26 research outputs found
Uncanny Audio:The place and use of sound in Gothic performance
The Phantom of the Opera, the 1986 musical, is a Gothic megahit with a global appeal. Having been performed to audiences around the world, the musical has inspired a multitude of âPhansâ to extend the productionâs central theme of obsession beyond the auditorium walls and into their intertextual fan practices. That said, such responses stem from a narrative which is ultimately about fandom itself (where the Phantomâs obsession with Christine causes him to haunt, and even murder, the occupants of a fictional Paris opera house). Drawing from musical theatre, popular culture, and fan studies, this chapter argues that there is a direct correlation between the content and presentation of The Phantom of the Opera and the type of fan response it tends to evoke