22

SUNDAY

“The Opera Ghost really existed. He was not, as was long believed, a creature of the imagination,” wrote Gaston Leroux in the introduction to his Grand Guignol classic, The Phantom of the Opera. With a set that was an exact replica of the Paris Opera House and Lon “Man of a Thousand Faces” Chaney in the title role, the 1925 film of the novel—just added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry—has haunted our imaginations for 70 years. Even at that distance, it strikes an eerie chord. And even though it was made as a silent, one can’t watch without hearing eerie chords. For this performance, the spooky sounds will be supplied by acclaimed film accompanist Ray Brubacher on, appropriately, the Wurlitzer pipe organ, “assisted by his protégé, the outstanding young pianist Miss Jamie Olthoff.” At 2:30 p.m. at George Mason University’s Harris Theatre, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax. $10. (703) 993-8888. (Dave Nuttycombe)