Political Context
Because of the political climate of the late 80s, Phantom’s initial debut was received differently in the US compared to the UK, for both political and musical reasons. Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote and premiered Phantom during Ronald Reagan’s presidency and Margaret Thatcher’s time as prime minister, with both political leaders pushing capitalism and traditional values (Winkler 2014, 271-273). Similar to the divisive nature of politics during this period, Phantom’s commercial success and Lloyd Webber’s own political affiliation were originally celebrated by conservatives supporting the economic ideology of Thatcher and Reagan, but were equally criticized particularly by US audiences who opposed such policies (Winkler 2014, 274-275). Even so, Phantom saw great success in both the UK and the Broadway box offices (Winkler 2014, 276).
Musical Context and Reception
In composition, Phantom is unique in its combination of traditional operatic themes and elements with new age instrumentation. Similar to an opera, the vast majority of the story is told through song and emotional performances rich with vibrato, tempo changes, and dynamic changes, with only brief sections of dialogue scattered throughout. However, where Lloyd Webber deviates from the opera sound is in instrumentation and influences. In addition to the full orchestra, listeners can hear the synthesizer, the electric guitar, and other modern instruments, reminiscent of the new age or progressive rock sound. The musical’s title track has even been criticized for sounding too similar to the song “Echoes” by British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, which was released 1971, years before Lloyd Webber wrote Phantom (Whatley 2021). The repeated descending and ascending chord progressions, as well as the time signature in “Echoes” (0:05-0:25) are almost identical to Phantom‘s “Overture” (0:38-0:52).
Comparison of “Echoes” by Pink Floyd to the Phantom Overture (YouTube, 2018).
Even though this similarity is controversial, it does highlight the rock influences that Lloyd Webber drew on while composing Phantom. This synthesis of opera and new age was appreciated by some, but denounced by others. Several critics in both the US and the UK interpreted Lloyd Webber’s use of a well-known style of music and performance with some new elements as a reflection of his politics; the centralization of the opera in the musical was received as a return to traditional values, modernized by new instrumentation for the sake of commercial gain (Winkler 2014, 278-279). Others, however, saw Lloyd Webber’s ability to combine an established genre with elements of popular music as praiseworthy (Winkler 2014, 279-281).
Despite Phantom’s critiques and controversies, the show saw success in both the US and the UK, but to varying degrees. This difference in the musical’s reception was reflected in the popular chart data of each respective country. In February 1987, the cast recording of Phantom went number one on the Great Britain Top 200 Albums chart, and proceeded to remain on the chart for 35 weeks (MusicID). In the United States, Phantom’s cast recording reached number ninety-eight on the Billboard 100 chart in February, 1988, after seeing commercial success and several radio plays (Maslon 2018, 202).
Regardless of its less favorable showing on the charts in the US compared to the UK, Phantom was still validated by Broadway audiences at the 1988 Tony Awards, where the show won Best Musical, and six additional Tonys (Jones 2005).