Phantom of The Opera Masks

Phantom of the Opera Masks are favorites for Halloween and masquerade parties.  A complete costume for the Phantom is quick to assemble and fun to wear.  All a person needs is a Phantom of the Opera Mask, a dark suit and a cape.  However, donning the attire of the “Ghost of the Opera” is only one part of portraying the persona of this interesting character.

Although masks have been worn in plays throughout history, the Phantom of the Opera’s mask is quite unique.  Instead of shielding the face horizontally as most masks do, the Phantom’s mask divides the face vertically.   The mask hides only half the man’s face—the side that was terribly disfigured at birth.  The other half of the Phantom’s face is completely visible.

By all accounts the original book, “Phantom of the Opera” was not received well. In fact, it was discontinued from print more than once.  It wasn’t until it was turned into a play and the Phantom of the Opera mask was worn for the first time that the novel became a recognized name.  The story has been transformed into a silent movie and then a few regular movies over the years in different variations of musicals.  Today, the “Phantom of the Opera” is still the longest running play on Broadway.

The story is very complex in that one learns the most about Erik (the Phantom) from a Persian who appears at various times and discloses information about the man behind the mask.  The phantom (or “Ghost” as he was sometimes called) is a character as distinctive as his phantom mask.

As a child Erik ran away from home and joined up with a band of gypsies.  Though he made a living as part of the “freak show”, he learned to be an illusionist, a magician and a ventriloquist.  His voice was supreme and he became known for his ability to sing.  Eventually a fur trader told the Shah of Persia about him and he was summoned.  Erik was also recognized for his architectural aptitude and his genius.

The Shah had him build a new palace.  The palace he designed was so strategically planned that through a series of hidden doors and chambers, he could manipulate the transfer of voices from any one part of the castle to be heard in another.  Nobody felt safe there because they never knew who was listening.  Even whispers could be heard and the Shah loved it, but because he didn’t want the phantom to build a castle like his for anyone else, he ordered Erik’s execution.

Erik escaped to Constantinople and designed several other magnificent structures for the ruler.  Again, he had to flee to save his life because of what he knew about these buildings.  For a while, the genius behind the Phantom of the Opera mask built regular houses until winning the bid to design the Paris Opera House.  This is where he lives for the rest of his life, in the cellars where he secretly made himself a home during the construction.  A series of hidden passages allowed him to roam the place at will.

As the story continues, it is here at the Paris Opera house that Erik hears and falls in love with the soprano Christine.  It is here that he writes his masterpiece, “Don Juan Triumphant”.   Though at first Christine thought he was “the Angel of Music” that her Father told her about, it is here with his ghostly actions and movements throughout the theatre that he becomes known as” the Phantom of the Opera”.   Always appearing well dressed and clad with a cape, the “Ghost of the Opera” was most noted for his mask.

The costume of Erik is easy to create as long as you have a Phantom of the Opera mask.  You can use any fancy dark suit and a cape along with the mask.   Yet to really play the part is a bit harder—remember, this man was a genius, an architect extraordinaire who had a talent for music and a wonderful voice.  It is the mystique about him that makes Phantom of the Opera masks fun to wear…

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