final words of the musical are the Phantom's despairing reprise of "The Music of the Night."
* DawsonCasting: While most actresses to play Christine in the stage show are in their early twenties, a handful have been in their thirties or even nearing forty. The book establishes that both Christine and Raoul are in their early twenties.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: "And if he has to kill a thousand men / The Phantom of the Opera will kill and kill again!"
* DramaticNecklaceRemoval: "Your chains are still mine..."
* TheElevenOClockNumber: "The Point of No Return".
* {{Foreshadowing}}: The ''Il Muto'' scene and its song "Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh". When the Phantom interrupts it, the Countess is with her lover, cheerfully singing about how she's cuckolding her husband, not knowing that he's hiding nearby. After Buquet's murder, Christine -- about to take over the role of the Countess -- and Raoul head to the roof to hide from the Phantom, share their first kiss together and declare their love...and the Phantom is privy to this all along. Is it any surprise that it's when Christine's taking her bow that night that the Phantom chooses to crash the chandelier?
** Not to mention "Think of Me". The entire song. ''"...Though it was always clear, that this was never meant to be..."'
* GambitPileup: At the beginning of the stage musical -- the change of the opera house's ownership means that ''everyone'' who wants things to change is trying to get a word in first. The Phantom's own machinations go unnoticed for some time because the new owners assume it's Raoul or one of the lesser players trying to stir up trouble.
* GriefSong: Both Christine ("Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again") and The Phantom ("All I Ask of You" Reprise).
* HallOfMirrors: A straight version of the trope appears when Raoul follows the Phantom down a trapdoor after "Masquerade" and finds himself trapped in a mirror maze.
* HotterAndSexier: The musical ("The Point of No Return," anyone?).
** Even more so in the movie version, largely due to the choice to hire younger, prettier actors than are usually cast in the stage show (Gerard Butler especially). Emmy Rossum being only sixteen to Butler's thirty-five makes Point of No Return kind of [[{{Squick}} ...uncomfortable]]. Also, most of the stage actresses are only in their twenties, and are [[http://i55.tinypic.com/2pzl2z6.jpg very]] [[http://i51.tinypic.com/2h6ve47.jpg sexy]] [[http://i52.tinypic.com/2zsbhfk.jpg indeed]]
* IAmBecomingSong: "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again", Christine recognizes how hard she's been trying to hold on the past and tries to move on.
* InsistentTerminology: In the movie version of the musical, Gilles André would like to point out that he is in the business of ''scrap metal'', not junk. And lets not forget that the phantom calls racketeering his "salary".
* IronicEcho: The final lyrics of "Music Of The Night" are the Phantom's passionate declaration of love for Christine. But when they are sung again at the end of the show, he is now expressing despair at having lost her forever.
* IrrelevantActOpener: "Masquerade". (Though, they do manage to tie the song itself back into an emotional moment with the Phantom near the end of the show.)
** Although even at the beginning of Act 2 it could be seen as a metaphor for the Phantom's situation.
* LampshadeHanging: From "Prima Donna":
-->You'd never get away with all this in a play!
-->But if it's loudly sung and in a foreign tongue,
-->it's just the sort of story audiences adore,
-->in fact, a perfect opera!
* LargeHam: Minnie Driver's Carlotta steals a lot of her scenes.
* LongRunners: Since 1986 in London and 1988 in New York City; it's the longest-running Broadway show in the latter. (''Theatre/LesMiserables'' has got it licked by a year in London, and ''would'' have it similarly licked on Broadway had the Broadway version, which opened in 1987, a year before Phantom did, not closed in 2003.)
* LyricalDissonance: "Masquerade" is a grand celebration...of concealing your identity "so the world will never find you!" A DarkReprise appears at the end.
** 2004 film: The lyrics are all about [[http://blogs.naplesnews.com/stage-door/ThePhantomOfTheOperaCompanyMasquaradePhotocreditCatherineAshmore.jpg how colorful the costumes are]], but aside from [[SplashOfColor Christine's pink dress and Erik's Red Death costume]] everyone's wearing [[http://broadwaystars.com/ellis-nassour/POTOSchuMasquerade.jpg black, white, and gold]] (a little surprising coming from from [[JoelSchumacher the guy]] who directed ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'').
