Phantom of the Opera

The phantom is based on a real ghost story – a ballerina died, and her fiancé, a pianist, was disfigured. Legend has it he retreated to the underground of the Palais Garnier, and lived there until he died. Gaston LeRoux wrote L’Phantome de Opera, published in English as Phantom of the Opera, inspired by this legend and set in the actual Paris Opera House. The underground lake he wrote about is in reality an enormous cistern that does exist beneat...