Gaston Leroux’s novel, ‘The Phantom of the Opera, has been adapted many times over the course of a century. This paper takes a qualitative approach to examine two very different musical adaptations of the novel, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Phantom’ by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit. This is in terms of how, when they emerge from the same source text, these interpretations reflect the novel’s narrative and gothic-horror genre. Specifically, how they can be compared in terms of composition, lyricism, and their portrayal onstage. This paper examines the musicals in relation to the source text, considering any contextual factors that have influenced their musical styles. Then, using this information, analyses how this impacts four narrative 'turning points' that appear in both productions’ narratives.
This study initially assumes the differences between the musicals are primarily due to different creative approaches to the plot. However, after analysing the music and evaluating the four turning points, it was determined that the various musical styles reflect the narrative and genre and are the principal cause for the musicals' key differences.