Underneath the opera house in the fifth cellar

Madame Giry and Raoul among others.

A childhood keepsake linked to the Phantom’s past

Skeletal and ghostly, often portrayed as burn scars

Symbolizes love and mystery between Phantom and Christine.

Phantom is middle-aged; Christine is in her late teens/early twenties.

To hide his disfigurement while maintaining expressiveness

Vicomte and patron of the opera

By remote control, with a hidden motor beneath the cushions

In the rooftop garden

Christine visits to sing “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again”

Madame Giry

Different methods across novel, stage, and film

Raoul’s engagement ring worn as a necklace

To show tension — a dramatic, now-iconic gesture

In the original novel, she felt fear, not love

Staged to end not in fear, but in recognition

It’s inspired by real events and rumors but is fictional

Otello and Faust

Love, loneliness, and the human need for empathy beyond appearances

His life’s unfinished magnum opus

“Come, we must return, those two fools who run my theatre will be missing you”

A character from an 1836 poem by Andreas Munch, used as Christine’s childhood nickname

At the New Year's Masquerade Ball

To prepare Raoul to avoid strangulation by the noose

Phantom’s jealousy and frustration over Raoul’s intrusion

Represents guidance and mystery in Christine’s life

Through the Phantom’s yearning and Christine’s conflicted compassion

The real audience sits where the Garnier audience would — beneath the chandelier, inside the show

Ranges from tender romance to protective loyalty, depending on staging

That the Phantom is a pure villain or that Christine loves him romantically in the novel

leading opera singers at the Paris Opera House and also a couple

Spanish in the novel; Italian in the musical

British cavalry uniform inspired by the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars

Varies: Korean: torn shoulder; Broadway: loosened look

Inspired by Poe’s Masque of the Red Death

Similar but with slight design differences to fit the actor

Mandarin-style robe hinting at travels to China

Persian-style vest

“Green Lady” silk dress with chrysanthemum patterns and Korean silk accents

A desperate cry, driven by rage at a no-win choice

Played by Christine’s understudy wearing a mask

During “Think of Me,” helped by Meg and the dress lady

Presumed to give it to the Phantom

Many notable roles including Les Misérables

Based loosely on soprano Christina Nilsson

Varies; ranges from 1817 to 1841 for birth, death between 1870–1872

Sarah Brightman, Michael Crawford, Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, etc

Key roles that drive plot and add depth to Christine’s world

“Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again”

The Phantom’s primary solo is “The Music of the Night.”

High tenor and soprano demands with emotional complexity

Bravi, Bravi, Bravissimi

Erik in the novel

Rich orchestral score with leitmotifs

To manage complex staging and vocal demands

Typically dozens, including ensemble and principals

Sometimes, yes — but not always

Yes, beneath the Palais Garnier — and it’s more fascinating than fiction

He sticks to the grid as if electrocuted

Via a magician’s trapdoor trick

Meg Giry uses the mask or Phantom feigns death

Rising from below or sliding in from the side

Sponge-filled wheeled box catches him

He runs off opposite Madame Giry

Trapdoor and fireworks or running offstage

With dry ice and fog machines

Modeled on Palais Garnier’s original

“Ruthie,” with other Phantom legends on tours

Bob in the West End, and simply “the monkey” on Broadway

Accordion-folded and pushed backstage

To fill space and as safety props

Motorized linked steps on a track

Modular and quick-assembly design