Beneath the Mask

Zine
Title:	Beneath the Mask
Publisher:	Phantom Appreciation Society
Editor(s):	Christine Daaé and Christine Karrie
Type:	newsletter
Date(s):	1993-94 as Masquerade, and then "Beneath the Mask" until 1996
Frequency:
Medium:	print
Fandom:	Phantom of the Opera
Language:	English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Beneath the Mask was a newsletter/letterzine published by the Phantom Appreciation Society, an international Phantom of the Opera fan club.

Beneath the Mask published interviews with Phantom cast members, news and reviews, in depth articles on topics relating to the Phantom of the Opera, and letters from fans in which every aspect of the story were discussed and debated. It was sold by subscription to the Phantom Appreciation Society, in Dress Circle in London, and by the Avon Boutique in Canada.

Zine Title Change

The first four issues of this fanwork were titled "Masquerade" and "Phantom’s Masquerade". The name was changed to "Beneath the Mask" beginning with issue #5.

The name change was due to the prior existence of a musical theater zine of the same title called Masquerade - The Stage Musical Fanzine.

From "Beneath the Mask" #5:

As you can see, I've have changed from "Masquerade" to "Beneath the Mask", as the previous existence of Mike Gibb's stage musical magazine "Masquerade" was making things too confusing.

The Editors' Names

From issue #7:

Q: Is Christine Daaé your real name?

A: I changed my name, legally, about two years ago. And no, CK [Christine Karrie] is not related to Peter. Hers is an "adopted" name, for Phantom purposes.

General Reactions and Reviews

Beneath the Mask was limited by geography in its coverage of the Phantom world, for its main writers and publication base were both British. Despite that, BTM managed to cover a globe's worth of Phantom-mania to an extent you won't find in other Phantom publications. All aspects of fandom come under to scrutiny here: ice shows, books, scene analysis, Phantom movies, various cast recordings, and exclusive interviews with cast members from all productions. Where other fan presses have spilt ink on Phantom cartoons and short stories, BTM's main thrust is analysis and hard information reporting.

This time I have what I think is the entire run of the fanzine Phantom’s Masquerade, sometimes shortened to just Masquerade, which ran from 1993 to 1994 and had only the four issues. Like POTO Magazine, it was a fandom magazine that included reviews, letters, information on various versions of the Phantom story, rumors about new developments, and so forth. It was created and distributed by The Phantom Appreciation Society, an international Phantom fan club based in Britain that also put out the Beneath the Mask ‘zine that we’ll also be seeing later.

<...> These [this zine and Silent Night, Lonely Night] were among the ‘zines that relied on fanart for their cover and interior images, as opposed to some others that took the approach of photocopying official artwork or photographs from performances instead.

Issue 1

front cover of issue #1, appears to be uncredited

The first issue (titled "Masquerade") was published in the summer of 1993 and contains 7 pages.

From the editor:

Welcome to the first issue of "Masquerade".

Firstly, I must thank Jill Wark for her vast amounts of help and support in getting the Phantom Appreciation Society started, and for contributing an article for the first magazine. I also want to thank Christine Willetts for her many ideas (including the title) and thoughts, and Grace Owen and Rowan St Clair for doing some artwork for me. Thanks also to Jill Cantelo, of "Dave's Team" for her advice.

I hope that once the Society gains more members I will be able to afford to make "Masquerade" longer and more attractively bound. I would also like to print pieces by members, so please write anything you want - articles, reviews, opinions, questions, responses to other people's pieces, whatever. Artwork would be very gratefully received (b/w photocopies, if possible), though remember that the mask logo is copyright of the Really Useful Group and therefore can't be printed without their permission.

• about collectables ("Jill Wark, Head of Corporate Sales at Connoisseur of Malvern, tells us about the making of the "Music of the Night" model") (3)
• The Film of the Musical (5)
• more things for sale (5)
• The Phantom in Print (books) (6)

Issue 2

front cover of issue #2 by Sarah Hopkins

The Issue Two (titled "Phantom's Masquerade") was published in the autumn of 1993 and contains 10 pages.

