The Phantom of the Opera/ Paparazzi VMA ‘09
The more I analyze Gaga’s VMA performance of Paparazzi, I’m being enlightened more and more of the references she was inspired by from my FAVORITE play on earth, The Phantom of the Opera. To begin, Gaga shows up at the VMAs in a Phantom inspired outfit.
Now onto the performance aspects, Gaga’s outfit somewhat resembles the dressing gown and bedazzled bustier Christine dawns.
The stage design is very specific in it’s tragic aspects, and is ridden with iconic pieces from the Phantom’s show including the grand hall, the staircases, and of course, the infamous fallen chandelier.
And finally, Gaga’s horrific display of her demise, hanging from a rope, is wildly reminiscent to how the Phantom murders his victims, through a noose. I find it harrowingly tragic how the Phantom’s noose is red and Gaga is covered in blood.
She’s fucking brilliant how she used inspiration from such a dark and morbidly romantic show to better her artistry and message. Her performance art takes an intense sense of decoding. Nothing Gaga does is by accident. Mixing Gaga and POTO together… that is my ultimate. I’m in love all over again.
