The music reaches the audiences' ears at first, and then the weird yet glamorous Phantom comes out onto the stage all of a sudden. Some of you who haven’t seen "The Phantom of the Opera" on the stage may perhaps know of that tune. The bloodthirsty killer in the underground of the Paris Opera House, featured in books, films and musicals, has been loved all over the world for a long time. Let me zero in on the charm of its musical version now being performed in Tokyo by Shiki Theater Company.

　不気味で、しかし、華やかさのあるファントム登場の音楽は、「オペラ座の怪人」を見たことのない人でもご存じではなかろうか。書籍、映画、そしてミュージカルと、長年にわたり世界各国で多くの人に愛され続けている、パリのオペラ座地下に住む殺人鬼。今回はミュージカル「オペラ座の怪人」の魅力に迫りたい。

 The original work, "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra," was a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux first published in 1909. Phantom’s face is terribly ugly and his temper is violent. He loves Christine, a dancing girl. Phantom teaches her how to sing beautifully in hopes of growing her to be a prima donna. But Christine suddenly falls into love with Raul, her childhood friend. What will be in store for their love triangle?

　もともと原作はフランス人作家のガストン・ルルーが１９０４年に書いたものである。オペラ座の地下に住む、醜い容姿に奇怪的な性格のファントム（怪人）は、劇団の踊り子クリスティーヌに恋をする。ファントムはクリスティーヌをプリマドンナにするために歌を教え、大切に１人前に育てるが、クリスティーヌと彼女の幼馴染のラウルが恋に落ちてしまう。クリスティーヌを自分のものにしようとするファントムとラウル。３人の三角関係はどうなるのか…。

 The story itself depicts its own grandiose world based on the eternal theme of love. And still more, its setting of the Paris Opera House makes it dynamic and gorgeous. Speaking of the Opera House, it is a neo-baroque architecture built in 1875 in tribute to the empire of Napoleon III. It was designed by Charles Garnier, who also did the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. Having 2,167 seats on five floors, it was one of the largest buildings in France in those days. This writer has seen both the film and musical adaptations of The Phantom of the Opera and found the latter more interesting and fascinating because the audiences can feel as if they were watching the drama actually in the Opera House in Paris.

　ストーリー自体も愛をテーマにした壮大な世界観を持つが、設定自体もパリのオペラ座ということで、ダイナミックさときらびやかさを持ち合わせる。パリのオペラ座といえば、ナポレオン3世の帝政をたたえるためのネオバロック方式の建造物で、モンテカルロの国営カジノも設計したシャルル・ガルニエが手掛けたものである。1875年に完成し、観客席は５階まで、席数は２１６７と、当時ではかなり大きいほうであった。