From the editor:

The cover of "Masquerade" now reads "Phantom's Masquerade.., to distinguish it from the stage musical fanzine "Masquerade", which we hadn't heard of when we fixed the title. More details of the other "Masquerade." Later. As you can see, we are trying to start a letters page, so please write in giving your opinion on anything under the sun as long as it is vaguely connected with Phantom in some shape or form. All letters, articles, and artwork are gratefully received.

Christine Willetts has, at the time of writing, changed her allegiance and decided to call herself Christine Karrie, hence the different name on the opposite page. It is liable to change back and forth. Please don't get confused. Just feel sorry for her family...

Issue 3

front cover of issue #3 by Emily Pacey

The Issue Three (titled "Phantom's Masquerade") was published in the winter of 1993-1994 and contains 18 pages.

• several fan letters, the topic was opinions about various literary renditions of Phantom of the Opera
• reprint of an interview with Dave Willetts ("This extract is reprinted by kind permission of Mike Gibb, from his magazine "Masquerade". He interviewed Dave Willetts on 22nd, November 1991.")
• Confessions of a Phantom Addict, or, "Heaven is in the gods" - essay by Rae "Caustic" Dunnill
• Phantom Gossip (news bits)
• timeline of Phantom on film
• The Manchester Phantom, play review by Christine Daae, Christine Karrie, and Sarah Hopkins
• quizzes and puzzles
• A Woman's Prerogative, fiction by Cathy Cormany
• review of the play in Toronto

Issue 4

front cover of issue #4 by Sarah Hopkins

Issue Four (titled "Masquerade") was published in the spring of 1994 and contains 20 pages.

It includes "Survey #1," - the results were printed in the next issue.

From the editor:

As you can see, we've dropped the "Phantom's" from our title as it didn't look right. Though we want to avoid confusion with the other Masquerade, we don't really want to change our name after for issues but if anyone things any other name would be much better, tell us on the survey on the back.

• fan letters
• cast news
• interview with Susan Kay
• info about "The Phantom Recordings," by Christine "Engel" Karrie
• trivia quiz
• Journey of a Phantom Fan, or, An Alternative Confession by OG
• review of Phantom in Manchester
• Being Raoul, fiction by RC Do Rozario
• A Last Night in Sydney, review by Amanda Johnson
• Entr'acte, fiction by Debera Ethington and Lisa Deason
• Christine (as seen by Erik), poem by Lesley E. Hatch
• The Garden in the Desert, poem by Lesley E. Hatch

Issue 5

Beneath the Mask 5 was published in Summer 1994 and contains 22 pages.

cover of issue #5

From the editorial:

As you can see, I've have changed from "Masquerade" to "Beneath the Mask", as the previous existence of Mike Gibb's stage musical magazine "Masquerade" was making things too confusing. Turn to the small ads for more details of "Masquerade" - a recent issue had an interview with John Barrowman, the current one features Claire Moore, and next issue features Peter Karrie, so I highly recommend it.

[...]

Some readers will have picked up this issue in Dress Circle, due to Silva Screen records generously paying for some copies to be given out. This should help us find more members, and the more members we have the better the magazine will get.

The new Phantom craze appears to be Phantom tattoos - at least three of our members have them (including me!), and Rae met some phans from Holland who know many people with Phantom designs, including one woman with Michael Crawford's face on her arm! Let us know if you find anyone with similar dedication to the show.

We have a much larger letter section this time - keep writing! We assume all letters are to be printed unless you ask us not to print something, and if you particularly want a reply before the next issue an SAE/IRC is helpful. Please send us your questions for the questions section too. Also in this issue we have an interview with Peter Karrie, a transcript of an interview with Alexander Goebel, Christine K adding her own story to the Confessions/Journey of a Phantom fan group, the results of our survey, exclusive information of the bits that never made it into the show, and more.

PHANTOM FICTION: Quite a few of you said you'd be interested in buying and writing for a special Phantom fiction magazine. We've decided to put one together, planning to have it ready next spring or early summer. We can't say anthing about costs yet as it depends on how much material we are sent. We will be printing Phantom-related fiction and poems, and some illustrations. We'd love to have as many contributions as possible (by December 31, 1992) so please get writing! Criteria are: must be connected to Phantom - show, book, films, set whenever you want, and with whatever variations you want, but not versions in which Erik whisks you personally off to your own little world, please. Anonymous contributions are accepted for this publication.

