Chapter Nine: Don Juan Triumphant
The opening night of Don Juan Triumphant was, to put it lightly, a box office success. It was the single most attended event that the Paris Opera had ever housed. Several spectators were left without a seat and forced to sit in the aisles, and many more were turned away at the door due to a lack of tickets.
Christian Daae, the show's leading star, watched from the wings of the theater as the thousands of people flooded into the auditorium. However, he noticed that Box Five was left perfectly vacant. He also took note of the strategically placed guards that lined the entirety of the theater. Renee's plan had come to full fruition, and the Phantom of the Opera would hopefully be put to rest after tonight.
Soon, the orchestra whirled into the overture and the Opera began. The chorus sang their way through harsh dissonant chords and strange melodies, portraying the Spanish Villagers who celebrated the return of their courageous war-hero, Don Juan. Played by the Opera House's signature Baritone, Monsieur Joseph Buquet, Don Juan recounts his tales of war to the Villagers. Act One ends as Don Juan admits to the audience his strange desire for a young man, the Merchant.
During the following intermission, the audience found themselves whispering in confusion to each other. The music was very… intense, and the storyline was quite shocking! A man infatuated with another man! It was rather unheard of. In fact, a handful of people decided to leave during the intermission. Still, there was no sight of the Phantom anywhere.
However, the beginning of Act Two featured arias for Christian Daae and Señora Pianga, the 'star couple' of the Opera. The public sighed in relief, and for a while they found themselves once again memorized by Christian's haunting voice. The Merchant and his Wife bid each other adieu, and soon the Merchant is visited by a mysterious stranger in a long hooded robe, presumably Don Juan (He wears the robe to try and seduce the Merchant without revealing his true identity as a man).
Now, it was just Christian and Monsieur Buquet sharing the stage together. As they sang of their love affair, Christian noticed that Buquet's voice seemed…different. Better, but different. His tone was richer, more forward and technically correct. And he did not crack in his higher range like Buquet did. It was as though there was another person singing underneath that robe.
Suddenly, Christian stopped singing. There was an awkward pause in the orchestration as he realized who he had been singing with this whole time. It was the Phantom who stood beneath the robe, pouring out his soul in their passionate duet. Christian froze for a long moment as he debated what to do. The audience rustled, confused. Then, after a nod to the conductor, Christian began to sing again.
Maybe it was Christian's natural instinct as a performer to make sure that the "show must go on"? Or the fact that the Phantom and Christian's voices blended so beautifully together, so harmonious and expressive? Or maybe it was just his undeniable attraction to his estranged suitor? Irregardless, Christian finished out the love duet between him and the Phantom, both now very close together and embracing passionately. Obeying the show's choreography, Christian ended the song by sliding his hand down the front of 'Don Juan's' body, almost touching his—
He tugged off the hood of the robe and ripped off the Phantom's mask, exposing his grotesque appearance to the audience. The people screamed in terror as they took in his hideous distortion, many getting up to run away in fear. The theater erupted in mass chaos, and the Phantom grabbed Christian and ran to pull him offstage. Before the armed guards could shoot, the Phantom cut loose a rope that was tied backstage, which helped mount the Opera's dazzling chandelier to the ceiling of the auditorium. Suddenly, the chandelier came crashing down in a swirl of flickering light, creating a devastating smash that shook the whole building.
As the Phantom dragged Christian down a hidden passageway backstage, the candles from the chandelier caught fire to the stage of the Opera House, and soon the entire theater was enveloped in deadly flames.