“Phantom of The Opera” had its World
Premiere on Oct. 9, 1986 at Her Majesties Theatre in London (still running)
winning every major British award including the Oliver and Standard Awards. The
New York production opened on Jan. 26th 1988.
It won seven Tony’s including Best
Musical. Internationally, its success has grossed over five billion (that’s a
‘B’) dollars and seen by over 2.5 million people around the world.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart
wrote the music and lyrics respectively with additional music by Richard
Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The story, based on the novel “Le Fantôme de
L’ Opéra by Gaston Leroux, is a love story twisted as it may be and that’s the
attraction.
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| Quentin Lee Oliver and Eva Tavares |
The love triangle between Christine
Daaé (Eva Tavares) a beautiful chorus girl turned ingénue in the new opera soon
to be opening at the Paris Opera House, Raul, Vicomte de Chagny, (Jordan Craig)
patron of the Opera House and the partially deformed half masked Phantom (Quentin
Oliver Lee) make up the love triangle in this somewhat horror/love story. So it
goes, one pulling at her the other enchanting her with his music.
The Phantom, deformed at birth, was sent
as a child to be gawked at at freak shows. Somehow he escapes and now haunts
the catacombs beneath the opera house terrorizing all its occupants. Smitten
with this new young beauty, Christine, he fires the now star Carlotta Guidicelli
(Trista Moldovan) of the upcoming opera for which they are rehearsing, insisting Christine be
the star as he appeals to her (“Angel of
Music”) by taking her into the underground world he calls home.
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| Quintin Lee Oliver and Eva Tavares |
When not trying to court (and I use
the word cautiously) and nurturing Christine, the Phantom pretty much bullies
the new owners of the Opera House Monsieur Firmin David Benoit) and Monsieur André
(Rob Lindley) who are the perfectly clueless managers, to do his biding. He
also has a way with anyone else he thinks isn’t worthy of performing there.
That would include the resident diva Carlotta and her leading male Ubaldo
Piangi’s (Phumzile Sojola).
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| Eva Tavares and Quentin Oliver Lee |
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| Eva Tavares and Jordan Craig |
So sue me. I like Andrew Lloyd
Webber. Some of his works at least. My patience wears thin with “Cats” even
though I have an affinity for cats. It’s done too often. In fact, before “Cats” the musical, I had
cats (the four legged kind) that ran my house. I even have T.S. Elliot’s “Old
Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” somewhere in the house. That said, I think
“Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat”, “Evita” and “Jesus Christ
Super Star” have some of the cleverest lyrics ever. Some of the big
showstoppers in these musicals are still (slobbery as they may be) lovely.
This new national tour passing
through our fair city through the Sept 2nd is looking very healthy, thank you
very much. Broadway/San Diego has brought this blockbuster back to us in what
is billed as ‘a spectacular restaging by Cameron Mackintosh including a new
chandelier that weighs 1 ton. Sitting under that weight would send shivers, but
on with the show.
 |
| Trista Moldovan |
The staircase at the top of Act II in
the colorful, ‘Masquerade Ball’ has been replaced by a large overhead mirror
reflecting the players dancing, in disguise, at the Grand Ballroom of the Opera
House.
The chandelier in the Phantom's underground dwellings are replaced by lots of fire shooting up like
firecrackers and the long unsteady staircase leading to his rooms replace the
mist filled canoe ride through the labyrinths under the opera house, and Ubaldo
rides in on a chariot rather than an elephant., little stuff like that. The
good news is that the sound is fantastic as far as the music is concerned but
still muffled when the actors are talking to each other.
Other subtleties that someone seeing
the show for the first time will never miss, have been taken over by a massive
revolving set that, most likely makes setting up and striking less labor
intense.What remains is the music of
Lloyd-Webber, the backbone of this “Music Of The Night”.
 |
| Kristie Dale Sanders |
The opening sounds still sends chills
up my spine when we hear Da-Da-Da- Da-Ta-Da… and the music box clinks to life
when the monkey pops up and begins clapping his tiny cymbals the new and
improved beaded chandelier that shimmy’s, shakes and shoots out fire streams and
little plastic shards into the audience still reverberate.
With Quentin Lee Oliver as the
overpowering all consuming Phantom ready to swoop down and pull Christine into
the dungeons, there is no question of who is in charge here. Oliver has a
beautiful and rich tenor voice n contrast to her long ago admirer Craig’s Raul with
a fine baritone voice but often sounded nasal.
Both soprano’s Ms. Tavares and Ms.
Maldovan sounded like angels (of music) both having an appealing presence and
gorgeous voices. Madame Giri (Khristie Dale Sanders) the choreographer for the
ballet girls has a rich Mezzo, and if we are counting, the women’s voices soar
above and beyond Mick Porter’s sound design.
Completing the pictures are Nina
Dunn’s video and projection design on Paul Brown massive looking set,
choreography by Scott Ambler with sure footed direction by Laurence Connor,
Paul Constable’s lighting and Maria Bjornson’s masterful costumes and complete
with Jamie John’s on target musical direction.
“Music Of The Night”, “All I ask Of
You”, “Wishing You Were “Somehow Here
Again”… yup I do love that music for what it's worth.
If you’ve not seen it, give it try, it is pretty spectacular looking!
See you at the theatre.
Dates: Through Sept. 2nd
Organization: Broadway San Diego
Production Type: Musical
Where: 1100 3rd and B Streets
Ticket Prices and show info: broadwaysd.com
Web: broadwaysd.com
Venue: San Diego Civic Theatre
Photo: Matthew Murphy
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