The Phantom of the Opera, based on the novel Le Fantôme de L'Opéra by Gaston Leroux, is a story about a horribly deformed composer, living in the cellars of the Opéra Garnier who, hiding behind the walls and posing as an Angel of Music, teaches an orphaned chorus girl, Christine Daaé, to sing as she had never sung before.

The Phantom, Erik (though his name is never mentioned in the play), has fallen in love with the little ingénue, but before he can make a move, the girl's childhood friend and sweetheart arrives.