The Phantom of the Opera (Nov. 1 2014)

The Phantom of the Opera

I meant to write this a week ago but got sidetracked by schoolwork. Of course, the delay meant that I've forgotten a lot of the details that I usually mention, so I'm writing this entirely based off of notes (mostly on the three leads) I took during the interval and at stage door after the show. So this is a very general review, sorry!

Act One

Liam Tamne's "Boy" during the auction is still far too loud. He doesn't sound like a weak old man at all. He also fake coughs rather badly through this whole scene, and there's not a lot of reaction to or interaction with the music box. That's a general issue with him; it's like he forgets there are other people around him that he has to work with. Liam-Raoul is very much his own island, which makes him easy to forget when he's not on stage (he has no residual impact on the other characters). 

Tamne and Jones (Tumblr)

Nothing too notable about the rest of the beginning of the first act, except Meg's (Alicia Beck) voice… ugh. She's loud, I'll give her that. If she's going to sing as poorly as she does, as least she's projecting it. It'd be much worse if she was whisper-singing, so at least she looks confident in what she's doing. It's worlds better than the Broadway Megs that barely squeak out their words. I'm still finding some of her acting and dancing overdone and obnoxious (see Phantowe'en review) but I don't watch her if I can avoid it (Degas Ballet, anyone?). Harriet's nice as usual in TOM and Angel of Music; gorgeous voice, nice acting. No complaints there. She's got this very natural voice (it's not overly operatic any more; it seems more real) and powerful. She's also expressing with her voice much better now.

The Title Song was gorgeous; I just love that moment when the music rises and the boat starts to move forward - it's captivating every time. Next to the chandelier going up, that's probably my favourite part of the show. 

Harriet Jones (Tumblr)

Music of the Night was absolutely enchanting; Harriet had some beautiful acting going on (though in all fairness, she just has to stand around and look pretty which she can do without much effort).  Gero's voice is hypnotising (so perfect). A random comment, but I love Harriet's costumes and her command of them. The colours and fit all suit her perfectly, and she never looks uncomfortable in them (especially with the long dressing gown skirt; you'll see a lot of Christines gather up their dressing gown skirt in their arms when they have to run around, but not Harriet) as some others have. In STYDI she does this dramatic skirt sweep with her back to the audience; I don't know why I  love it but it's just such a cool moment. The contrast with the white dress and the darkness of the lair is striking and Harriet handles her costumes very well. Speaking of STYDI; Harriet in this scene was just WOW. The skirt fling was great, the running away was convincing, and she is the only one who can trip convincingly. The awkward running around in that scene is hard to execute well, and Harriet is probably one of the best at making it look spontaneous.

Harriet has made a huge improvement in Il Muto. She's playing with the humour a lot more; bigger faces, sharper movement - it's great! She's over exaggerating, but in the right way, if that makes sense. It's not Olivia's all-out approach, but it's a massive improvement and I love it. AIAOY was nothing interesting. Chandelier went down without a hitch (I've never actually seen it get stuck, come to think of it).

Act Two

Bear with me on this part, as I'm writing it nearly a month after the fact.
Masquerade was fairly normal; some awesome dancing going on though. The more familiar I get with the big, intricate scenes, the more I can appreciate the details, especially when I'm sat right up close. The costumes and choreography are incredibly detailed and nuanced.

Don Juan Rehearsal (Tumblr)

Twisted Every Way, on Harriet's part, was fabulous. It was visceral and raw - so emotional and moving. I very nearly cried. This scene has always been Harriet's strength, but she's really knocking it out of the park now. I am annoyed that they took out half a line though; "I'm sorry, I can't!" has just become "I can't!" which feels incomplete and out of character, especially the way both Harriet and Emmi sort of squeak it out. Liam's face is very much, "What is this emotion and how do I deal with this?" Raoul is very much treated as a fish out of water; he just has no idea what to do with Christine (which annoys me to no end - you're supposed to love her! Act like you care, not like she's just another business transaction). The Don Juan rehearsal was dull; I'm really missing the spark and energy that the old ensemble had. Alicia (Meg) really, really overdoes the faces by this point. She needs to stick her eyes back inside her head (see above photo), stop pouting, and just be natural. Her Meg is otherwise easy to ignore though.

Harriet's fake crying at the beginning of Wishing is far too much. It's eye-roll, not sympathy, inducing. It's the emphasis on the fake; how overdone it is doesn't match with the rest of Harriet's portrayal. She doesn't quite have that big emotional development and subsequent breakdown, which is probably why the sobbing seems so unrealistic. Though maybe it's just an acting or directing issue. But Wishing itself was fine. Still not my favourite song for her, but nothing to really complain about. Wandering Child was fabulous; loved Harriet's hypnosis-face. Liam almost got his hair set on fire here, which was a combination of hysterical and terrifying.

Point of No Return was fabulous; this is the full song in Act 2 that Harriet really has a solid grasp on. The 'almost-kiss/mask grab' was perfect; done exactly the way I wanted it in that there was no way the Phantom could have seen it coming. Great acting on Harriet's part, but I don't like the blocking change they've made to Christine's part at the beginning. She used to hang out by the edge of the stage for "thoughts of love!", now she sort of wanders to the middle of the stage. It just doesn't make sense, and I always liked the visual of Aminta/Christine leaning delicately against the side of the stage. It was a nice moment of peace before the action of the rest of the show.

Final Lair was pretty typical; I enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything extraordinary. Harriet had some nice little details going on; it was raw and real from her, which is something she's getting much better at. Liam needs to shut up though; the kiss is such a poignant moment and all you can hear (over the music, mind) is Liam/Raoul grunting and groaning.

So just some final notes on the Trio (literally just transcribing the mini paragraphs I jotted down after the show):
Harriet: getting better at using her voice to project emotion instead of just singing it. Great faces and expression. Dancing has gotten better. Could do without the fake crying unless she can build up to it better (could just cover her face instead? Might make more sense for her character). New wig suits her well but too many brunettes on stage. Love the colours and fit of (most) of her costumes.
Liam: for goodness' sake stop coughing/gasping/etc. If you're sick, you shouldn't be on. Otherwise, the sound effects are just unnecessary. Plays the vain Raoul well; totally bewildered when Christine's upset (so *cannot read my own writing* to emotion - I don't like it but he does it well).
Geronimo: love the big exaggerated breath in PONR. Timing is FAB. Great hands and movement through the whole show. Like how he does Masquerade with the Monkey at the end; not childish, just emotionally wrung out, which I liked.