Can you believe it’s the 40th anniversary of Phantom of the Opera this year? This is a story that has become part of our culture and our hearts, and to mark its 40th anniversary, Andrew Lloyd Webber wanted to do something extra special.
We know the Phantom’s story. The Angel of Music tells us his tale throughout the stage production, and it’s something that continues to touch hearts and minds. What about the story of Christine, though?
She is an essential part of the whole tale, but we only really see her side of the story through the Angel’s eyes. We don’t see some of the decisions that Christine has to make when it comes to her heart, her life, and her career, and so, sometimes, the decisions can feel a little off and disappointing.
So, Webber and his team decided it was time to tell that story, and who better to tell it than Erin A. Craig, an author already known for her fairy tale retellings? She already knows how to write in the world of gothic fantasy, and Craig has a background in theater.
“It was such an honor and responsibility,” Craig told Parade in an exclusive interview, “and slightly nerve-wracking, because it is something that touches so many people’s hearts.” She went on to share how everyone has a core memory of Phantom of the Opera, whether it’s the first time they saw a production on the screen or stage, or just the first time they heard the music playing.
“I fell in love with the show when I was about 13 years old,” she went on to discuss her love for Phantom of the Opera specifically. “I was a very sporty kid in junior high. I had never really seen a live theater show before, and I was in band class, and they handed out the new music for the week, and it was Phantom of the Opera Melody Suite. I knew nothing about the show, and our teacher told us briefly about it, and he’s like, ‘All right, let’s start sight-reading.’”
Courtesy of Delacorte PressThis was to a group of kids in the eighth grade who were not the best musicians at all, but as the overture notes played, Craig knew that she needed to know more, and it led her down a rabbit hole of Opera. She would check out CDs, VHS copies of Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford’s iconic performance, and much more. It became her obsession, and that one moment led to a career in the theater.
When Craig moved on to writing, she thought she was leaving theater behind her. After all, her fairy tale retellings were another world, and yet, she was pulled back into Opera with her upcoming novel, Our Strange Duet, and it all came about because of Webber and his team looking for a way to celebrate the epic milestone of 40 years.
“They decided they wanted to do a YA Christine version of Phantom, and so they had talked with my editor and publisher at Delacorte Press, and they were like, ‘You know, we want to get somebody who gets the story,’ and she was like, “We’ve got an author who really likes Gothic romance, and this is her sweet spot. I think she was in theater before.’”
Retelling Christine’s story was never going to be easy. As Craig said, and as we all know, Phantom of the Opera is such an iconic story that it’s difficult to recreate the other side of it. However, Christine deserves to have her story told. Too many women come off as damsels in distress, but Christine had to make some difficult choices to follow her dreams — dreams at one point she didn’t even know she would have.
“We had such a rich source of material with Fabrian of the Libretto and the Joel Schumacher movie. Lloyd Webber Entertainment has been so lovely and given me a ton of archival recordings of past shows. I’ve digested all of that and started to go through the key scenes that fans of Phantom can’t do without, like the chandelier falling.”
Our Strange Duet tells the story purely from Christine’s POV, exploring her life before the stage, before she’s a prima donna. This allows us to follow her during moments that aren’t possible in the original production, as she’s not in the manager’s office or always on the stage. There are a lot of questions about where she is, while offering layers to her character.
Some elements of Christine’s story can often be overlooked, such as her start in ballet, something she didn’t train for in 1890s France. There were so many other directions she could have gone in, but she joined the ballerinas, and it showed that flicker of ambition she would later prove to have at the opera.
“We get to flesh out the relationships she has, not only with the Phantom and Raul, but [with] Meg, Carlotta, and Madame Missouri, and get to see how fervently she loves everyone around her, and not just romantically, but just as a platonic best friend. She cares so much about the Opera Company.”
Everything happens fast in a musical, and that’s the way it has to be to tell a story in just a few hours. Yet, a novel has more time and space to breathe, and that’s something Our Strange Duet brings to the table.
“It can feel really wishy-washy as you’re going through the music,” Craig admitted, “To have the chance to be squarely in her head and seeing why she does all of what she does, it was just so delicious.”
For those who don’t know much about Phantom of the Opera, there is still a reason to read Our Strange Duet. There are elements of the story that even Phantom fans have no idea about, such as rehearsals and Christine’s backstory. Think about how Hannibal fans didn’t need to know anything about The Silence of the Lambs to understand it all. Of course, there are Easter eggs, but there is a much bigger story to tell that opens the world up to everyone, and maybe it will bring in new fans to this 40-year-old production.
There are even tropes that offer something for romance lovers to enjoy. After all, there’s a bit of a love triangle in there with Raul and the Phantom. In fact, it was the love triangle that caused a little bit of a problem, as Craig has always been Team Phantom, but at the end of the production, Christine chooses Raul — maybe a bit of a spoiler, but this story has been out for 40 years!
“It was really fun to get into Christine’s head and see the good in Raul,” Craig admitted. “He is very lovely…[The Phantom] scratches that creative itch…He understands and challenges her. It’s a kind of symbiotic relationship that they have going on.”
So, how do you then find a reason for Christine to choose Raul? Craig shared, “But then Raul, conversely, offers this wonderful sense of safety and security, even more than just the title and the money…He was alive when her father was last alive. They met on the beach in Dover, and he went and got the red scarf, and he had dinner with her dad. He was in those happy, healthy days.”
After looking at it like that, there were some sparkle points given to Raul. There became a psychological reason for Christine to be pulled to this man, and it’s not like he’s a terrible person. He’s a good man with a heart. In fact, he’s a better person than the Phantom in that regard, considering there are a few deaths on the Phantom’s hands.
To end the interview, we chatted about the cover of Our Strange Duet, created by Lisa Quinn, which is an absolutely gorgeous piece of art in its own right. The front cover puts the focus on the flowers that denote Christine, with the iconic mask further in the background to show that this is no longer his story. Craig noted, “All these beautiful feminine flowers and all the gold, foiled little swirls, and everything coming out from under the mask; it just made such an impact, because I was like, ‘Yes, this is Christine’s story coming out from under the Phantom’s mask.’”
The final copy wouldn’t be complete without the beautiful sprayed edges that have Christine front and center. Inside, we get the artwork of the boat that is one of the most monumental parts of the entire production, and Raul is in the background to highlight the choice. We also can’t forget the ribbon — no bookmarks needed! — that brings us back to an age of classic literature.
She also has more books in the works. Fans of her Sisters of the Salt series will be happy to hear there’s another book coming, and this time, it’s focused on Lenore. Those who are ready for another adult novel will want to look out for a release in fall 2027 — at least, that’s a rough timeline. Craig is venturing out of her retelling comfort zone and getting into a thriller, which even has a book within a book!
Our Strange Duet is something for Phantom of the Opera fans for sure, but it’s also a Gothic romance that is perfect for fans of Craig’s previous books, like House of Salt and Sparrows and Small Favors. Releasing on Sept. 1, 2026, this is the perfect start to fall and to get ready for spooky season.
Related: I.V. Marie Has Not Just One but Two Books Coming in 2026: ‘I’m So Excited’ (Exclusive)
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