An evening of opera with Lon Chaney.

For those looking for a classically sophisticated way to celebrate Halloween, the Mabel Tainter is presenting the 1925 silent film, Phantom of the Opera, complete with live music accompaniment by the accomplished Menomonie composer, organist, and pianist, Mark Pruett. Pruett, a well-known Menomonie composer, will play a historic 1890 Steere and Turner track pipe organ, creating an eerie and spine-chilling atmospheric addition to the film. Adapted by the Gaston Leroux novel of the same title, the film tells the story of a gravely disfigured “phantom” who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing mass chaos and hysteria. By causing murder, mystery, and disorder within the theater, the phantom attempts to force the management to craft Christine, the woman he loves, into an acclaimed starlet. The film, chosen for preservation in the National Film Treasury for cultural significance, was a pioneering role for Lon Chaney, the film’s title actor. His makeup techniques and resulting physical transformation as the phantom helped revolutionize the horror genre. So, take a step back in time and experience one of the delights of early Hollywood with the unique bonus of live music to add to the experience.

Phantom of the Opera • Oct. 29 • Mabel Tainter Theatre, 205 E Main St., Menomonie • 7:30pm • $10 adult, $8 senior/student • 235-0001 • MabelTainter.com