The Production
Gaston Leroux’s novel
Le Fantôme de l’Opéra was first published in 1910 and has never been out of print since. Although
The Phantom of the Opera has been the subject of countless plays, films and musicals, none have been completely faithful to the original source material – until now. Well known for their high-quality audio drama productions,
Big Finish have produced a brand new dramatization of Leroux’s chilling tale, featuring many sequences which have never appeared before in any adaptation.
This new audio version of The Phantom of the Opera has been a labour of love for
Barnaby Edwards who wrote, produced and directed the production.
“I’d read the book in English when I was younger and enjoyed it, but wasn’t blown away” says Edwards.
“It first came alive for me when I was living in Paris as part of my degree. I often used to pass the Opera House on my way to work and one day I popped in. Instantly you could see what Leroux was on about: the majesty and mystery of the place, horror and high art side by side. I immediately bought a copy of the novel and discovered how brilliant it is in the original French: fast-paced, exciting and with splendid characters. Above all what was lacking in the English translation I’d read was the dazzling wit and humour of Gaston Leroux’s writing. That’s what I’ve tried to reintroduce into this production, which I translated and adapted from the original French text. What you get here is the true spirit and vigour of Leroux’s original vision: horror and humour, murder and music united in one of the strangest tales ever told.”
This new adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera is also the first version ever to include the correct operatic sequences referred to in the novel: arias from
Charles Gounod’s Faust and his
Roméo et Juliette, and
Desdemona’s
famous aria from
Rossini’s Otello. These have been specially recorded for this adaptation by opera singers from the ENO and Opera Diva.
The music for this production was composed and arranged by
Tim Sutton, who has written music for the
Young Vic, the
National Theatre and the
Royal Shakespeare Company. For this adaptation, he wrote a brand new musical score, including composing his own operatic aria for the Phantom’s fictional magnum opus
Don Juan Triumphant. The father of Christine Daaé, the story’s heroine, is a violinist.
“I wanted to use that as a motif for Christine,” explains Tim.
“So we got one of the country’s rising musical stars, Ruth Rogers, to record violin sequences for us, including the novel’s famous theme: The Resurrection of Lazarus. Musically, this has been one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever worked on.”
The Phantom of the Opera was recorded at The Moat Studios, London, on 25 and 26 September 1987. The opera and violin sequences were recorded there on 12 October 2007.
ANNA MASSEY (CBE) as Madame Giry
Anna is one of Britain's most respected actresses. Daughter of the
great Raymond Massey and sister to Daniel, she won international
acclaim for her roles in
Peeping Tom, Hitchcock's
Frenzy, the
acclaimed TV version of
Rebecca (in which she played Mrs Danvers), and
Hotel du Lac (for which she was awarded a BAFTA).
PETER GUINNESS as The Phantom
Peter has one of the most recognizable voices in the country. A
regular on
Red Cap, Casualty,
Sea of Souls,
By The Sword Divided and
The Bill, Peter is perhaps best known for his roles in
Alien3 and
Sleepy Hollow, and for playing Jimmy Nail's boss in
Spender.
JAMES D'ARCY as Raoul de Chagny
James is best known for his starring role as Tom Pullings in
Master
and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Other credits include
An American
Haunting,
Exorcist: The Beginning, the title roles in
Nicholas Nickleby and
Sherlock, Blifil in
Tom Jones, and most recently
Tom Bertram opposite Billie Piper in
Mansfield Park.
ALEXANDER SIDDIG as The Persian
Alexander is known to millions for playing Doctor Bashir in
Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine, and, more recently, the role of Hamri Al-Assad in
24.
His films include
Vertical Limit,
Reign of Fire,
Syriana,
Kingdom of
Heaven and, most recently,
The Last Legion.
HELEN GOLDWYN as Christine Daaé
Helen is known to many science-fiction fans for playing Elena in the
audio series of
The Tomorrow People, a role she originated in 2000.
Other credits include
Waking the Dead and Simon Callow's production of
My Fair Lady.
NICK BRIMBLE as Philippe de Chagny and Gaston
Nick is probably most remembered as Little John in
Robin Hood: Prince
of Thieves, but his film and TV career spans four decades including
A
Knight's Tale,
Frankenstein Unbound (as the Monster),
Blake's 7,
Emmerdale,
Robin of Sherwood and
Corder in the BAFTA-winning
House of
Cards trilogy.
TONY MILLAN as Moncharmin
Tony has been a familiar face on television for over 30 years,
starring in such comedy classics as Alexei Sayle's
Stuff,
One Foot In
The Grave and
Citizen Smith. He also wrote for
The Brittas Empire and
Birds of a Feather.
GERALDINE NEWMAN as Madame Valérius
Geraldine will be familiar to many as the inimitable Hilda Hughes in
Ever Decreasing Circles and as Lucia's formidable housekeeper
Grosvenor in
Mapp and Lucia.
NICK WILTON as Lachenel and Mifroid
Nick is a prolific actor and writer. Perhaps most famous for starring
alongside Jasper Carrott in
Carrott's Lib and for playing the title
character in his self-penned
WYSIWYG, Nick also wrote for
Not The Nine
O'Clock News,
Smack The Pony and
Spitting Image.
SAMANTHA HUGHES as La Carlotta
Samantha is a singer, dancer and actress. Her credits include
Blood
Brothers,
A Chorus Line and
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
RICHARD EARL as Richard
Richard spends most of his life in theatres up and down the country,
performing in everything from
Macbeth to
Alice in Wonderland.
NICOLA WEEKS as Meg and Adèle
Nicola recently completed filming on
Too Many Bullets in which she
plays the lead. Other credits include
The Way We Live Now.