The Phantom of the Opera (May 22nd and 23rd, 2015)

The Phantom of the Opera

May 22nd and 23rd, 2015

May 23 Eve Cast

Some brief reviews of the Friday, May 22nd evening show, and both shows on Saturday, May 23rd. Principle casts varied each show, but I've posted photos of each cast board and I'll briefly review the main cast members, as well as those that stood out to me. Little reminder that I write things as I see them; that is, how a performance comes across to me on stage. 

Harriet Jones

I can't believe she's leaving! It feels like just a few weeks ago that I met her before I'd ever actually seen her performance (most awkward moment ever - what do I say? "Hi! Nice to meet you. I really hope you're good!"). It's so weird that she'll be gone...

Harriet Jones
(Tumblr)

I think I've reviewed Harriet around 12-14 times by this point and nothing's really changed recently, so I'll just keep it brief to a few things I liked (well, I liked the whole performance. So it's more a few things that stood out to me). As always, her Think of Me was so joyful and enjoyable to watch. She just lights up the stage in that song. She's a lot more cheerful in Masquerade when she used to be; she appears to be going for a much more exuberant approach than in the past, which works really well. It makes you feel bad for Christine when things come crashing down ("But she was so happy!!" :( ). I also really love her acting in MOTN - it's not exactly hypnotic, but it's natural and not forced. I maintain that she is the only one who can do that ridiculous trip with the mask without it looking fake. I also really enjoy her "Twisted Every Way"; it's a scene she's always been good at, but it's gotten a lot more emotional and 'real' in recent shows. 

The more recent development I've seen from Harriet is she's gotten a lot fiercer and more passionate in the Final Lair, which I absolutely adore. It helps to create the notion that Christine has developed from the cheerful little girl in Think of Me to the woman who has been through a hell of a lot in a very short period of time. In the Final Lair, Harriet creates a multidimensional character that is more than just angry or sad. It's sort of hard to describe, but it's very effective at making you feel for Christine's predicament. 

My one issue has always been and continues to be her "Wishing". Maybe it's tiredness by that point in the show, but it always feels lacklustre and just missing something. The fake crying is very contrived (though less so recently), and vocally it's just not as strong as everything else (which is so strange because with Harriet, her voice is 100% consistent - except in Wishing). So yeah, that's the only thing I really miss from her. But to be fair I think Wishing is the hardest song to do and there's only 2 out of 12 Christine's who I felt have pulled it off perfectly. 

Harriet Jones and Layla Harrison
(Tumblr)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Harriet and Layla Harrison as Meg are just WOW. The way they interact - Harriet reaching for Layla's hand all the time, the way they respond to each other - is very unique. Harriet's one of very few Christine's that really makes that friendship between Christine and Meg palpable. Of course, Layla helps a lot by being such a likeable, interesting Meg, but Harriet more than does her part in establishing their friendship as an important part of Christine's character. 

So… that's Harriet! I'll see her twice again in June and twice on Cast Change day (September 5th, peeps! Not too long!), which'll mean I've seen her Christine a whopping 21.5 times! Even if she's not my all time favourite, Harriet's consistently given enjoyable, thoughtful performances, and the show will miss her a lot. 

Geronimo Rauch 

I hadn't had Geronimo on in a while, so it was nice to see him again. He's got an incredible voice and some lovely nuances in the acting (MOTN is where this is most obvious; it's just the acting, voice, and movement coming together. The Final Lair is another good one for him). Vocally, I love how he sings "SING! Sing for ME!" It's very passionate rather than whiny, as some others come across. I love how he imitates Piangi's accent at the beginning of PONR, though I think he could probably do it for more than just the first line. I don't really have a lot to say about his performance, but it was solid and enjoyable. 

Lisa-Anne Wood

Lisa-Anne Wood
(Pinterest)

I completely adore Lisa-Anne's Christine. It is, without a doubt, one of the absolute best Christines out there and certainly one of my favourites. There's something almost reckless about her performance, which makes it feel so fresh and exciting. It's very unique as well; she goes from a very innocent, child-like, naive Christine (in the best possible way - I usually can't stand that style of Christine, but she executes it very well) to what I want to call a worldly Christine, but that doesn't seem right. It's more mature, more confident, and fiercer. The growth and character development that Lisa-Anne does is so palpable and makes her performance interesting and captivating. The three times I've seen her, she's given consistent, enjoyable, emotional performances. 

