The graphics? Taste. 100. Truly beautiful and it perfectly complements the storytelling. I haven't really read or encountered this classic book before, but through this one, I can say that I immensely enjoyed it.

The Phantom of the opera by Cavan Scott.
Book 1 of the Phantom of the opera collection.
From the original libretto of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world-famous, multi-award-winning musical that has been playing continuously around the world for 33 years comes this fully authorized graphic novel adaptation. In 1881 the cast and crew of a new production, Hannibal, are terrorized by the Phantom of the Opera, a mysterious, hideously disfigured man who lives beneath the Paris Opera House. Hopelessly in love and obsessed with one of the chorus singers, the Phantom will stop at nothing to make her the star of the show, even if that means murder.
I really really enjoyed this book. It was different. 4*.

My thanks to Titan Books/Titan Comics for a temporary digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘The Phantom of the Opera Collection’ a graphic novel adapted by Cavan Scott based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original libretto with art by José María Beroy.

While I have not seen Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical or read Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux’s original novel, I am aware of the general story of the Phantom. I felt that this grand-guignol of a Gothic tale translated well to the graphic novel format.

José María Beroy’s artwork was stunning and contained a great deal of movement and energy. At times I felt almost breathless, swept up in the story.

After the main section there are his sketches for the main characters of ‘Phantom’, followed by a few examples of ‘From Script to Art’, demonstrating how the original script was converted panel by panel.

The collection is completed by an essay by
Scott Mathewman , The History of the Phantom of the Opera’, that details how Leroux’s novel was adapted and set to music for the West End and went on to worldwide success.

Mathewman does address the softening of the character of the Phantom and how this change drew upon the dynamic of the Beauty and the Beast to create a more romanticised relationship between the Phantom and Christine. Personally, I doubt that the musical would have been so popular without this shift in emphasis.

The essay includes photographs of the sets and costumes. I felt that these underlined how faithful this graphic novel adaptation is to the stage production.

Overall, a very impressive graphic novel with additions that rounded out the story of this important work of musical theatre.

Thankyou so much to netgalley and Titan Comics for allowing me to read an Arc of this graphic novel is an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, itself based on Gaston Leroux’s novel.

I absolutely love The Phantom, it is my favourite musical and honestly I would love to read the full novel at some point.

I would also read a full scene by scene replication of the entire musical, that would have been a much larger volume though. However, the scenes that were included told the story clearly and I may have sang it all in my head.
The illustrations were brilliant and evoked the scenes. The masquerade scene was bright and colour, compared with when the Phantom appears in Christine's mirror and the colour is drained minimal, but the detail is absolutely outstanding, in the costumes, faces and all the little things.

I do intend on going to see it live someday, now covid is allowing performance to slowly start going ahead. I’m always going to be biased where the Phantom is concerned as I absolutely adored it. It made me wish I could go and see the live performance even more. I will 100% be reread this graphic novel and indulge in some nostalgia.

100% recommend

This graphic novel is an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, itself based on Gaston Leroux’s novel. While I would have loved to have been able to indulge in a scene by scene replication of the entire musical, that would have been a much larger volume. The scenes that were adapted still clearly told the story that I know so well, and I sang along (in my head, of course, so I didn’t frighten the neighbours) with all of the song excerpts.

The illustrations were gorgeous, evoking the feel of the scenes, from the bright, colourful masquerade to the leaching of colour when the Phantom appears in Christine’s mirror.

I spent much of the 90’s obsessed with this musical, having travelled to Melbourne for the best school excursion ever. I’d never imagined that a musical could be so immersive; we gasped and pointed each time we saw the Phantom appear off stage and I’m not embarrassed to admit that I really thought that chandelier was going to hurt someone.

It was even more exhilarating the second time I witnessed the chandelier fall, in Sydney many years later, as our seats were directly beneath its arc. I also got to watch the conductor do their thing and all of the musicians warming up prior to the performance. It was like being able to sneak a peek behind the scenes and it was breathtaking.

My Nan and I listened to the double cassette tape (back in the 90’s here) so many times I’m surprised we didn’t destroy it; we’d get up and dance, with much abandon but little rhythm, around the room each time a new song began. We became so familiar with the entire musical that we’d recite it to each other as it was playing.

While not many of my childhood belongings followed me into adulthood, I still have two Phantom keyrings, the coffee mug where the Phantom’s face glows when you add hot water (it still works!) and the program I bought in Melbourne in the 90’s. I also have all of the piano sheet music and yes, I do intend to finally get around to mastering at least one of the songs one day.

I’m always going to be biased where the Phantom is concerned but I absolutely adored this adaptation. It made me wish I could walk out the door and straight into a performance of the musical. Since that’s not currently possible, I’m going to do the next best thing … reread this graphic novel and indulge in some nostalgia.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Comics for the opportunity to fall in love with this graphic novel.

I’m a huge fan of phantom of the opera and absolutely love this stage musical.

It encapsulates such an amazing story and it was such a good idea to turn this musical into a graphic novel format. I think it will appeal to many a phantom of the opera fan and lovers of the music, songs and the characters featured and included in the phantom of the opera. It’s a great supplement to the main musical!!

Having once upon a time seen a graphic novel of the original (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3530225622), it's very interesting to see this, the graphic novel book of the stage show. And yes, this is just as full-on 80s, cheese, Meatloaf video, OTT bonkersness as we'd want. (In other words, yes – the boat does float through a gazillion tea-lights, for neither rhyme nor reason.) In actual fact, there are instances of the book trying to outdo the stage version – sconces are skeletons emerging from the walls, and the whole descent to the Phantom's S&M dungeon features a whole Escher staircase, and more colossal wrecks than Ozymandias ever laid claim to.

There's also an actual benefit here, that I'd not realised until I got to the first major bicker at the Phantom's demands – you can actually see the script, and not have six people shriek different lines at you at the same time in an unintelligible mess. Fans of the songs, however, may object to them being cropped – the whole 'Masquerade' number is over in one double-page spread, leading to that entrance. Visually, we're sticking pretty much to the design of the stage show, from the opera house's rooftop statuary to the ballet mistress's dowdiness. Only her buxom charges break with tradition.

So, questions do remain – would this work as a souvenir of the stage version, or make a graphic novel fan of someone who knows it note for note? Probably not. Would it entice someone to check the live act out, given the liveliness of what we have here? That remains to be seen. Is it a worthwhile substitute, allowing one the inside look at the Lloyd Webber staging? Again, that's probably a no – one certain fatality here had a splash page yes, but none of the shock of the real deal. But none of that is to deny the success of what we get here – the lyrics actually succeeding in telling the story in print just as when they're sung, the whole piece given a sharpness and clarity the musical can be lacking, and the whole thing doing what it set out to do, without the hammy music. Try it – that's all they ask of you.