The 1925 silent movie classic, The Phantom of the Opera, could very well be the spookiest adaptation of Gaston Leroux's novel, mostly due to Lon Chaney's performance as the super creepy Phantom, his disfigured, skull-like, dreadfully expressive face created by Chaney using self-invented make-up techniques that he took with him to the grave. In the film, Chaney's mysterious, malevolent phantom inhabits the sub-cellars of an opera house and uses his power of vicious persuasion to force a famous lyric singer to give up her leading role in Faust to an unknown with whom he's fallen in love. Soon enough, the newcomer is summoned to meet her benefactor and learns that he requires her returned affections as payment. What follows is a scene from cinematic history, whereupon she snatches off his mask and reveals the grotesque face beneath, fainting after a single horrified (but silent) shriek. Tampa Theatre hosts a screening of the film set against a score by composers Carl Daehler and Carl Davis, which is based on the music from Faust and performed live by The Florida Orchestra with guests Dennis James accompanying on the Wurlitzer organ and Lisa Vroman supplying ghostly vocals; Richard Kaufman conducts. Wed., April 18, 8 p.m., 711 N. Franklin St., downtown Tampa, $24-$52, 813-274-8286, tampatheatre.org.
This article appears in Apr 11-17, 2007.