* ManlyTears: Gerard Butler skillfully looks manly whilst simultaneously crying and wearing a frilly shirt.
* NoNameGiven: Andrew Lloyd Webber doesn't call the Phantom "Erik".
* NostalgicMusicbox: It has the image of a monkey sitting atop a barrel organ, and plays what is later revealed to be the "Masquerade" melody.
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: ''Everyone'' in the 2004 movie save for Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry, who is apparently the only person in France with a French accent.
* NumberOfTheBeast: One has to wonder what jackass decided to tempt fate by putting the cursed chandlier with the bloody past into the musical's auction as Lot 666.
* ObsessionSong: The reprise of "All I Ask of You" at the end of Act One.
* OedipusComplex: Electra Complex. Part of Christine's attraction to the Phantom is that he reminds her of her father. (Note how most of the lyrics in "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" could just as easily apply to the Phantom.) WordOfGod said that in the movie, M. Daaé was deliberately cast to look like Gerard Butler.
** Made better by the RetroactiveRecognition of M. Daaé being played in the film by Ramin Karimloo, who played the Phantom in ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' and the 25th Anniversary Concert (and is quite well-known in the Phantom fandom for being the apex of sexy stage Phantoms). Karimloo is the only actor to play all three of the men Christine has loved.
* PatterSong: ALW's version has "Notes" in the first act, which is a patter song with an increasing number of people all singing angrily at each other until the Phantom shuts them up.
* ProductPlacement: In the movie version, the "hero" version of the chandelier was sponsored by Swarovski Crystals. There's a scene with a Swarovski store window, which depicts the Swarovski swan logo. However, the [[AnachronismStew logo at the time]] would have been a flower.
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Christine ''really'' lets the Phantom have it when he pulls the ScarpiaUltimatum on her.
* RoadTripAcrossTheStreet: In the film version of the musical, the Phantom places Christine on the back of a horse and uses it to carry her the length of a short corridor before abandoning it again.
* ShoutOut: In the movie, when Carlotta is on the verge of walking out (for the first time) and the new managers appeal to Lefevre on how to convince her to remain, his response, right down to tone and inflection, is very familiar from another ALW production: [[JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat "Grovel--grovel, grovel!"]]
** Lloyd Webber has admitted to being inspired by the 1925 film version, and there are a couple of clear shout outs. Most obvious is the angry mob going after the Phantom near the end, but the flower hoops held by the Sylphides in the "Il Muto" ballet also match those used in one of the film ballets.
* ShowWithinAShow: See StylisticSuck below.
* SnowMeansLove: The 2004 movie of the musical. As Raoul and Christine romance on the Opera House Roof, it conveniently starts to snow.
* TheSongBeforeTheStorm: "Prima Donna" and "Notes (reprise) - Twisted Every Way".
* StylisticSuck: The three fictional operas performed in the course of the story (''Hannibal'', a parody of the grand late classical operas from the like of Meyerbeer and Gluck, ''Il Muto'', an obvious parody of Mozart -- or one of that crowd -- and ''Don Juan Triumphant'', Sir Andrew's spoof on serialism in modern opera, overwrought with dissonance, and bathing in clichés.
* TenorBoy: Raoul fits this trope, but note that the Phantom is also a tenor. Starting with the original London cast, in which Steve Barton (Raoul) was also Michael Crawford's (The Phantom's) understudy, it's common for Raoul's actor to understudy the Phantom's role, sometimes taking it over later.
* ThisIsReality: You'd never get away with all this in a play But if it's loudly sung and in a foreign tongue It's just the sort of story audiences adore In fact, a perfect opera!"
* [[ThisIsAsFarAsIGo This Is as Far as I Dare Go, Sir.]]
* TitleDrop: Happens every five seconds...
