Summary: In Andrew Lloyd-Webber's surprising sequel to his epic hit, The Phantom of the Opera, the time is 1907; the place, New York City; and the Phantom (formerly of the Opera), having escaped the furious mob in Paris, has done well for himself. As the mysterious impresario behind Mr. Y's Phantasma, a popular circus and vaudeville theatre on rough and tumble Coney Island, the Phantom enjoys fame, fortune, and a measure of mobility of which his past self could never have dreamed. Aided by the tenacious bargaining of Madame Giry, and the many charms of her dancing daughter Meg, the Phantom has almost everything he could wish for -- except the presence of his beloved muse, Christine Daae. Now an opera superstar, Christine arrives in New York to sing at the opening of Oscar Hammerstein's new theatre -- but is lured to Coney Island by the Phantom, who sends his circus minions to waylay her at the docks. Accompanying Christine are her husband Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny, whose bad luck at gambling has reduced him to a bitter alcoholic, and her son Gustave, a bright and sensitive young musical prodigy who bears more resemblance to her Angel of Music than to her worldly husband.
━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━ 1. Christine Daaé (Taken by me): The young opera singer's marriage to Raoul has soured. She travels across the Atlantic to open Oscar Hammerstein's new Manhattan Opera House with her husband and precocious son Gustave in tow. Still beautiful, she is no longer a tongue-tied, dewy-eyed innocent. A devoted mother, she shows some admirable backbone when the Phantom tries to push her around. He tries flattery, bribery and finally blackmail. The sequel leaves you in no doubt, however: In spite of the fireworks, she loves him.
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2. Raoul de Chagny (Open): Now an alcoholic and a gambler, Christine's husband has lost his fortune at the roulette tables in Monte Carlo. They now live on the income she earns as an opera singer. He is stunned when Hammerstein is outbid and Christine is suddenly booked to sing at Mister Y's Phantasma. When he realizes that Mister Y is none other than his old rival, the Phantom, he is livid. In the original "Phantom," he was young and handsome. He found a damsel in distress, and he rose to the occasion to become her knight in shining armor, risking his own life to rescue her from the clutches of a madman. But for whatever reason, the years have not been kind to him. The Phantom now outclasses him in nearly every way.
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