The Phantom of the Opera (November 14th, 2015)

The Phantom of the Opera

November 14th, 2015

Matinee

Another trip to Phantom! I've been at the Royal Opera House so much that it felt a bit weird to be back in my old haunt. It's not quite the same as I've been sitting in the Grand Circle (cheaper seats!) rather than stalls, but still. Anyway, I finally got around to seeing the new principal Christine Celinde Schoenmaker, and also managed to catch a few new covers on, so it made for an interesting show. I don't have too many comments on the show itself as I was mostly focusing on the performers, so I've divided the review into sections based on performer. Enjoy!

Seat/Venue Review: I sat A21 in the Grand Circle, and it was £51. Overall quite a good seat. You have to lean forward a bit, but you can see everything on the stage happening. You miss a few details being farther away, but I think it's a good value for what you get. The only thing I hate about the GC is the lack of bathrooms. Also the staff get quite snippy if you want to check the cast board before going up to the GC. 

John Owen-Jones

John Owen-Jones
(program scan by Viscountess on Tumblr)

Love him! Really, really adore his Phantom. But I couldn't for the life of me tell you why. He's basically an all-around amazing Phantom. The voice is fabulous (I've never heard a Phantom get applause mid-song, but JOJ totally deserved it. His voice is like listening to melting caramel), his acting is interesting and engaging, and his very presence on stage is just *drool*. I'm kind of sparse on details because I can't actually tell you specific little things I liked or disliked about his Phantom, I just loved it all. Off the top of my head, I like how he turns the end of the title song into a bit of a music lesson (he's 'conducting' Christine with his hands), and I like how he's not overly violent in the Final Lair. You get the sense that there's some intense crazy under the calm, smooth exterior, but it doesn't pop out much. I also love how he does the Italian accent (mimicking Piangi) in PONR; it's a cool little detail that makes the setup and Christine's reaction far more believable. I also like that he expresses his emotions with his whole body; it's not confined to just his face/hands. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's like watching a dancer (like Matthew Golding in R&J) rather than someone just 'acting'. Anyway, JOJ is amazing and such a treat to watch. 

Celinde Schoenmaker

I wanted to like her. I so badly wanted to like her, because I adored her Fantine, and I thought it was amazing that someone really different from the typical casting was playing Christine. But I was unfortunately quite disappointed by her. 

Celinde Schoenmaker
(tumblr)

Let me start by saying: Celinde's voice is glorious. Her Think of Me Cadenza was the most mind-blowing thing I've ever heard. It was a much richer, deeper sound than your typical Christine. Though her voice is beautiful, I thought she over sung the part (and Harriet Jones was guilty of this early in her run too). She goes all out and sings literally everything. Even lines that are usually spoken, she sings. Because of this, she misses opportunities to express her emotions in her voice (true, she could do this while singing, but she doesn't). Her performance was so vocally-centered, that there was very little character development; nothing really emotionally engaging about her performance. I'm re-reading this and it's making no sense, but she just sings stuff. She doesn't feel it, and that shows in her voice. I also struggled with her accent quite a bit (which was odd because I didn't even notice it as Fantine); it was very thick. She was still understandable, but it seemed as though she was having a difficult time trying to hide the accent, the result being that any time she spoke/sung, it just sounded awkward. I expect she will become more comfortable with this in time.
I was also quite put off by her acting. It was just uncomfortable to watch. It was very much "I'm doing the choreography and blocking that was given to me," and therefore came off as rehearsed rather than natural. It didn't feel 'in the moment'. Some of her acting choices didn't make a lot of sense to me; she seemed far too excited about the Phantom appearing in her mirror (ok, this could make sense if you think about it, but I didn't get it at the time) and was really smiley and twitchy during MOTN. I heard others call it 'Orgasm acting' (a la Gina Beck) - I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it certainly looked off. She also never really got emotional with her face. I mean, she'd frown or smile, but otherwise kept a pretty neutral expression. I couldn't tell you what Christine was feeling at any given moment, and I can't say anything about how her character developed through the show, because it didn't. There's not a whole lot to say here… just disappointing. I loved her acting as Fantine and was expecting such an interesting, emotional Christine.
The one part of her performance that I unexpectedly loved was the second half of the Final Lair; it seemed that she finally let herself go, and went all out emotionally. Face, voice, movements - everything felt less choreographed and more natural. If she could do the whole show like that, she'd be incredible. From "Tears of Hate", she was just on FIRE! I also loved her "Angel of music, you DECEIVED ME!" etc. She just completely broke down, and it showed in her face, voice, and body (everything about her just collapsed inwards). After that line, she just started gasping, and looked very distressed. It was so effective, and demonstrated that she is more than capable of delivering an emotional performance.  The other time I felt like this was at the very beginning of PONR, when she was playing with the Apple. It felt as though she was actually having fun and playing around, rather than rigidly performing choreography. So yeah, let yourself go Celinde!