• An Interview with Peter Karrie (2)
• These Things Do Happen.... (previously the "Phantom Disasters" column) (boo-boos, glitches seen in the plays) (3)
• An Understudy Steps On, article by Christine Daae (4)
• Questions & Answers (5)
• Cast News (6)
• Recordings (6)
• Membership Survey: The Results (results of the club's first survey, the questions were in the previous issue) (8)
• Gossip (9)
• How I Discovered Phantom and the Explanation of My Frequently Changing Name, essay by Christine "Engel" Karrie (10)
• The Bits That Didn't Quite Make It... ("Rae "Caustic" Dunnill tells us about the efrects that were planned for the show, but no audience ever saw.") (11)
• Alexander Goebel Speaks ("The transcript of an interview with Alexander Goebel, Austrian Phantom, broadcast on Austrian TV. Translated into English by Marion Middleton.") (11)
• Your Letters (12)
• Competition ("The idea for this issue's competition has been stolen from the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy fan club....Choose up to five characters from Phantom (any version), and decide what their desert island discs would be. For our overseas members, Desert Island Discs is a radio programme where personalities choose the eight records they would want if they were stranded on a desert island that conveniently has a record player on it. They also pick a book and a luxury. For this competition, you can choose up to eight records, and a book and luxury if you want, for up to five Phantom characters. Be as imaginative/soppy/ amusing as you wish, and don't forget to explain why you've chosen the records. Don't be restricted by time - you are welcome to choose thing written after 1881 , and things that haven't actually been recorded (like Carlotta's singing).") (18)
• Who Is This Man, poem by C. Cormany dedicated to Michael Crawford (19)
• Ads (20)

Issue 6

Beneath the Mask 6 was published in Autumn 1994 and contains 26 pages.

cover of issue #6

We also really need good artwork and cartoons. Please send photocopies or include return postage, and send clear pen and ink drawings. We've had some good tilings sent in which have been pale pencil drawings that we couldn't use because they wouldn't copy. Also, the more we have to photocopy things to reduce them, the more they lose quality, so smaller pictures actually do better than A4 ones.

As we don’t have a great deal or artwork sent in, we’re thinking of changing the format and not having an illustrated cover. This would mean the text would start on the first page, and you’d get a couple more pages for your money. If we get some good cover pics we won’t change, or if you feel strongly that you’d prefer it as it is. Please write and let us know what you think.

Do any of our US readers know any of the people who did the artwork for Phantom Notes, particularly their cartoonist? If you do, please let them know about us and see if they’d like to continue their excellent work here...

In the last issue, I asked for your contributions for a planned Phantom fiction magazine. We haven't had much response, so we're going to make this magazine for next Christmas - the deadline for submissions is now 1st September 1995.

From "The Original Phantom":

There is another very important aspect to his character however, which most of us seem to try very hard to ignore. Erik's compassion does not extend very far past Christine. He is willing to sacrifice anyone else with no compunction at all, in order to achieve what he desires. Examples from the musical include his strangling of Piangi in order to take over the role of Don Juan as well as the dropping of the chandelier (was it my imagination, or does it come flying straight at Christine?). The novel, of course, is even worse. Erik is perfectly content to allow his friend, the Daroga, to be cooked alive in the torture chamber just because he was unfortunate enough to be there with Raoul. He drops the chandelier on innocent people because he wants to get rid of the woman chosen as Madame Giry's replacement. The feeling I get from Leroux' Erik is the same I get from these serial killers which surface on the news every so often. They can maim, mutilate and commit unspeakable acts without any feeling of guilt or remorse. Lloyd Webber only hints at this. The Robert Englund version, I think, came closer to the mark in this aspect, although many fans objected very strenuously to this interpretation. Remember, in the Leroux novel, Erik refers to his sojourn in Persia as the “Rosy hours of Mazenderan.” This was the epoque in which he amused the Sultana by devising ever more diabolical ways to put people to death. On occasion, he would even do the actual killing himself in his famous demonstrations of his expertise in the use of the Punjab Lasso. Nicholas Meyer, in his novel 77ie Canary Trainer, seems to be very’ aware of this aspect of Erik. His version suggests an interesting question with regard to the Phantom's lack of remorse. How long would Christine really be safe? Sherlock Holmes, who is investigating the mysterious case of the Phantom of the Opera states at one point:

"In my experience of human nature...devotion so intense as that which Nobody (the Phantom) feels for Mademoiselle Daae is usually separated by a hair from its opposite." (Meyer, pg. 135)

[...]

