#largely inspired by ALW Erik. Leroux Erik and Cherik

[negativ3cr33p]

Erik Character Design

Version with unnecessary notes below:

[glassprism]

I'm a new POTO fan (read a simplified version of the book when I was a kid but never saw the musical until this year) and what are the versions of the show you'd recommend I watch? Are there any Phantoms and Christines and Raouls you would like to introduce? Do you have any fun or interesting facts to share about the show? I love how informative your blog is and how easy it is to access all the information (the links in the texts are lovely) so thank you for that!

Well hey, welcome to the fandom! Oh geez, versions to read or watch or listen to? I’m going to expand beyond the show into all the versions at large, just to serve as sort of an “intro to Phantom” post, though I’ll definitely add in some bootlegs too! So with that said...

Leroux’s novel. You’ve read the simplified version, now read the full one! Definitely one to go to, if only because it is the original source material, but also because IMO it delves into aspects that many adaptations don’t touch upon. Don’t worry too much about the translation - you’ll most likely end up reading the De Mattos version, which is in the public domain.

Kay’s novel. If you’re going to interact with the fandom at all, it definitely pays to read this book; for a time, it was right up there with Leroux as one of the the Phantom books you should read. Many still draw on this for their backstories and their characterizations... and I have to admit, for all its flaws, it’s a page-turner.

1925 movie. The first movie (that we actually have footage of), but also significant for its pop culture status (the unmasking scene is quite famous), Lon Chaney’s excellent Phantom, and the fact that much of its visuals influenced later adaptations.

1990 miniseries. Probably one of the most popular adaptations that is not the ALW musical. It runs rather long, but the cast is excellent and it’s probably the sweetest version of the Erik/Christine relationship out there. It also has its fans, so you’ll want to see it just to know what this “Cherik version” is that people keep talking about.

2004 movie. Polarizing but a very significant part of the fandom, probably one of the big “gateway” adaptations, meaning it’s what introduced a lot of people to Phantom. A lot of its visuals and backstory continue to inspire fic-writers and fan-artists today.

25th anniversary concert or a bootleg. I know you’ve watched the musical, I just wasn’t sure which version, ha. If you watched the musical live, definitely go check out the concert! It’s a nice, shiny, hi-def way to see lots of the details you might have missed. If you watched the concert, go watch a bootleg (recommendations here and here); there are minor differences between the two, and bootlegs are a good way (and really the only way right now, unless you’re near the World Tour) to see other actors and interpretations.

Love Never Dies. It’s not on here because it’s good, it’s on here because it’s important to the history of the phandom. This is the sequel to the ALW musical and it is... interesting. Watch it so you can get the jokes people make about it.

That should provide both a good introduction to Phantom as well as a fair amount of phandom history and info, as many of these informed or inspired one another. (I’ll skip over fun facts for now; there are a lot of those, it’s just hard for me to know what’s already known and what is new and surprising.)

And if you’re still interested, you can certainly check out other versions. Some of my favorites include: Song at Midnight, the 1943 film, Phantom of the Paradise, the 1987 animated film, the 1989 movie, the Yeston and Kopit musical and its Takarazuka productions, and the Mystery Legends game. Some of my recommendations to examine, not because they’re good, but to get the phandom in-jokes, would include: Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth and the 1998 film. Hope that helps!