'Phantom' sings to success

Ever since October 1986 when "The Phantom of the Opera" first debuted in London, Andrew Lloyd Webber's modern opera has been drawing the public to stages with its mesmerizing music. The Phantom (Gerard Butler), an outcast from the world, uses his musical talents to entrance an orphaned chorus girl, Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum). Christine's voice is nurtured by an "Angel of Music" she believes her father sent her, but little does she know that the angel is the same feared Phantom that haunts the theater. \nAfter the star diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver) walks out during a dress rehearsal, the new theater managers take their chances with Christine as the diva. \nThe young soprano wins the audience on her debut performance. She even catches the eye of a childhood friend, Raoul de Chagny (Patrick Wilson), who happens to be the patron of the theater. Christine is torn between her devotion to her "Angel of Music" and her passionate love for the handsome Raoul. As the love between Christine and Raoul grows, the Phantom becomes more threatening and terrifying. \nWhile the film gives the audience a behind the scenes glance at the Phantom and his theater, it does not develop the same suspense that the stage performance creates. Thanks to surround sound, the music is more wonderful than ever, sending chills through the audience. It would be addictive even without the thrilling story. \nThe one thing the moviegoer will miss is the feeling that they are caught in the Phantom's opera house. The most disappointing scene in the movie is when the chandelier in the opera house comes crashing onto the stage during a performance. In the stage production, the chandelier that comes crashing down onto the stage is the same chandelier that has been present above the audience during the entire musical. The fear that is inflicted into the hearts of audience members during a stage production in replaced with a deep concern for Christine. The two mediums offer such a different experience that everyone should see both productions. \nLloyd Webber's original stage production is based on Gaston Leroux's novel, "The Phantom of the Opera." For 15 years, Lloyd Webber, director Joel Schumacher and Warner Bros. Pictures have been working to adapt the entrancing love story to film. The long-awaited result is simply breathtaking.