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And so The Phantom of the Opera has had a facelift. The show is only 26 years old — still running on Broadway, basically unaltered since 1988 — but producer Cameron Macintosh decided to restage and reconceive the touring blockbuster, determined to make it “bigger and better.”
Bigger? Not really.
Better? Some might agree.
As seen here courtesy of PNC Broadway Across America, the genius lies in director Laurence Conner’s simple and clever staging.
And Scott Ambler’s choreography, Paule Constable’s lighting, Mick Potter’s sound design and the original costume design by the late Maria Björnson.
And mostly Paul Brown’s new set.
The smart set incorporates a turntable for the first time, a towering multistory cylinder that revolves as it moves between various spaces. Sections open to reveal scenes, such as the new opera manager’s office (done in blood red!).
A staircase is used by the Phantom to lead Christine to his underground lair; the stairs emerge from the wall one at a time, which is possibly dangerous since both performers are wired for safety until they are closer to the stage floor.
A decision has been made to make the Phantom, an addict of pyrotechnic power, younger (or at least closer to Christine’s age), and stars Chris Mann and Katie Travis’ chilly chemistry might well be another of Conner’s choices. The show ends and begs the question: Does Christine want a career from the man who is obsessed with her, or security with her beau, Raoul (played acceptably by Storm Lineberger)?
Phantom fanatics won’t mind the production’s nips and tucks. Andrew Lloyd Weber’s sweeping score is still here (with a few new unmemorable tunes, though all singers are superb); the gondola still floats across a dry-ice lake; and the chandelier … well, it drops from the Benedum’s ceiling, but not in its previously startling way.
The greatest disappointment is the phantom’s unmasking. In Act I, he removes the mask to wash his face (!) and carefully shields the left side from Christine (and the audience). That’s because the appliances are applied during intermission. Yet no gasps are heard when she exposes his death mask, because the infamous dramatic moment had already been squashed.
But the Music of the Night won’t ever end.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2015.
Just correcting your errant review. The prosthetic face makeup is worn the entire show, not applied at intermission as you’ve reported. It also is on the right side of my face, not the left as you reported.
I was sitting in the second row, dead center. The unmasking change was part of Cameron’s change. when Erik “washes” his face, and later goes upstage, his uses his hand to “hide” the left side of his face; the right side was not marred. Only his ear was at this “deformed.” During intermission, the full “death mask” was apllied and she removed it
The prosthetic is most definitely worn on the right side of his face for the entire show. That is why the mask covers the right side of his face. There is no time to apply it during the 20-min intermission.
One more error in this review: they have not added any musical numbers in this production. It is still the same score as the brilliant original. I guess they were “unmemorable” the first time you heard them, too.
Am I the only one who noticed that the Phantom’s voice kept “breaking” during certain notes, into this quasi-speaking type thing? As someone who is quite familiar with the show, it was really distracting as none of the other productions or cast recordings have such a breaking tone.
Some of the musical numbers are new; they were written for the flop film and used in pieces here
Sir, I would highly suggest doing even a bit of research before publishing anything you write. I assure you that this production has not added any new musical numbers. Please go listen to an original cast recording.