“…I must pay a public tribute to the generosity of my friend and former collaborator, M. J. Le Croze, who allowed me to dip into his splendid theatrical library and to borrow the rarest editions of books by which he set great store.”
Gaston Leroux, Prologue of “The Phantom of the Opera” (1910)
The perfumed air wafts toward you with heavy nostalgia. You know this smell all too well. A scent that holds many worlds. And each world holds many different aromas. Old and new. Musty and crisp. Inky and dry. Somehow, they all combine into one singular sensation. The sensation and power found in opening a library book.
The library is a frequent companion on the journey to writing Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera. And judging by the Prologue in Gaston Leroux’s book, I think it’s safe to say that we share the same companion.
Much of my research begins while still living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The historic city makes for a perfect place to explore the past. And the main branch of the Grand Rapids Public Library stands as the doorway to that past. Opened in 1904, the Ryerson Building is a limestone giant whose Carrara marble steps welcome all inside. In 2015, it welcomes me inside to aid me in my search for words.
Knowing how to pronounce words like “de Chagny” and “Daáe” are tattooed into my brain by my childhood love of the Webber musical. But I want a reference point for words like “Perros-Guirec” and “daroga” – words that the musical failed to teach me how to pronounce with any confidence. The Grand Rapids Public Library becomes my teacher with the audiobook version recorded by Alexander Adams for Tantor Media, Inc.
Listening to the book is instrumental in my adaptation, but I still need assistance from another library. Founded in 1971, Project Gutenberg is the oldest digital library. It is a seemingly unending library full of digital books and stories in the public domain. Gaston Leroux’s novel, having gone into the public domain many years ago, is quite easy to find in their archives. I already own the book (multiple copies, in fact), but having a digital copy is quite useful. This way, instead of having to flip through pages to find a certain section or quote, I can use the word find function and locate it in seconds. This search function is actually what helps redeem Carlotta in my play, something I detailed in this previous post. A simple name search of “Carlotta” brought up her final appearance in the novel, setting me on the path to bringing her back at the end of my play.
Digital libraries prove to be a tireless resource for my play, even after its publication. During the original production, Todd M. Lewis’s beautiful musical score heightens and deepens the emotion of each scene (detailed in this previous post). But for the scenes when opera music is heard offstage, sound designer Sean Francis and I must track down recordings to use. I figure tracking down free-use recordings of opera music will be simple, our search yields little success. It is only years later while preparing everything for the play’s print debut, that I stumble upon an overlooked treasure trove.
The Library of Congress and Internet Archive opens up an entirely new world. Within their digital files can be found an entire 1908 recording of Faust, a recording of the “real life” Carlotta, and recordings from Romeo et Juliette and Otello – two operas that Sean and I searched for, high and low.
While this discovery didn’t come in time to help the 2016 production, it can hopefully help future productions who are sent on the same search. And Next Stage Press has stepped in to help with that search. When visiting the play script web page for Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera, links to these recordings are provided as well as a link to Todd M. Lewis’s website if theater companies are interested in using his original score for their productions.
Discover the links to the Phantom’s music HERE.
And now, the research has come full circle. The journey began on a bookshelf. It seems fitting that it ends on a bookshelf. In addition to the catalogue of plays found at Next Stage Press, you can also find the play on the shelves of The Drama Book Shop in New York City.
And in the collection of the Valdez Consortium Library in Valdez, Alaska.
The perfumed air that opens a doorway to a new world has welcomed the world of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera. Come inside and check it out.
- Original Production still by Chris Kotcher
- The Drama Book Shop photo by Max Bahneman