I am not certain that Leroux ever expected his readers to tall in love with the creature he had created. I almost get the feeling that although he obviously pitied his Erik, he was not certain that he had conveyed the point satisfactorily to his readers, tor he telt it necessary' to add in an epilogue:

“Poor, unhappy Erik! Should we pity him? Should we curse him? He only wanted, as we all do, to be somebody. But he was just too unsightly. And he had to either hide his genius or use it to play tricks with. Had he .been born normal, he would have been one of the noblest members of the human race! His heart was big enough to contain the entire empire of the world, yet in the end, he had to be content with a cellar. Without a doubt then, we must pity' the Phantom of the Opera.”

A great deal of credit goes to Lloyd Webber tor recognizing the potential of this character to captivate the imagination of so many. Still, there is a limit to how much people will forgive in a character, no matter how pitiable. I feel it was wise of Lloyd Webber to tone down the murderous, amoral side of his Phantom as well as the grossness ot his abnormality in order tor people to End it within themselves to forgive him (and to forgive themselves tor finding him attractive). Alter all, how hard is it to fall in love with Michael Crawford in all his phantomly splendor? The question is, how many of us, it put in Christine's place, would have felt the same way about the real Phantom, rotten stench and all, dragging us kicking and screaming into the bowels of the Earth"

• Editorial and News Bits (1)
• ALAN RICE RISKS LIFE AND LIMB... ...talking to Andrea Stephenson and Kathryn "Firmin" Bell. Alan is Manchester's Firmin. Written up by Andrea Stephenson (2)
• Questions and Answers (3)
• Reviews of CDs, Books, and Plays, and the zine Phantom Notes (4)
• HET SPOOKT VAN DE OPERA: The Background to the Netherlands production, article by Christine "Engel" Karrie (5)
• These Things Do Happen, bloopers and glitches from the show (6)
• Magic is a Box 5, by Jeanette Birt (show description, Paris, August 26) (7)
• The Original Phantom, article by Carrie Hernandez (8)
• Phantom Profiles (short bios on the cast members) (11)
• Can it Be Possible, poem dedicated to Peter Karrie, by C. Cormany (11)
• Gossip (short news bits about the cast members) (12)
• Classified Advertisements (fictional, humorous) (12)
• Contest (13)
• Here, I have a note... (letters from fans) (14)
• Ads (24)

Issue 7

Beneath the Mask 7 was published in Winter 1994/1995 and contains 24 pages.

cover of issue #7

From the editorial:

Our membership is slowly rising, but we still need your help in "spreading the word." With the next issue we will send out information flyers, but for now, if you get to chatting to other fans at the show, please tell them about the PAS and give them our address. The more readers we have the more interesting the magazine becomes. If you know of any magazines that might print out our details, please tell them about us. If you have access to the Internet, it would be very helpful if you could help spread the word there.... I know nothing about all that, but I believe Les Mas and Davis Gaines fans make use of the Prodigy network, so if that means anything to you...

Two examples from the Q&A:

Q: Why is it that sometimes Erik carries Christine to the bed after she faints and sometimes not? I don't think Erik would leave Christine on the floor!

A: Generally, it's only in the UK that Erik catches Christine and takes her to the bed. However, Peter Karrie does it in Canada, and Michael Crawford did it until he had his hernia. Why Hal Prince decided it shouldn't be done anywhere else is a complete mystery, and in my opinion a very bad decision. Maybe when MC had to stop, he didn't want others doing it and overshadowing him? The first time I saw it with Erik leaving Christine on the floor it ruined the romance of the scene for me. It just isn't Erik.

[...]

Q: Why do Dave Willetts and Peter Karrie fans all hate each other?

A: Why did the Crusades happen? Actually, most of them don't hate each other at all, I know plenty of people who

are fans of both performers. Only a foolish few stir up trouble, and I think that happens between fans of most performers!

• Editorial (3)
• Phantom Fiction (the fiction zine will be produced for Christmas 1995) (3)
• Interview with Mark McKerracher by Andrea Stephenson (4)
• Reviews of Books and CDs (5)
• Happy Birthday Phantom: Phantom celebrates its 5th anniversary in Toronto, article by Dot McFarlane (6)
• Phantom Profiles, sort bios of cast members (7)
• These Things Do Happen... (bloopers and glitches sent in by fans) (8)
• Three Men and a Coffin, essay by Carrie Hernandez ("In our never-ending search for the reason Christine left the Phantom for Raoul, it is helpful to understand what which motivates our heroine.") (7)
• An Evening With Dave Willets - The Other Side of the Mask, article by Andrea Stephenson (11)
• Gossip (short bits about what the cast members are up to) (11)
• New Gothic Role for Australian Phantom, article by Sharon L. Taylor (12)
• Competition (13)
• Questions & Answers (14)
• Here, I have a note... (letters from fans) (16)
• Ads (24)

Issue 8

Beneath the Mask 8 was published in Spring 1995 and contains 26 pages.

cover of issue #8, Paul Day Clemens

As we now have many readers who buy copies of the magazine rather than join, we are going to abandon the membership card, which is really a bit of a waste of money and more trouble than it's worth. Though this is a fan club, there is no distinction between members and people who buy copies of the magazine - we want everyone to contribute.

The Strangest Phantom story ever... promises to be delivered with the publication of Terry Prachett's [sic] next Discworld novel in October or November this year. It is to be called "Masquerade", and based on the Phantom tale. For those of you who haven't read any of the Discworld stories, they revolve around a world carried on the back of four giant turtles, which is inhabited by incompetent wizards, dwarves, trolls, and so on. They are basically spoof of the "sword and sorcery" type books, and extremely funny. What Pratchett will do to Erik remains to be seen, but he is good at creating skeletal figures in black cloaks - he has received letters from women saying they want to marry his Death. Incidentally, Erik get a brief mention at the bottom of page 158 of "Wyrd Sisters".

• Editorial (3)
• An Interview with Ethan Freeman (4)
• These Things Do Happen... (glitches and bloopers from the stages) (5)
• Cast News (6)
• Reviews (of various recordings, books) (7)
• The Phantom of Baker Street, article by Kristen Hambrick (10)
• Gossip (short bits of cast news) (11)
• Noseratu, the Vampire, Phantom cast create new Gothic musical (12)
• Phantom Profiles (short bios of cast members) (13)
• A Portrait of Erik, article by David Bergen (14)
• Questions & Answers (15)
• Competition Results (16)
• Here, I Have a Note... (letters from fans) (17)
• Ads (26)

Issue 9

Beneath the Mask 9 was published in Summer 1995 and contains 26 pages.

cover of issue #9, thanks to "Paul Day Clemens for our Phantom collage cover, with Dave Willetts Phantom"

It contains several small illos by Jeanette Birt, Graham Lappin

1Oth Anniversary celebrations: Rumours on the Internet have said that on Les Mis's 1Oth anniversary a special concert performance will be given at the Royal Albert Hall, gathering together as many members of the original cast as possible. There has been no official announcement yet, but no doubt the rumours will soon be confirmed. Let's hope the Phantom celebrations will be of a similar grand scale.

• Editorial (3)
• News Bits (4)
• Reviews (books, plays, albums...) (5)
• Phantom phone cards for sale (7)
• Phantom on the Internet (explains about modems and the internet, online mailing lists, USENET, rec.arts.theatre.musicals, The World Wide Web) (8)
• Phantom Profiles (short bios of cast members) (8)
• The American Phantom of the Opera - A Love Story, article by Mike Campbell (9)
• Questions & Answers (10)
• Where Are They Now? (about the cast members) (11)
• Index of Back Issues (11)
• Gossip (news bits about cast members) (12)
• Happily Ever After?, essay by Carrie Hernandez (13)
• These Things Happen... (goofs on stage) (15)
• Where Will He Turn Up Next?, Erik's Influence on Film and TV, article by Sarah Hopkins (16)
• Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and ALW's Phantom, article by Christine "Engel" Karrie (16)
• An Alternate Phantom, article by Carrie Hernandez ("I was recently privledged to see a different interpretation of the old Leroux tale, produced by the Fullerton Civic Light Opera in Orange County, California, USA.") (17)
• Six Months Without the Angel, fiction by Jeanette Birt (18)
• Here I Have a Note... (fan letters) (19)
• Ads (26)

Issue 10

Beneath the Mask 10 was published in Autumn 1995 and contains 26 pages.

cover of issue #10, Paul Day Clemens

It has small illos by Sonja Blank, Jennifer Kaplan, Michaela Meier, and Juliet Ford.

