This 3-act comedy-mystery is about the old Opera House in Denville that has been vacant for a quarter of a century. It was 25 years ago when a group of actors was staging The Phantom of the Opera. At the climax of that play, the "hero" supposedly shoots the Phantom. But on this occasion the prop gun was loaded with real bullets—and the Phantom (or rather the actor playing the role) was actually murdered. The building was closed, and as the years passed, strange sights and sounds in the theatre quickly led to the theory that the old building was haunted...by the ghost of the murdered Phantom.

And now— 25 years later—the local high school drama class decides to reviveThe Phantom of the Opera...on the abandoned stage. The results are funny, mystifying, and scary. But the enthusiastic teacher and the attractive, fun-loving group of kids working on the play-within-a-play add up to 90 minutes of chills and thrills for the cast and the audiences lucky enough to see them.

Joseph George Caruso's lively script is easy to stage and inexpensive to produce, with exciting, challenging rolls for six women and seven men. Set, opera house stage; Time, today.

"The kids love the play."—Barbara Williams, Herndon, Va., Intermediate School.

Other Caruso plays: Adam's Diary, Happyville

See also: Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem