Palm Beach church offers haunted fun with live silent movie, 'Phantom of the Opera'

A historic local church is offering some spooky fun, with a live showing of the silent film, “The Phantom of the Opera.”

Famed organist Dorothy Papadakos will accompany the 1929 release of the film on Oct. 27 at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach.

“They can expect lots of high drama, and also lots of laughter,” said Papadakos, who is on tour performing live organ music along with a slate of silent films. “With our sensibility all these 100 years later, some of the film seems very campy and melodramatic. It’s a fun movie to watch.”

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The movie and performance are suitable for ages 8 and older, with costumes suggested, Papadakos said. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and younger. Children ages 12 and younger who wear a costume and are accompanied by an adult in costume will get in free, with the adult’s paid admission.

The evening begins with a family-friendly Halloween party in the church’s garth at 6:30 p.m. The movie begins at 7 p.m.

Stuart Forster, associate for Music and Liturgy, organist and choirmaster for Bethesda-by-the-Sea, said he has known Papadakos for years and has wanted to work with her in Palm Beach. “She has this bubbly personality that makes you feel good, and it translates into her music beautifully,” he said.

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The party in the garth will be casual with a few treats, so everyone can see each other’s costumes, Forster said.

Then the movie will be projected onto a 12-foot screen at the front of the sanctuary, with the organ console pulled forward to sit next to the screen so guests can enjoy the full theatrics of Papadakos’ performance, he said.

Those theatrics include the organist herself dressed in a red-and-black Phantom costume.

“I swoop in,” she said, laughing.

The movie features early 1900s movie star and pioneering makeup artist Lon Chaney in the titular role, with Mary Philbin as Christina, the young opera singer at the story’s heart. The film — and later, the hit Broadway musical — is based on the serial novel "The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux.

“There’s some moments of true horror and real suspense,” Papadakos said.

The version being shown at Bethesda is the fourth release of the film, for which Chaney supervised an edit, she said. It’s about 30 minutes shorter than the original — and it’s in color, she said.

“The entire film is tinted, and there’s actually 17 minutes of original technicolor footage,” Papadakos said.

Forster said he’s never been to a silent movie before, and he looks forward to the experience.

“They’ve been growing in popularity, and all the organists’ conventions have them,” he said.

Papadakos noted that it’s exciting to see that “everything that’s old is new again.”

“I bet you, maybe one out of that entire audience we’re going to have that night will have seen a silent movie live in their lifetime,” she said.

The response so far has been exciting, Forster said. “We’re constantly looking for new ways of inviting people to come and experience this fantastic space,” he said.

“I think as people reinvent their lives coming out of COVID, they’re all looking to see what the options are, and we want everybody to know that we’re a warm, loving community, and that everybody is welcome here.”

Papadakos said she most looks forward to the interaction between herself, the actors on the screen and the audience.

“I love the dynamic, the synergy of all of us going on this journey together,” she said. “You never know what’s going to happen, because every organ and audience is different. … Some audiences burst out laughing, and others hold their breath. I have to play to their feeling.”

If you go:

What: Live viewing of the silent film “Phantom of the Opera”

Where: The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, 141 S. County Road, Palm Beach

When: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27

Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for ages 12 and younger, free for costumed children ages 12 and younger when accompanied by a paying adult

Information and tickets: www.bbts.org

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach to show 'Phantom of the Opera'