The Pony of the Opera - Complete · 11:58pm Sep 24th, 2012
I've finally finished Pony of the Opera, for which I am thankful. I started writing that around July last year, so it's good to finally have it done. To tell the truth, before beginning it, all I had done was watch the film adaptation of Lloyd Webber's musical about ten times. I had no familiarity with the book or any other version of the story, although I had visited the location that inspired the story, the Opéra Populaire or Opéra Garnier in Paris, which is a fabulous building that I heartedly recommend visiting if you're going to Paris!
Originally I planned the story to be a straighter adaptation of the film, but as I began writing, I realised that the themes and values present in both the film and the original novel did not translate well to the FiM universe, and began to work around it. The result, I hope, is a compromise that both captures the feel of FiM and remains faithful to the spirit of the story, if not the letter. The characters are primarily adapted from the 2004 film, especially Carlotta (Prima Donna), André and Firmin (collectively Falsetto), Madame Giry (Madame Quick Step) and Buquet the Technician (Iron Knot). Fluttershy stars in the role of Christine Daae, while Rarity partially takes over the role of Raoul.
After beginning, I started to read the original book by Gaston Leroux, which is available in English for free on WikiSource, Project Gutenberg, and other such repositories of non-copyrighted literature. Many of the elements of the story are, as a result, adapted from both the book and film, and the order of events follows the book more closely, perhaps, than the more familiar musical. Someone familiar with both works should get more enjoyment out of the story than someone familiar with only one or the other as a result!
The scenery of the story's setting - Canterlot and the Royal Opera House - is based on my impressions of Paris (for the streets of Canterlot) and the actual architecture and layout of the Opéra Populaire (for the Royal Opera House). I visited Paris again whilst writing the story, and made sure to see the Opéra once more, if only to refresh my memory of its layout and décor! The underground lake is, sadly, merely an element of fiction from the original tale (although based on real waterways and catacombs that run beneath the city of Paris).
All in all, this story was an interesting challenge to write. I chose to keep the style deliberately flowery in places, moreso than I would normally, as I felt this better showcased the grandeur and decadence of the Opera and all it entails. Adapting the story to FiM was not as easy as I thought it would be, but hopefully it will be enjoyed.
And now that I have that story out of the way... I'm free to dedicate more time to completing Binky Pie!
Yet another story on my reading list that has been waiting for too long.
Cool, I'll get right to it! I have never read the Phantom of the Opera (is it a book that got adapted into a play or just a play like Hamlet or something) but the 2004 movie was absolutely fantastic, one of my all-time favorites I watch it all the time
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It's a book that was adapted into a Broadway musical, and then the musical was made into a film.
And more time to create more Fleurdeliser?
Cat burglar pony for the win!
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Indeed!