This issue contains the questions for a membership survey, results were printed in #11.

The PAS now has a World Wide Web site, to help spread information about the society. The pages give information about the PAS, a detailed index of the contents of back issues, and a few pieces reprinted from past issues such as cast album reviews, some interviews, and the survey results . I will sometimes be adding pieces to the Web site, so from now on any contributions sent for BTM may also appear there. (Only a very few pieces will be used articles, will simply be a "taster" for the real thing!)

One addition to the guidelines - if you're thinking of asking anyone connected with Phantom for an interview for the PAS, please check with me that no one else is already doing one or has already approached them. The same goes if you are considering interviewing someone for a piece only loosely connected with the ALW show - it would be wise to check whether it will be printed so you don't waste anyone's time with a piece that isn't of much interest to many of our members. But please do go on contributing... I only need to say this because we now have enough members and readers for these problems to arise!

For those phans who have purchased every video and novel, who have gone through lengthy book searches money to faraway lands all in the interest of obtaining yet one more version, spin-off or sequel to the beloved tale, the vanity press may prove yet another venue through which you might indulge your passion. The term vanity press is used in the field of publishing as a description of publications which are financed entirely at the expense of the authors themselves. As a labor of love, rather than the cash cow of some “professional” publishing, a vanity press novel is rarely available through any of the normal channels and must be specially ordered...

• Editorial (3)
• Submission Guidelines (3)
• Fiction Zine Announcement: "Whispers from Box Five" ("To give you a brief idea of the contents, it includes two "novella"-length stories by Carrie Herandez; an extract from "Beauty and the Opera" by Suzy McKee Charnas, which is being published next year; and a number of other stories by Phantom fans from around the world. It also contains some poems and illustrations." This was planned for January 1996, was to have 150 pages.) (3)
• Cast News (4)
• An Interview with Davis Gaines, conducted by Carrie Hernandez (5)
• Reviews (7)
• It's Over Now, the Music of the Night, two reports by Elizabeth and David Kelly, and Andrea Stephenson of the Manchester Phantom (9)
• These Things Do Happen... (goofs on stage) (10)
• Ken Hill's Phantom of the Opera (three fans comment) (11)
• Questions and Answers (12)
• Internet Update ("The location of the Phantom Home Page changed just as the last issue went out." This section also contains nine internet addresses for Phantom sites) (12)
• Behind the Scenes Part 1 - The Costumes (Q&A with Lisa Sheaves, Wardrobe Mistress on the Far East (International) Tour) (13)
• An Audience with Piangi: Patrick Togher, Piangi in the Australian Production, talks about the role (14)
• Phantom Profiles (short cast bios) (14)
• The Phantom of Vanity Press, article and reviews of three self-published Phantom fictions (aka fanzines), by Carrie Hernandez (15)
  • review of Second Generation, see that page
  • review of Nocturne, see that page
  • review of The Voice Unmasked, see that page
• Gossip (news of the cast) (16)
• Here, I Have a Note... (fan letters) (17)
• Ads (26)

Issue 11

Beneath the Mask 11 was published in Winter 1995/1996 and contains 28 pages.

cover of issue #11, Paul Day Clemens

It contains a small illo by Sonja Blank.

It includes a results from the second fan survey by Carrie Hernandez. The first one was offered in #4, and the results printed in #5.

The fiction zine, "Whispers from Box Five" is on indefinite hold.

Beauty and the Opera - Unfortunately. “Whispers...’ will be out too late to give you a preview extract of “Beauty and the Opera", a novella by Suzy McKee Charnas, which will be published in the March 1996, issue of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. “Beauty and the Opera" has been read aloud by its author at science fiction and scholarly conventions and at reading sessions in bookstores to very gratifying effect. The next live reading will be at the Other Change of Hobbit Bookstore in Berkeley, California, on January 20, 1996, from 2 pm to 4pm (2020 Shattuck Ave, tel. 510-848-0413). “Beauty and the Opera" will also be the subject of two scholarly papers to be presented in a session devoted to this novella at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts at Fort Lauderdale March 20-24, 1996.