* VillainLoveSong: It's a LongList...
** "The Mirror"
** "The Music of the Night" is one of the most famous songs in musical theater ''and'' one of the best examples of this trope.
** "Wandering Child"
** "Point of No Return"
** "Down Once More"
* VillainSong: The title number.
* VoiceTypes: Christine, Carlotta.
* WholeCostumeReference: In the 2004 film, Emmy Rossum's costume in "Think Of Me" is practically an exact copy of that worn by Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi) in [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria_with_diamond_stars_on_her_hair.jpg the famous portrait by Franz Winterhalter]], right down to the hairstyle and the diamond stars in it. It doesn't hurt that Rossum is a dead ringer for the empress to begin with.
** The Phantom's "Red Death" outfit in the 2004 movie also appears to have been based on [[http://www.canvaz.com/napoleon/napoleon-011.jpg one of Napoleon Bonaparte's uniforms]] (though with a skull mask and a longer cloak added).
[[/folder]]


[[folder:Tropes common to multiple adaptations]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tropes specific to the 1925 film]]
* BrandishmentBluff: When Erik is cornered by the mob, he appears to hold something in the air and brandishes it to hold them back, even turning to make those behind him retreat, then he laughs and shows an empty hand, prompting the mob to move in for the kill.
* CaptainObvious: A weirdo in a mask and cape lures Christine to his underground lair. He plays her creepy organ music and shows her the coffin he sleeps in. After taking all this in Christine says "You--you are the Phantom!"
* DramaticUnmask: OK, it isn't really specific to the 1925 film, but this version's take of the Phantom's unmasking is probably the ''most'' dramatic one, and one of the best ever examples of this trope. According to the {{IMDB}}, "The sight was said to have caused some patrons at the premiere to faint."
** RobertBloch wrote about having seen this movie as a child. He didn't follow the plot much, and didn't get why the Phantom was wearing a mask. Then came the dramatic unmasking scene, and he slept the next ten years with lights on.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: In the silent film, see BrandishmentBluff above.
* TheFilmOfTheBook: This version revises the ending but is otherwise the most faithful adaptation of the novel. It includes Raoul's brother, who is usually AdaptedOut. It also originally included the Persian--he is shown wearing a fez--but in post-production he was turned into a French police detective. Since it was a silent movie, all they had to do was change the title cards. Chaney's deformed head resembles the "death's head" the book describes, and is a deformity from birth as in the book, unlike most later adaptations in which it is an injury.
* FocusGroupEnding: Chaney was a strong supporter of being faithful to the novel, including using the original ending where Erik is redeemed and dies. When test audiences reacted negatively to the original cut of the film, many scenes were reshot, and the ending was revised to the mob chase scene. Other book accurate scenes were also cut out.
* ImpairmentShot: Erik's face goes out of focus as he uses his hypnotic power (or whatever he's using, the film is vague) to get Christine to follow him to the boat.
* InformedAttribute: In the 1925 film, Joseph Buquet describes the Phantom as having a huge hole in his face where the nose should be, but when the Phantom finally appears, he clearly ''does'' have a nose, albeit a horribly deformed one. Of course, Buquet may be exaggerating.
* ReCut: A sound version of this film was made in 1929 and released in 1930, with Mary Philbin (Christine) and Norman Kerry (Raoul) reprising their roles in talking scenes, and with other scenes being re-shot. Lon Chaney was under contract to MGM so his scenes were re-used with some voiceover added. The dialogue scenes have since been lost, but the silent version of this 1929-30 recut still survives. The original 1925 edition only exists in an inferior 16mm version, so most home video and presentations use the silent 1929-30 version, which, among other differences, has a different actress playing Carlotta (Virginia Peterson in 1925, Mary Fabian in 1929).
* SlippingAMickey: The Phantom drugs the security guards before snatching Christine from the opera stage.
* SplashOfColor: Most of the movie is in black and white, except for the masked ball scene, which is presented in early Technicolor.
[[/folder]]