One of the most successful musicals of all time, Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera' has been running for nearly 20 years on Broadway and in the West End. It has delighted over 100 million people in 22 countries. 'The Phantom of the Opera Companion' is the definitive account of the award-winning masterpiece, tracing the phantom legend from its' origins in historical fact, through numerous artistic incarnations to the present-day theatre production and film. Divided into three parts, the first section introduces the reader to Gaston Leroux's classic story, based on the Paris Opera House during la belle époque; the second section provides a unique insight into the renowned theatre production, with backstage pictures and enlightening interviews with the director, designers and crew. The final section covers the making of Joel Schumacher's 2004 film production. As the authorised volume book to accompany the film, 'The Phantom of the Opera' is a lavish insight into this classic story and its' modern-day reincarnation.

本作は、ガストン・ルルーの怪奇浪漫を、アンドリュー・ロイド＝ウェバーがいかにして永遠の愛の神話へ昇華させたかを紐解く探求書です。醜悪な異形と天上の音楽を併せ持つファントムは、単なる怪物ではなく、人間の根源的な孤独と愛への渇望を象徴しています。本書は、ベル・エポックの光と地下の闇が交錯する文学的な二面性を浮き彫りにし、読者を魅惑的な迷宮の深淵へと誘います。 さらに、舞台の様式美と二〇〇四年の映画版が見せる映像美の対比も見事です。舞台が観客の想像力に訴える「音楽の魔力」を軸とする一方、映画は絢爛な美術で視覚的な官能性を補完しました。テキスト、舞台、映像。これら異なるメディアが共鳴し合うことで、ファントムの悲哀はより立体的な輝きを放ち、私たちの魂を激しく揺さぶるのです。