Suzy McKee Charnas is the author of a number of novels and I strongly recommend “Beauty and the Opera" to anyone who enjoys Phantom fiction. You should be able to order Isaac Asimov’s SF Magazine from places like Forbidden Planet in London.

• Editorial (3)
• Reviews (various stage shows, Terry Pratchett's book "Maskerade") (5)
• Questions & Answers (8)
• Far East Phantom - Erik in Hong Kong, review by Paul Day Clemens (9)
• The Phantom in the U.S. - Three Production Reviews by Carrie Hernandez (New York), Carolyn Rogoff (San Diego), and Karin Willison (San Francisco) (11)
• Interview with Ciaran Sheehan in Toronto (13)
• Interview with Laird Mackintosh in Toronto (13)
• Phantom Fanfic Fanzines (descriptions and reviews) ("Although Phantom still lags behind Star Trek in the sheer volume of “unauthorized" fiction created within its universe, there are at present, many anthologies of such works available, featuring stories written by fans which examine every possible (and sometimes impossible) permutation of the storv we've all come to know and love. For those of you interested in examining “What if?" and “How come?". I can guarantee that within the pages of the Fanfiction Anthologies listed below, you will find the answers, not only to these questions, but to some which you probably never even thought to ask.")(14)
  • Faded Roses, see that page
  • Hard as Lightning, Soft as Candlelight, see that page
  • Mask: Tales from the Underground, see that page
  • Phantom Magazine, see that page
• An Interview with Josie Walker, by Andrea Stephenson (15)
• Behind the Scenes Part Two - In the Pit (interview with Larry Blank) (15)
• A Phantom Engagement, essay by Kurt William Schulte (description of having the cast of a show help in his proposal to his girlfriend) (17)
• "Look at your face in the mirror, I am there inside!" by Mike Campbell (about the gold embossed crest on brochures) (17)
• Survey Results (Beneath the Mask Fan Survey (1996)) (126 returned surveys which was about half the membership of the club, 68 from the UK, 58 from mostly the US) (18)
• Internet Update (19)
• The Phantom and Andrew Lloyd Webber, article by Carrie Hernandez (20)
• These Things Do Happen... (stage goofs) (21)
• Phantom Profiles (short cast bios) (21)
• Gossip (news on cast members (22)
• Here I Have a Note... (fan letters) (23)
• Ads (28)

Issue 12

Beneath the Mask 12 was published in Spring 1996 and contains 24 pages. The cover is by Paul Day Clemens.

cover of issue #12, Paul Day Clemens

It has small illos by Sonja Blank, and J. Lanata.

Thanks to our web Pages on the Internet and Dress Circle selling 100 copies of each issue, we now have 400-plus readers of "Beneath the Mask".

Ideas for the 1Oth anniversary have been discussed on the Phantom list on the Internet recently, so I thought I

should print a few of the suggestions and thoughts which came up. Write in and tell us what you think. You you never know, the RUG may even read this and use some of them!

• Editorial/Anniversary Ideas (3)
• Cast News (4)
• Reviews (music, video, Beauty and the Opera by Suzy McKee Charnas) (5)
• Dating the Phantom, not credited (when did it take place?) (6)
• Interview with Kevin Gray by Frances Pierro (7)
• These Things Do Happen... (stage goofs) (8)
• Interview with Sandra Margolese by Bethany Cap (9)
• Q&A (10)
• Think of Me, More Than a Sum of Its Parts, article by Carrie Hernandez (11)
• Interview with Peter de Smet by Ymke Simonis (12)
• Phantom in Edinburgh Playhouse, article by Mike Campbell (13)
• Fiction and Internet Updates (very small blurbs about zines, info about the Peter Karrie Home Page, about Karin Willison's online mailing list that includes her work-in-progress novel called "Shadows in the Spotlight") (14)
• Interview with Terry Pratchett by Sarah Hopkins (15)
• Gossip (cast news) (16)
• The Fandom of the Opera, article by Carrie Hernandez (about opera fans, discusses the fan survey from a previous issue) (17)
• Here I Have a Note (fan letters) (19)
• Advertisements (24)