| Invitee A | “The new manager is quite young. What was his name—Richard?” |
| Invitee B | “I hear he obtained the position by driving out the previous manager.” |
| Invitee A | “Ah, that explains the atmosphere of this welcome party. Wasn’t he formerly a tenor at the National Opera?” |
| Invitee B | “I hear he was incredibly popular at one point. But I was more interested in his rival—.” |
| *Applause* |
| Chris | “....” |
| Invitee A | “Hm? Who is he?” |
| Invitee B | “A newcomer, apparently. His name is Chris—Chris Daaé.” |
| Izumi | (The opening scene: a welcome party to celebrate the appointment of Richard, played by Homare-san, as the opera’s new manager....) |
| |
| Raoul | “That was great, Chris!” |
| Chris | “It was terrible. I couldn’t perform like I did during practice.” |
| Raoul | “You did just fine. I think you really managed to appeal to the new manager, too. You might even get to stand on stage.” |
| Chris | “No way. That’s impossible so long as Carl is around.” |
| Raoul | “Have more confidence in yourself.” |
| Richard | “Let’s get along, Carl. You’ll be carrying this opera upon your back from now on, after all.” |
| Carl | “Please, you’re exaggerating. But yes, let’s get along, manager.” |
| Raoul | “Looks like he’s already currying favor with the manager.” |
| Chris | “But of course; he has talent, after all.” |
| Izumi | (Good, everyone seems calm. We really get a sense of the characters’ relationships, too.) |
| |
| Chris | “Sigh....” |
| ♪ |
| “...?” |
| “Who’s singing? I can’t recall ever hearing a singer with this voice.” |
| “Where is it coming from?” |
| “...But, oh... What a lonely, heart-permeating aria.” |
| Carl | “Nice work, Chris.” |
| Chris | “Ah, Carl. Nice work.” |
| Carl | “Your aria was good.” |
| “But it’s the same as before—too delicate and withdrawn. It’s not fit for a large theater; I think you’re more suited for singing at a salon.” |
| Chris | “Is that so....” |
| Carl | “Well, good luck.” |
| Chris | “...Thanks.” |
| “How can I make my song more glorious? Like Carl—.” |
| “No. I simply can’t sing like that... If I’m going to sing, I want a song that will permeate the heart....” |
| Izumi | (This isn’t a musical, so we can’t actually hear them sing. But Tsumugi-san’s acting makes you feel like you can.) |
| (He really is good at delicate expressions.) |
| |
| Chris | “His voice won’t stop echoing in my mind. Which theater does he belong to? I’ve never heard him in this opera....” |
| “That sweet deep voice with a texture like velvet... a perfect pitch, a luxuriant vibrato... It was something like this....” |
| ♪ |
| Raoul | “Chris! I hear you’re going to stand on stage!?” |
| “——.” |
| “Were you the one singing that, Chris?” |
| Chris | “Eh? Yeah.” |
| Raoul | “You surprised me. I’ve never heard you sing like that.” |
| Chris | “I changed my style a little. What do you think?” |
| Raoul | “Did you get a new instructor?” |
| Chris | “Nope.” |
| Raoul | “Then why all of a sudden....” |
| Chris | “...I tried copying a certain singer.” |
| Raoul | “A certain singer? Don’t tease. Tell me who it is. I want to listen to them too.” |
| Chris | “You see, I can’t really explain....” |
| |
| Raoul | “The ghost of the opera? What in the world is that?” |
| Chris | “That’s the only explanation I can come up with. I looked far and wide, but I couldn’t find a single singer with that voice.” |
| Raoul | “...Hm. That sounds interesting. I’ll help you look for him. Do we have any hints?” |
| Chris | “Hints... The only hint we have is his song. I’m always alone when I hear him sing.” |
| Raoul | “Are you sure you’re not just imagining things?” |
| Chris | “I don’t know. Even if I am, his song is my ideal.” |
| |
| Izumi | (Raoul and Chris begin a search to discover the identity of the singer....) |
| Phil | “A tenor with a sweet voice, perfect pitch, and luxuriant vibrato. I can’t narrow it down if that’s all the information we have.” |
| Raoul | “I’m begging you. You worked at the opera; you’re the only I can rely on, brother.” |
| “He absolutely charmed Chris—he must be incredibly talented. I want to hear him too.” |
| Phil | “When you put it like that, it piques my interest too.” |
| “Hmm, the ghost of the opera. I wonder why he won’t show his face?” |
| Raoul | “He must have a reason. Unless it’s just Chris’s imagination.” |
| Phil | “What a mystery... Speaking of mysteries, there was an incident about ten years ago where a tenor’s sudden disappearance captivated the world’s interest.” |
| Raoul | “A disappearance?” |
| Phil | “There was a tenor at the peak of his popularity who disappeared right in the middle of a performance. |
| “There were all sorts of rumors flying about at the time: was it an incident? An accident? A love affair that ended in suicide?” |
| “Day after day journalists kept coming to the theater—it was a lot of trouble.” |
| Raoul | “Huh....” |
| Phil | “That tenor’s name was....” |
| |
| Chris | “Erik?” |
| Raoul | “That’s right. I collected some newspaper articles from around that time, and the descriptions roughly match your impressions.” |
| “We don’t know exactly how, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he became the ghost of the opera.” |
| Chris | “He’s not a ghost. He’s alive. He exists even now.” |
| Raoul | “Hey, come on. Don’t tell me your imagination has possessed you. Pull yourself together.” |
| |
| ♪ |
| Chris | “It’s his voice again....” |
| “Are you truly a ghost? Why do you go so far to keep singing, even as a ghost? Are you possessed by song?” |
| Phantom | “You must be right.” |
| Chris | “I want to prove that you exist. Won’t you sing on stage once more? That’s why you continue to sing, right?” |
| Phantom | “...That’s impossible. I am but a shadow.” |
| Chris | “I’ll be standing on stage tonight. Could you sing in my stead?” |
| “You’re someone who needs to stand on stage.” |
| Izumi | (The Phantom has few lines in this play. It’s a difficult role that requires leaving an impact with few scenes and lines.) |
| (But Guy-san is plenty capable of that now. You can sense the Phantom’s hidden emotions from just his voice....) |
| (To pull that off on the first day.... I couldn’t have imagined it back when we started practice.) |
