Fright Night At Town Hall Birmingham
Mystery, Horror, Romance...And Improvised Organ Accompaniment
Halloween Silent Movie Special: The Phantom Of The Opera [1925]
Town Hall Birmingham
7.30pm, Saturday 31 October
A special screening of the 1925 silent horror classic The Phantom of the Opera, with a haunting live organ accompaniment, is set to give horror fans a hair-raising Halloween treat at Town Hall Birmingham on Saturday 31 October.
The 175 year old concert hall will come to life with the cinematic tale of mystery, horror and romance alongside a spine chilling improvised soundtrack by celebrated organist Nigel Ogden.
Audience members brave enough to attend may find themselves next to a bloodthirsty vampire or disfigured zombie, as contenders for most frightful costume of the night vie for the prize of £50 of Town Hall Symphony Hall gift vouchers and a bottle of champagne.
The Phantom of the Opera, adapted from the novel by French author Gaston Leroux, stars Lon Chaney Sr as a mad, disfigured Phantom stalking the depths of the Paris Opera House in 1880. In love with the young Swedish soprano Christine – played by a saucer eyed Mary Philbin – and intent on her success, the Phantom causes murder, mayhem and eventually, his own demise.
At its film premiere and during the famous unmasking scene, audience members were said to have fainted from the sight of Chaney’s self applied and intentionally horrific make-up, which involved grisly props such as egg membranes, stage paint and wire. The film grossed $2million in box office takings despite costing 2 directors, numerous endings and a year of on and off filming.
Nigel Ogden is the presenter of BBC Radio 2’s The Organist Entertains. Currently celebrating his 29th year in the role, he is also a performer and composer and has produced over 70 LPs, cassettes and CDs to date.
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