Harold Prince, a stickler for logic of plotting, wisely contained all of the action of Phantom inside the theatrical world (or "workplace", as mentioned above); in that heightened world where feeling often trumps rationality, disbelief could be suspended like, well, like a ghostly chandelier.
In the appalling sequel, Love Never Dies (or as I call it "Love Ever Dire"), the creators took the action out into the real world (before going to Coney Island) and every last thread of plausibility was unseamed.
Now, having said that Prince was very strict on logic, I should mention, as the exception that proves the rule, the embarrassing breach in the middle of Act One of Sweeney Todd, where, in the original production, Todd and Lovett are on Tuesday ("Who said the week is out yet? It's only Tuesday.") and Anthony and Johanna are somehow simultaneously on Friday ("Tis Friday virtually Sunday..."). Todd kills Pirelli on Tuesday, Toby is below on Tuesday, the Judge and Beadle arrive from Friday and...... oh well, at least they fixed it by the tour ("Who said the week is out yet? It's only Friday!!" says Lovett in the taped version.) |
