The Phantom of the Opera (Friday, Nov. 9th, 2012)

The Phantom of the Opera

I have loved The Phantom of the Opera since I was a little girl, and saw it in London years ago. I saw it again in Toronto about five years ago, but it just wasn’t the same as London’s splendor. But on Friday, November 9th, I had the amazing experience of seeing Phantom (to use the common abbreviation) at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. The experience was truly magical. Phantom is based on the book written by Gaston Leroux; the music for the stage performance is composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. The production I saw was directed by Harold Prince, and starred Scott Davies and Anna O’Byrne.

Phantom is the story of Christine Daae (Anna O’Byrne, alternate), a young dancer at Paris’ Opera Populaire who has been taking secret singing lessons from the Angel of Music. When the leading Soprano quits after the set collapses on her, Christine is thrust into the spotlight by the Ballet Mistress, Madame Giry (Cheryl McAvoy), who knows of Christine’s secret tutor. New theatre managers Firmin and Andre (Barry James and Gareth Snook) cast her in the leading role. That night, the Opera’s new patron Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny (Simon Thomas) see’s Christine’s performance, and remembers her from their childhood together. Raoul requests Christine’s company at dinner, and he cannot be persuaded otherwise, although Christine tells him that she cannot, as the Angel of Music is very strict. Raoul leaves to get his hat, and Christine is kidnapped by the Phantom (Scott Davies, standby), lured into his realm by his hypnotic spell. So begins Christine’s journey through fear, courage, and undying love. 

It truly is 'Brilliant'!

As an extreme fan of Phantom (a ‘Phan’, if you will), I was beyond excited to see this musical again. I had high expectations of every member of the cast, and I was not disappointed. I have always thought that Phantom was a beautiful love story, despite the murder and the terror involved. It captures the audience with the beautiful, enchanting Christine, and her complete contrast with the ever-so-terrifying Phantom. I will admit, the start was a little slow. I can see the necessity of drawing out that opening scene; it introduces some important aspects of the play, such as the Phantom’s Monkey Music Box, a poster for Hannibal (the first Opera that Christine stars in), and obviously the Chandelier. But it just felt too slow. The second act got going right off the bat though; there was never a dull moment in that act. Probably the only thing I disliked about the overall performance was the songs Notes and Prima Donna. Aside from Raoul and Carlotta, the voices in these songs were quite weak. All of the notes were being hit, but there was no power behind them. 

Two choices that the director made that I would like to evaluate are the Blocking, and use of a stand-in Christine and Phantom during the title song. Oftentimes, I found that the Phantom had his back - or rather, his behind - to the audience, a view which was not particularly interesting nor helpful. A slight turn towards the audience would have been much more effective than a complete backside-view. As well, during one of the early scenes, when the rehearsal for Hannibal is occurring, Christine is ‘dancing’ front and centre, attempting to follow instruction from Meg. While I understand that Anna O’Byrne is not a ballet dancer (she did go up en pointe a few times, though) I think it would have been more effective to put her in non-pointe shoes, and have her dancing simple choreography in the back. There is no reason why she would still be in the ballet chorus if she was such a terrible dancer, so making use of the fact that the actress playing Christine was not a trained dancer wasn’t helpful. Perhaps, when Meg’s skillful dancing was mentioned by Andre and Firmin, they could also have mentioned Christine’s lack of ability, to which Madame Giry might have replied, “Well, I have been allowing her to miss rehearsal due to other commitments,” meaning, her singing lessons with the Phantom. Or Christine could have been put in the back, left unnoticed until it was her time to sing. I think this would have added to the idea that she is ‘just a chorus girl,’ not a leading soprano, as someone (I cannot remember precisely who) mentions. During the title song, ‘Phantom’ and ‘Christine’ walk across the stage and down a staircase in the stage, then almost immediately appear on a bridge above the stage. This is meant to convey the fact that the Phantom is taking her below the opera house, but I am always distracted by the fact that the Christine is so clearly a stand-in. It’s easier for the Phantom; they just need a replicate mask, and someone who is roughly the same height and weight as the Phantom. But for Christine, the wig was slightly longer, and she kept her face ever-so-artfully turned away from the audience. All I could think about was how annoying this was. I would not suggest changing this; I like the overall effect, and it would be impossible to get the actors from below the stage to the bridge at the top in a matter of seconds. It is just a personal pet-peeve of mine. I would love to see it tried differently, but I’m not entirely sure how that would work. But this is one area of the play where I would like to see a bit more of the director’s influence (in general, in this musical, I like everything to stay the same), as opposed to just his choice to keep it this way.

