Madame Giry

Madame Giry
The Phantom of the Opera character
Giry as portrayed by Miranda Richardson in the 2004 film version.
First appearance	The Phantom of the Opera
Created by	Gaston Leroux
Portrayed by	Miranda Richardson
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Concierge
Children	Meg Giry (daughter)
Nationality	French

Madame Giry is a fictional character from Gaston Leroux's 1909 novel The Phantom of the Opera. She is a fairly intermediate character in the novel, although her role is much increased in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. This article will deal with both versions separately.

Madame Giry is an aging woman who works as a concierge in the rue de Provence, who looks after patrons of the Opera, principally those who sit in the .

One night, whilst working, Madame Giry hears a male voice in Box Five, which she knows to be empty. After recovering from her surprise, she learns to trust the "voice" and does odd jobs for the owner.

In the novel, it is never mentioned that she knows Christine Daaé.

One of her little tasks is to collect the monthly "salary" of 20,000 francs owed to the "Opera Ghost." The Ghost instructs the managers of the Opera to hand Madame Giry a sealed envelope containing the money. The Ghost has provided her with a duplicate that contains play money; she knows nothing of the contents of either envelope. Placing the duplicate in Box Five, she slips the real one into the back pocket of a manager's dress-coat while he is wearing it. The Ghost later retrieves the money from this pocket when the managers are back in the office, using a trapdoor built into the floor.

The managers, Firmin Richard and Armand Moncharmin, remove Madame Giry from her post, finding her troublesome. There is an indication that they consider her to be the Ghost, but since the Ghost remains in the Opera Garnier after Madame Giry is removed, this is clearly an erroneous suggestion. As they search for a replacement concierge, they invite one candidate to sit in the audience for a performance. The chandelier falls that night, killing the candidate. Following direct intervention by the Opera Ghost, Madame Giry is eventually reinstated into her role as concierge.

During a meeting with the managers, she explains that she once found a note in Box Five, written by the Ghost and listing a number of dancers and singers who married into royalty and the nobility, with her daughter Meg included as eventually becoming an empress. This note was enough to persuade Madame Giry to help the Ghost; later in life, Meg did become the Baroness de Castelot-Barbezac.