Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
One hundred years ago, on November 15, 1925, Universal Pictures released the first of many film adaptations of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, The Phantom of the Opera, starring the inimitable Lon Chaney as the Phantom in his iconic makeup that frightened movie-goers over the ages. That story has been remade many, many times in various forms, including Brian De Palma’s 1974 rock musical, Phantom of the Paradise, but the Opera Ghost truly became a part of pop culture in 1986 when Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation opened in London’s West End before heading to Broadway in 1988, where it played until 2023 (shocking many of the show’s fans who thought the show would run forever). Since its debut, there have been four national tours, including the ‘mega tour’ which we reviewed in 2016 and 2019. That tour ended just as COVID shutdowns were on the horizon, and since that time the Phantom has been quiet (in the US, at least). But a new re-imagining of the show hit Broadway, the immersive Masquerade, which many thought was going to be a re-mounting of the full show based on the production currently playing in London. Instead, that West End production is now the basis for the fifth national tour of The Phantom of the Opera, which set up shop at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre six weeks ago (after weeks of rehearsals in New York), and after five preview shows, most of the bugs have been worked out and the show is ready to hit the road for a multi-year tour.
By this point in time you must know the story of the The Phantom of the Opera, but if you’re still unfamiliar we’ll give you a very quick recap. Following an auction in 1919 at the Paris Opera House, where one of the items is a massive chandelier involved in a ‘disaster beyond belief’, the story shifts back to 1881 when a new production of Hannibal is in rehearsals. New owners of the Opera House are introduced, and after an accident on stage, rumors swirl that the Opera Ghost is back. The new owners take it in stride, but it becomes clear that ‘OG’ does not like prima donna Carlotta and prefers ingenue Christine Daaé to take the lead … or else. It seems this shadowy figure has been coaching Christine, and when her former beau Raoul returns, things get complicated as the Phantom is not only angry that this young man will distract Christine from her lessons, but may also interfere with matters of the heart. Pushed to his limits, the Phantom takes Christine to his lair, but after she sees his hideously disfigured face, he lets her go but he still sends many (many) notes to the new owners that they must replace Carlotta with Christine … or else. They decide to throw caution to the wind, and the Phantom makes good on his promise, bringing the chandelier crashing down on the audience (or just above their heads as the case may be — no audience members are harmed during the production). It then becomes a game of cat and mouse as the Phantom delivers his own opera to be performed, with Christine as the lead, while Raoul and Monsieurs Firmin and André attempt to set a trap to bring an end to the Phantom’s reign of terror once and for all, using Christine as bait. But will her own heart betray her, keeping her with her ‘Angel of Music’, or will she return to a life above the catacombs with Raoul?
Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
This ‘new’ version of The Phantom of the Opera has been referred to as ‘stripped down’ compared to the last ‘mega tour’, which had an amazing wall feature which the Phantom and Christine descended during the iconic title song number, and then it split open to reveal the Phantom’s lair. The ‘mega tour’ was truly a visual extravaganza and really re-invigorated the show, in this writer’s opinion. Having seen one of the previous tours in the early 1990s, the ‘mega tour’ really made me love the show that I initially just thought was kind of okay. So how does this new production compare?
Off the bat we have to say that this is hardly ‘stripped down’ although it’s not quite as ‘mega’ as the previous production. Here, the chandelier seems to be more grand with its lights, movement and pyrotechnics, and it falls just inches above the heads of the audience as it did in the previous production (in most productions it actually crashes down onto the stage, but storywise it makes more sense to have it fall over the audience as the Phantom seeks to cause maximum damage). Gone is the massive wall, and aside from the candles rising from the ‘underground lake’ as the Phantom guides the gondola to his lair, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ musical number doesn’t quite hit the mark as the Phantom and Christine are off-stage a couple of times leaving the audience to stare at the scenery while they sing (and something about the quality of the audio during that number makes me suspect that it was pre-recorded). This is obviously due to the logistics of getting the actors from one side of the stage to the other in less time than it would actually take (I suspect some doubles were used for the first verse), and it took a long time for them to get from the bottom of the ‘staircase’ to the gondola before it made its appearance. Hopefully this is something that will flow smoother as the show really gets into its groove during the tour. These things are bound to become easier with time. What does impress are the massive set-pieces for the roof of the Opera House with its huge horse statue (that moves!), and the large Daaé family crypt in the cemetery scene, really showing off the artistry of Production Designer Maria Björnson. It was also well-known during the ‘mega tour’ that fans of the show vehemently disliked the set for the ‘Masquerade’ number that opens Act II, replacing the iconic staircase with an oddly mirrored room. Well, good news — the staircase is back! As much as it can be for a touring show. It’s not the classic winding staircase (the winding part is pretty effectively filled in by a painted backdrop — which perhaps should have omitted the static figures which kind of destroys the illusion), and the entire cast is tightly backed onto it at the start, but it still works and the reveal of the Phantom’s appearance was pretty nifty. In the previous production, the office of Firmin and André was fully realized and now you have to use a lot of imagination, as draped curtains are used to imply the office (this technique seems to be more and more common for touring shows that don’t need another set to haul around, which I first noticed on the Beetlejuice tour). One cool element is the door hidden in the black wall behind the scene that opens to reveal a bright light and fog when characters enter and exit. The opening Hannibal opera scene is pretty identical to just about every version of the show, lavish as all get-out. So you can say that there are elements of this version that are stripped down, while others are quite grand and opulent. One other impressive feature of the show is the custom surround sound audio that is used to make it sound like the Phantom is speaking from different parts of the theatre, courtesy of Sound Designer Mick Potter. Andrew Bridge’s Lighting Design is also impressive, keeping the opera and theatre scenes brightly lit while the Phantom’s lair is dim with reflections of the lake water on the background. The Phantom’s make-up for this production is quite gruesome as well, with what appears to be exposed bone when his mask is removed. It is one of the more impressive designs for the Phantom’s face. Director Seth Sklar-Heyn takes this production back to the classic Hal Prince staging, and aside from those long moments of no one on stage during ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, everything flows smoothly and those massive sets appear and disappear swiftly and without a sound. Jill Parker has also done a magnificent job recreating the original costumes by Maria Björnson, from Carlotta’s forty-pound gown (trust me, that thing is heavy) to the Phantom’s cape with 2,000 hand-sewn bugle beads. There is nothing ‘off the rack’ on display here. All of the technical aspects of the show are very impressive.
Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
The cast is also excellent. Isaiah Bailey impresses as the Phantom with his powerful voice, delivering the Phantom’s signature songs ‘The Music of the Night’, ‘All I Ask of You’ and ‘Point of No Return’ with a lot of emotion. Bailey imbues the Phantom with a big heart — however misguided his judgment may be — making the audience believe he truly does love Christine, and he is also quite frightening as he lashes out in anger when he feels she’s casting him aside for Raoul. Even for all of his questionable actions, it’s important that the audience feels empathy and sadness for the Phantom by the end, and thanks to Bailey’s performance we do feel sad for him as Christine bids him adieu. If after all he’s done, the Phantom can still manage to get a tear or two welling up in your eyes in the final moments, then the actor has done his job. Bailey manages to do just that. It’s also important that Christine be relatable to the audience, and Jordan Lee Gilbert does manage to give her that ‘girl next door’ persona. Christine is always being pulled in so many directions — and being used as bait — so Gilbert has to make sure she never makes Christine feel like she’s intentionally trying to ensnare the Phantom. And she can’t just be a victim either. There comes a moment in Act II during the performance of the Phantom’s Don Juan Triumphant which sets the trap for the Phantom, and while Gilbert has to convey Christine’s ambivalence about performing the lead role because of the position it puts her in, Gilbert shows quite clearly when she realizes the Phantom has replaced lead actor Piangi in the title role; it’s also obvious to the audience for very specific reasons but that does not detract from how Gilbert uses her expression and body language to convey that Christine realizes who she is now on stage with, ready to reveal the Phantom to Raoul and the police waiting off-stage. Gilbert also has a magnificent, operatic voice that she puts to good use in her songs including ‘Angel of Music’ and ‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again’, a lovely ode to her departed father. Gilbert makes Christine’s devotion to her ‘Angel of Music’ obvious, although at times she seems more mesmerized by him, almost hypnotically drawn to him, but she also makes it clear her heart is with Raoul. As Bailey does with the Phantom, Gilbert has to make the audience feel that she does have some feelings for the Phantom while she knows she has to leave with Raoul before the police and other denizens of the theatre converge on his lair. We know she can’t stay with him, but even as they say their goodbye, Gilbert’s performance packs an emotional punch, also getting a few tears welling up in our eyes.
Daniel Lopez makes for a dashing Raoul, giving the character a sense of arrogance that almost makes us wonder if Christine is better off with the Phantom. Even as he leads the charge to expose the Phantom and have the authorities capture him, even he shows the man some compassion in the final scene — even after the Phantom tried to hang him right there in front of Christine. Lopez also has a powerful voice, something he needs to compete with the others in those group numbers when everyone is singing over everyone else, but he pairs nicely with Gilbert on ‘All I Ask of You’ and ‘Wandering Child’. Midori Marsh is appropriately haughty as the prima donna Carlotta, always believing that she is the center of the world, incensed that she is being forced to step aside for the ingenue, but finally willing to play along to capture the Phantom. And her operatic voice is just stunning, the notes she can hit. Lisa Vroman is also excellent as Madame Giry, the ballet instructor who also acts as the Phantom’s protector (until things get out of hand), delivering his notes to the theatre owners and others as designated. When she is in a scene, it’s almost difficult to take your eyes off of her, watching her facial expressions and body language as she reacts to what is going on in a particular scene. She also serves a lot of Mrs. Danvers from Rebecca in her look and how she always seems to reference the Phantom, and she does it so well. It should be noted that in the 2004 movie musical based on the show, Madame Giry is revealed to be the Phantom’s mother, which explains her connection to him, but that seems to be an invention of the screenwriter as it is never a plot point in the show. William Thomas Evans and Carrington Vilmont are a hoot as Firmin and André, the true comic relief of the show, getting all of the laughs with their dialog and actions, with Vilmont getting a particularly big laugh as he reveals his costume in the ‘Masquerade’ number. They are certainly comical but they never upstage anyone else for the laugh. Christopher Bozeka is wonderful as Piangi, the divo of the opera troupe, usually blustering about something and taking great offense when the Phantom takes a dig at his weight not being appropriate for the role of Don Juan. He also gets some laughs during rehearsals for the Phantom’s opera, unable to correctly sing what is written much to the frustration of everyone involved. Melo Ludwig is also wonderful as Meg Giry, who seems to be carrying on her mother’s task of protecting the Phantom. The ensemble for the show also do some great work from Gillian Lynne’s and Chrissie Cartwright’s sometimes intense choreography, particularly the ballet scenes, to blending their vocals with the main cast in the group numbers, particularly ‘Masquerade’.
In the end, while I personally was not as wowed by this Phantom as I was with the previous tour, it still offers everything fans want and expect, bringing the show back to its Hal Prince origins, nearly flawless in its execution — again, it will run even smoother with time — proving once and for all that love, and The Phantom of the Opera, never dies.
The Phantom of the Opera runs about 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Advisory: This production contains theatrical haze, fog, prop guns, blank firing, and open flame.
The Phantom of the Opera runs through November 15 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Other cities on the first leg of the tour include Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and more. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
