For those of you who are as nosey about the actual production side of things as I am...this is for you. If you don't want the magic ruined...don't read on!!

E f f e c t s

The Lair Scene...

How does the Phantom and Christine get to the top catwalk so quickly?
They don't. The Phantom and Christine who walk across the travelators are doubles . The real Phantom and Christine stay on the ground until the boat comes out...(the boat which is radio controlled)

How does the mannequin in the mirror lean forward?
The mannequin is an actress, with a plastic mask to make her face look like a mannequin.


About the Doubles

Of course..I too was crushed when I found out there were doubles in the show...which also meant there were prerecorded parts too...but, it is necessary...I mean...they've got to get a drink some time!

As I said...there ware doubles used in the main title song, there is also a Phantom double used at the end of the Masquerade scene Red Death (you try to walk blindly down stairs, sing, and carry that big ol costume at once)

And also briefly in Box 5 ("I'm here... I'm here... I'm here!").

The Phantom who casts the shadows over the Il Muto ballet is also a double... the "real" Phantom is already in the angel at this point.


Act Two...

In the Graveyard scene..where does he come from?
The cross is hollow...and has space for the Phantom to hide inside.

In the last scene..how does he disappear into the throne?
The back is actually a piece of cloth. When the Phantom throws his cloak over himself, he attaches the top of his cloak to a wire which keeps the shape of his head. The back is released and he can moves into the false back of the chair.


P r e r e c o r d i n g

Of course...I could have died when I found out that certain parts were prerecorded! But...it has to be done, the are after all human..get out of breath...get thirsty...and have to do a lot of moving around.

 So here is the low down...not every production is the same...but these are mainly the prerecorded ones...



E f f e c t s
that never made it...

Descent to the Lair
A dummy of Christine was to ride down the bridge on a white model horse (known in the novel as Cesar), being led by the Phantom. But it had to be cut, because it kept going down the bridge backwards. It was set up as a skate board, and the actor operated the brakes. When he stood on the board the breaks came off. Unfortunately they couldn't get it to turn around in time.

Masquerade
Michael Crawford was gong to walk down the Masquerade stairs on 3 ft stilts(as if the red death costume wasn't bad enough..). This was taken out because they were worried about the other actors and understudies doing it.

The Phantom was originally going to walk down the stairs carrying a tall staff. When he was on the trapdoor, the crowd would close in on him, and he would crumble into a heap of clothes. This was done by putting the staff into a hole on the stage and the actor would go down the trapdoor leaving the hat, mask and cloak etc, as they were attached to the staff. They used padding and a false arm to give the impression that he was still there after he had gone through the trap door. The effect ran out of time during rehearsals and could not be finished, so was scrapped.

The Mausoleum
When Christine sang "little Lotte" as an introduction to "Wishing", her father could be seen through the gauze, playing the violin, as a "flashback".

There were two stone angels on the platform with the cross. Two actresses in grey starched costumes would kneel motionless for the whole scene, only to move suddenly as the pyrotechnics went off at the end.



I have to admit...I did not research this information myself...all of the information presented here I got from
The Phantom Appreciation Site ....a very good informative site.