Davis Gaines

Davis Gaines (born January 21, 1959, Orlando, Florida) is a stage actor.

He has performed as the Phantom in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Phantom of the Opera more than 2000 times, on Broadway, in Los Angeles, and in San Francisco. In the latter location, he won the Bay Area Critics' Award for Best Actor. He performed in the role for The Kennedy Center Honors in 1994. He originated the lead role of The Man Whistle Down the Wind (1996).

Gaines was the singing voice of Chamberlain in The Swan Princess (1994). He guested in "Murder in White", a 1993 episode of Murder, She Wrote. He was also a musical guest star for Broadway on Ice, a touring ice show with live music. Davis also played the role of Antony in Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in concert, alongside George Hearn and Patti Lupone.

One of his first jobs was as a costumed character at Walt Disney World theme park, as a high schooler, he played Pinocchio character J. Worthington Foulfellow. Gaines commonly performs the national anthem(s) prior to Los Angeles Kings games at Staples Center.

The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in Le Gaulois from September 23, 1909, to January 8, 1910. It was published in volume form in April 1910 by Pierre Lafitte. The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century and an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz. Nowadays, it is overshadowed by the success of its various stage and film adaptations. The most notable of these are the 1925 film depiction featuring Lon Chaney and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.

Plot summary

Opera singer Christine triumphs at the gala on the night of the old managers' retirement. Her old childhood friend, Raoul, hears her sing and recalls his love for Christine. At this time, there are rumors of a phantom living at the Opera and he makes himself known to the managers through letters and malevolent acts. Some time after the gala, the Paris Opera performs Faust, with the prima donna Carlotta playing the lead, against the Phantom's wishes. During the performance, Carlotta loses her voice and the grand chandelier plummets into the audience.

Of the Night

"Of the Night" is a song by British indie rock band Bastille, released on 11 October 2013 as the lead single from All This Bad Blood (2013), a reissue of their debut studio album Bad Blood (2013). The song debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, and has also charted in several other countries.

The song was covered by Ellie Goulding at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.

Background and release

"Of the Night" is a mash up of two 1990s dance hit songs, the 1993 hit "The Rhythm of the Night" by Italian Eurodance act Corona and the 1992 hit "Rhythm Is a Dancer" by German Eurodance group Snap!. The song was first featured on Bastille's mixtape Other People's Heartache, which was released in 2012 as a free download.

"Of the Night" was later used in a promotional trailer for the eighth series of ITV's Dancing on Ice in January 2013. It received its first radio play on Huw Stephens' BBC Radio 1 show on 9 October 2013, and was released digitally on 11 October 2013. On 15 November 2013, Of the Night EP was released, featuring three remixes of the song and a live recording of "Oblivion".

The Night

The Night may refer to:

See also

The Music of the Night

"The Music of the Night" (also labeled as just "Music of the Night") is a song from the popular 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera. The music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Charles Hart. It has appeared on multiple soundtracks of the musical, such as the original cast version in which English actor Michael Crawford sings the song.

History/performances

Initially made famous by Michael Crawford, the actor who originated the role of the Phantom both in the West End and on Broadway, the popular song has sold millions of copies worldwide and has been translated into many different languages. The Really Useful Group filmed a video starring Crawford and Sarah Brightman (who did not sing), which featured the original lyrics to the song. Crawford later recorded the song as duet with Barbra Streisand for her album "Back to Broadway" (1993). This version of the song also appears on her greatest duets album.

In the musical, it is sung after the Phantom lures Christine Daaé down to his lair beneath the Opera House. He seduces Christine with "his music" of the night, his voice putting her into a type of trance. He sings of his unspoken love for her and urges her to forget the world and life she knew before. The Phantom leads Christine around his lair, eventually pulling back a curtain to reveal a mannequin dressed in a wedding gown resembling Christine. When she approaches it, it suddenly moves, causing her to faint. The Phantom then carries Christine to a bed, where he lays her down and goes on to write his music.