Anna O'Byrne as Christine Daae

The main actor that caught my attention was Anna O’Byrne, who played Christine. I first saw Anna on Youtube, in the Australian Production of Phantom’s sequel, Love Never Dies, where Anna played an older, more mature Christine, reuniting with the Phantom for the first time in a decade. When I found out she was playing Christine in London, I had to see her. I found out exactly which dates she was performing on (being the alternate Christine, she performs only Mondays, Fridays, and whenever Sofia Escobar, the regular Christine, is away), and even found out that I could go to Stage Door after the show and get her autograph (Twitter is a magical invention). I expected much from her; nothing less than what I saw and loved in Love Never Dies. Anna did not disappoint. She was utter perfection; her voice, her acting, her overall performance. Everything was perfect. Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again is my favourite song in the musical, and she sang it beautifully. The acting didn’t feel like acting; every step flowed, and nothing seemed over calculated or unnatural. I found it a little awkward that she was taller than most everyone in the cast (including the Phantom), but after the first few scenes, I didn’t even notice it. Anna is trained in Classical Voice, and has performed Opera previously, and I think this showed in her performance. Her voice was flawless; there was never a moment where you were worried that it might falter. I think this is important for Christine; it is hard to pay attention to the overall performance when the voice isn’t quite there. There are such amazing former Christines like Sierra Boggess and Gina Beck who’s acting is completely there, but the voice is a little off, which I find somewhat unsettling. Every person who plays Christine is talented, but Anna O’Byrne took it to the next level. She wasn’t an overly emotional Christine, which I’m not a fan of, or a ‘deer in the headlights’ Christine, like the original Christine Sarah Brightman. She captured the essence of Christine; a girl who is timid and afraid, but also exceptionally loving and brave.  A girl who can see the beauty behind a hideous face. The only word I can think of to describe Anna O’Byrne’s performance is flawless. 

Scott Davies as The Phantom

The second actor that I would like to comment on is Scott Davies, who played The Phantom. I had been expecting Marcus Lovett, who has had fairly negative reviews (at least, that I have read). Until the end of the show, I had no idea that it was, in fact, Scott Davies. So I had a bit of a bias; I was looking for flaws more closely in him because I expected them (under the assumption that he was Marcus Lovett). So I was pleasantly surprised at how good he was. There were moments I disliked, though. Perhaps it was microphone troubles, but half of the time, I could not hear him over the music, or over Christine. There was also a fair amount of over-acting, which I did not appreciate. When Christine came back to the lair to return the ring, he went from weepy to instantly over-excited, and it just felt false. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but he also seemed way too breathy. It worked out fine during certain moments, such as the reprise of All I Ask of You at the end of the first act, right before the Phantom brings down the chandelier. Agitation and heavy breathing go together. But most of the time, it just seemed out of place. I also found the Phantom lacking in character and personality. Usually, they’re mysterious, passionate, or downright insane. Scott Davies’ Phantom was kind of an awkward jumble of the three, which I found to take away from the Phantom’s personality. I have to give Scott a little credit though; I am comparing him to such amazing Phantoms as Ramin Karimloo and John Owen Jones, who’s performances are legendary.

