Managing Lessons

by MerelyAPuppet

When the Phantom begins haunting a new opera-house, he expected to see a frightened manager and company, but never in his wildest dreams would he expect to meet a woman sitting in the manager's position. Esme Baudin was quite amused by the antics of the Opera Ghost but when they meet each other in her theatre's fifth box, she never expected to have survived. What happens now?

1. Chapter I

MANAGING LESSONS

CHAPTER I: OF HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

It has been but days since the closing of the Opera Populaire, and it has also been but days since another opera-house was opened into the public. Its name was the Palais de Musique, and the new manager has immediately caused a scandal in France upon revealing their identity.

The manager was of humble beginnings, merely began by singing and dancing on the street, getting tossed coins as a living for their services, their talent was found out and was brought into an opera-house that was rivaling that of the Opera Populaire's. As time passed, the manager's talents grew, becoming one of their most treasured performers, despite having no educational background nor the knowledge of reading notes or playing instruments, the manager was a fast learner and managed to catch on quite well. This was what made them well-known, but despite their gifts, they were never meant to be in any of the lead roles for the opera-house required a soprano or a tenor and the manager was an alto, but even as a trained mezzo-soprano they cannot become a star, for they prefered a quiet and peaceful existence.

It was when the opera-house closed down that the manager was found on the streets once more, singing and dancing ballet, the founder of the Palais de Musique found them in front of the beginnings of the opera-house and thought of hiring them as the manager due to their background on music, as foolish as that thought was, it was quite worth it when the manager began helping with some vocal lessons and dancing lessons, applying their knowledge at every given moment to help the new actors and corps de ballet members.

This seemed to be the perfect tale for a manager of an opera-house right? So why would such a thing cause a scandal to many people? The problem is this, the manager is known as Esme Baudin, seeing as you are still confused, let me put it bluntly. The reasons as to why the whole of Paris is scandalised is due to Baudin being a woman. And a woman at that time was never permitted any high positions in an office.