The Phantom of the Opera (miniseries) stolen, however, by Ian Richardson and Andrea Ferreo...," and concluded ""Phantom" adds up to an odd but fascinating prime-time diversion." The Phantom of the Opera (miniseries) The Phantom of the Opera is a 1990 American two-part television miniseries directed by Tony Richardson and stars Charles Dance in the title role. It is adapted from Arthur Kopit's book from his unproduced stage musical "Phantom", which is based loosely on Gaston Leroux's novel. The Phantom of the Opera is a disfigured musician named Erik who lives below the Opéra Garnier in Paris. He has a large part in managing each performance through
The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film) to loop Chaney's dialogue, but voiceovers by the Phantom were looped over shots of his shadow. (The voiceovers are uncredited, but were probably done by Phillips Smalley.) Because Chaney's talkie debut was eagerly anticipated by filmgoers, advertisements emphasized, "Lon Chaney's portrayal is a silent one!" The sound version of "Phantom" opened on February 16, 1930, and grossed another million dollars. This version of the film is lost, although the soundtrack discs survive. The success of "The Phantom of the Opera" inspired Universal to finance the production of a long string of horror films such as "Dracula", "Frankenstein", "The Wolf Man",