Technically, I thought the show was fantastic. Based on where I was sitting, I could not see the chandelier once it was in place, but I certainly saw it go down. Since Her Majesty’s Theatre has hosted this show for so long, the Chandelier crash is much more effective and realistic than it was in the Toronto performance. The costumes were marvelous; all the classic, known and loved costumes were brilliantly crafted and worked perfectly with the scenes they were in. I love that most of the costume designs have barely changed in the last 26 years of the production. I strongly disliked the costumes in the 2004 movie, so I am especially appreciative that they stuck with the original costumes in the stage show. Changing them would just feel wrong, especially to those of us who are totally devoted to Phantom. The only costume issue that I had was during the practice of the Phantom’s Opera, Don Juan Triumphant. Christine was wearing a beautiful blue dress... and a cloak and scarf. Indoors. During a rehearsal. Now, this is the well-known and beloved costume for Wishing You Were Somewhere Here Again, which immediately followed the rehearsal scene, so I can understand why she wore it. But I felt that the cloak could have been quickly put on afterwards, as it was just too strange to see it being worn during a rehearsal (especially with the hood partway up). The makeup, too, was quite good. Most of the performers came out of Stage Door with their makeup still on, so you could see just how detailed and perfect that it was. From the audience, it wasn’t obvious that so much makeup was being worn (except for Carlotta and the Phantom), which I like. Too much makeup detracts from the overall effect. When the makeup overpowers everything else... it just doesn’t look right to me. I thought the Phantom’s makeup looked a little sloppy and overdone, though, making it seem more unrealistic. I would be interested to see if the regular Phantom’s makeup is any more subtle or accurate. Wigs are also a major part of this play; almost everyone wears one. The only comment I have on this aspect is that I though Christine changed her wig after the first act; it was shorter and very curly in the first act, and longer and softer in the second (in fact, I think they may have re-curled the ‘second’ wig between scenes; it looked very limp at one point, but later looked much nicer). But it turns out that the curls just fell drastically between the two acts (thank you Anna O’Byrne for letting me know!) which, based on how hot the theatre was, makes sense. The lighting was not too elaborate, which was nice. I liked how during Raoul’s part in Think of Me, Christine was facing the back of the stage, with a single spotlight coming from the left side of the ceiling. It provided a beautiful illumination and shadow, and made it look like she really was performing an opera. I think this is a good decision, as opposed to her just continuing to mime a song with regular lights, or just plain blackness. In general, the lighting was fairly simple, but the flashing lights of the Chandelier were enthralling, if a little headache inducing after a while. While I have a little trouble tolerating the two minutes of strobe lights, I see the important and the effect that it has, so I am not going to complain. In general, though, the lighting is relatively simple. Possibly my favourite technical aspect of the show was the mirror in Angel of Music. Another of my favourite songs, I have seen (via Youtube, mostly) the mirror done many different ways (including a massive screen about five times the height of the actress playing Christine). I would love to get behind the scenes and see how the mirror works; we can see the reflection of Christine in the mirror, but then some sort of backlight turns on (or off?) and we can see the Phantom in the mirror. Then a screen pulls back, revealing the Phantom, who takes Christine’s hand and pulls her into the mirror. The screen closes, and the mirror is back to its original look. The whole effect is absolutely entrancing. As for the world-famous boat, used during the title scene: it’s looked essentially the same every time I’ve seen it, so it doesn’t particularly interest me. The only thing I did notice was the boat seemed a little more jerky than I expected.

Anna O'Byrne's Autograph

The interesting part of this performance was that I didn’t see either of the regular stars. Scott Davies is a standby, and was on due to regular Marcus Lovett’s injury, and Anna O’Byrne only performs two nights a week. Another thing I found out at Stage Door was that these two had never performed together, which completely explains some of the slightly awkward moments (for example, when the Phantom goes to strike Raoul, Christine usually blocks him sharply. In this case, the block was a little sluggish and the timing was slightly off). I noticed that many people in the audience seemed bored; there were people talking loudly and texting on their cell phones. The same was happening at every show that I went to while in London, and I found this shocking. Do people not respect the actors anymore? Do they just not care? It was also quite hot, which made it a little hard to focus. But the applause was enthusiastic enough at the end, although there was no standing ovation, as I was expecting. I would highly recommend Phantom of the Opera in London. Just make sure you go on a Monday or Friday night, so you will have the privilege of seeing the fantastic Anna O’Byrne as Christine Daae. A visit to Stage Door is also highly recommended; the cast is very kind and friendly, and happy to sign autographs and take photos. Phantom is a brilliant show, and it is well worth the seven hour flight from Toronto to see it.