Nadim Namaan and Celinde Schoenmaker
(program scan by Viscountess on Tumblr)

Mostly, I feel like Celinde's being held back by trying to be the stereotypical vulnerable, delicate Christine. Whether that's her choice or the directors, I don't know. But she's never going to be a delicate, childlike, innocent Christine. She doesn't have the voice or the look to pull that off. However, she absolutely could be a more mature, fierce, badass Christine (a la Olivia Brereton). I mean, yes, there are essential moments of vulnerability. But it's so much more effective to play a really fierce Christine who has multiple layers, including a vulnerable layer which shows through during All I Ask of You, Final Lair, Wishing, etc.). This could be so effective if she just was allowed to portray it that way. Anyway, I've got my fingers crossed. Celinde's got a fabulous Christine inside of her, I'm just hoping we'll get to see it some day. 

Nadim Namaan

Not my favourite performance of his. I felt like he didn't gel very well with Celinde; they didn't seem like close friends or a couple. His usual protectiveness wasn't there, possibly because Celinde's Christine is much more mature and doesn't really need a protector as much. So I think he could've adjusted slightly, but since Celinde doesn't really know what she's doing character wise, Nadim didn't have a lot to work with. So I'll forgive it. Not much to say other than that, but he still had some really good moments as Raoul. "Cease this torment!" in Wandering Child Trio was very passionate, very believable. I love his acting in this scene; he speaks with such conviction and power - making a sometimes ridiculous scene actually mean something. Nadim does a great job at communicating Raoul's fiercer side without going overboard. Loved when he was in the noose; he was really struggling against it and fighting. I loved his, "Christine, forgive me, please forgive me," too. Definitely communicating that it wasn't her fault they'd ended up in this situation, or apologising for not being able to save her/listen to her sooner. Depends on your perception of Raoul. But I liked it.
All in all, great voice, powerful singer (you can always hear him properly), decent acting. I still love his Raoul, just not quite as blown away as the first time I saw him.

Lyndsey Gardiner

Lyndsey Gardiner
(operafantomet tumblr)

Story time! Back when I saw Phantom in London the first few times, there was a swing (I'd just learned what a swing was so I liked to try to spot them) that I really, really liked. She put her own unique little stamp on every ensemble character she played, even if said character was only onstage for 6 seconds. It felt like she put a lot of effort and thought into what she was doing, and that made her very entertaining to watch. A while later, I found out that said swing had been promoted to 2nd cover Carlotta! Whoop! Only… I never got to see her (I had the 1st cover Carlotta a lot, which was great because I loved her, but I still wanted to see said favourite swing). So, a year+ and a cast change later, I finally got to see my favourite swing as Carlotta! And it was so worth the wait.
Lyndsey's Carlotta was so delightfully funny, obnoxious, fierce - I could go on for a while. She really made the character her own, and it wasn't an interpretation that seemed copied from anyone else - very fresh and unique. She had a solid, believable accent, and a voice to die for. She wasn't too shrill or 'throaty' as some Carlottas can get; it was a very solid, clear sound, with just a touch of pomp and a 'look how wonderful I can be' air about it. I really liked that she kept the Italian accent consistent through the singing/speaking/etc. - a lot of Carlotta's tend to drop it when they're singing (after TOM).
My favourite part about Lyndsey's Carlotta had to be the acting. She was so charismatic and engaging; I couldn't take my eyes off of her. t loved how she said "She's mad," in Notes II; it sounded very snobby, frank, and high-schooler-ish, which was funny. Never heard anyone go for that angle before. I can't exactly put it into words, but I found her Carlotta so much fun to watch. Little details in her interactions with the other characters established a solid diva-esque personality, her little rants and emotional outbursts were over the top, yet entirely believable simply because she put the effort into thoroughly establishing her character. I really, really loved her as Carlotta, and I don't think this review does her justice. As with JOJ, I just loved everything she did, and it's difficult to put my finger on a few specific things that made her portrayal so enjoyable.

Basically at this point I'm just annoyed that after how much I liked her, I doubt I'll see her as Carlotta again (it was difficult enough to see her once!). I have a checklist for Carlotta, and Lyndsey checked all the boxes, and then some! She's an amazing, entertaining, and feisty Carlotta, and I totally recommend going to see her if you get the chance. Also, I feel like she'd make a really interesting Christine… she's got the right look for it, and I'd love to see her act something like that as I really thought she put her own stamp on Carlotta. I'd completely support her being the new cover Christine after Lisa's promoted (I mean, I doubt that'd happen, but I'd love to see it). 

Daisy Hulbert

Daisy Hulbert
(picslist.com)

I was very unpleasantly surprised by just how awful Daisy's Meg was. I liked watching her in the ensemble and thought she was a nice and interesting dancer, and I fully expected her to be a decent Meg. I was so wrong. She was embarrassingly bad. I'm surprised anyone let her on stage. In Hannibal, she was trying far too hard to stand out. A beat ahead of everyone, making ridiculous faces, movements not flowing… not pretty. Also, sickled foot! Argh. Even Celinde managed to keep her foot straight, whereas when Daisy's foot was on the floor, it was so turned in I don't know how she didn't hurt herself. Anyway, I wasn't impressed.

I'd heard her sing some stuff before, and I didn't think much of her voice, so I wasn't expecting too much from her vocally. I figured it'd be mediocre at best. I wish she'd been mediocre. Her singing voice was so bad I don't even know how to describe it (my friend described it as a drugged gerbil if that's any help…). Cringeworthy comes to mind. Squeaky. Wobbly. Babyish. Rodent-esque (my hamster made more pleasant noises than her, to be completely honest). Take your pick. It was just.. awful. I'm making faces just thinking about it. I mean, I think she was hitting the notes… sort of… she totally missed them on "the words aren't yours!" though (oh my goodness that was painful to listen to). I guess there's not much else to say about her singing, because I think I'm just ranting now. But it really was unpleasant. They could've used her Angel of Music as some form of torture. I mean, she couldn't even sing "Christine!" without sounding all warbly and shrill. There was no smoothness in her voice (forgive my lack of terminology; I'm a gymnast, not a singer). 

The one thing that wasn't awful was her acting. It wasn't to my taste, certainly. At times it was way over the top, whereas other times she faded into the background. But she seemed to be going for a very childlike approach, and she at least communicated that well. Did I like it? Nope. Did she make a choice and commit to it? Yep. So I'll give her that. But I really have no desire to see the atrocity that is this Meg onstage every again.  

General

The ensemble was weirdly sparse (illness/holiday I assume?); it looked as though a few female ensemble were missing, I spotted at least one male swing on, and there were at least two ballet girls missing (plus Daisy on for Meg), and no male dancer. It looked rather odd watching Daisy and Lily essentially partnering themselves in Il Muto. Unfortunately, no matter how good those girls are, it was very obvious that there were people missing. And I have to say, this group of girls don't gel nearly as well as the last cast (which is weird because it's almost all the same… I guess Layla being gone and Georgia and Danielle missing has a significant impact). Everyone was slightly off time with each other, nothing looked as tight and clean as it usually is.