I think my favourite moment of hers had to be the end of Point of No Return. Holy bananas I have never been so shocked and surprised before. I know this show back to front, and yet somehow Lisa-Anne still managed to surprise me. First of all, her PONR really shows how far her Christine has come as a performer; she's quite sweet and demure in Think of Me, and then PONR is extremely sultry (more so than any other Christine I've seen). But it doesn't come out of nowhere; you can see how Christine's character development would have led her to be a stronger performer. But anyway, onto my favourite moment; basically instead of just ripping the mask off him very obviously like literally everyone else does (you can see it coming from a mile away), she reaches up to the Phantom as if she's about to kiss him (basically giving him a hug; his arms are around her waist, etc.)…. then BAM mask off, cue panic. It was completely unexpected; for a second I thought the blocking might've been changed (it happens) but nope, this is totally unique to Lisa-Anne and it's AWESOME. Ahem. Getting a bit carried away with myself here, but it was just so darn good and I could've watched it dozens of times over. It's such a small detail and there was so much more to her performance than that moment, but that was definitely my highlight.

Lisa-Anne Wood
(Operafantomet Tumblr)

There's so many other things I loved about Lisa-Anne's performance, so it's difficult to narrow it down to fit in this review. But I'll mention a few more highlights. Sort of off topic, but she looks exactly like I've always pictured Christine. I get that they're playing with wig colours/styles to suit the different actresses, but to me, the quintessential Christine is small, dark haired - basically looks exactly like Lisa-Anne (I'm wondering if that might be because that's what the first Christine I saw looked like - I think it was Deborah Dutcher). So that's nice. Her voice also suits Christine really nicely; it's not too overtly operatic, which I prefer and I think it sounds more real. She also puts lots of emotion into her voice. I also love that her acting is amazing; she's so expressive and interesting, but she never goes overboard. It's vibrant without being ridiculous - it's believable, essentially. She makes you see Christine as a real person rather than a character, so it's easier to sympathise with her and actually care about the outcome. Her TOM was bright and cheerful; she started out quite muted and tentative, and there was lots of growth through the song. Lisa-Anne's "Wishing" is absolutely gorgeous; she's one of only two Christines I can tolerate in that song (I've weirdly never been a fan of Wishing; most Christines are carbon copies of each other so it gets dull. Lisa-Anne and Olivia Brereton both make it very fresh, raw, and visceral. It doesn't feel like they're faking the emotion). I also loved how Lisa-Anne's Christine interacted with Meg. She's more of a Harriet-type in that she actually pays attention to and responds to Meg. I've seen her with three different Megs, and she interacts very nicely with all of them, though the best was Layla Harrison. I also thought she did a good job with Liam Tamne's Raoul (whom I find very… difficult to tolerate); she doesn't act absurdly in love or all over him all the time - she's independent and doesn't necessarily need him, but they still love each other. Does that make any sense? I could probably go on for a lot longer about her (I'll probably do a longer, more detailed review of her in June), but the last thing that really stuck out for me was the final lair. Raw and real. It was nice to see Christine standing up for herself and not taking any of the Phantom's crap. You could tell she was scared, but also fed up of all that was going on. It was very powerful.

Overall, Lisa-Anne's Christine is astounding. There was nothing that stuck out to me that I didn't like  (Shock! Horror! What's wrong with me?!); I think Lisa-Anne is about as close to a perfect Christine as you can get. The acting, singing, dancing, etc. is all there - she's everything anyone could want in a Christine. I do hope one day to see her as at least alternate, preferably principle Christine. She's truly extraordinary in the part.

Kieran Brown

Kieran Brown and Lisa-Anne Wood
(Tumblr)

I was pleasantly surprised to have Kieran on! It wasn't actually on the cast board and Geronimo had been on just a few hours before, so when I heard the voice, I knew it wasn't Geronimo. Scott, maybe? It kind of looked like Scott. It took me about halfway through the title song to clue in who it had to be. Apparently Kieran went on very last second, and he did a wonderful job considering that. 

His acting was really good; I missed a bit of a lack of a developed character (I couldn't really tell what kind of phantom he was going for, it was jumping around a bit all over the place), but overall it was the highlight of his performance. He did seem to copy Geronimo's nuances a bit (i.e. choking Christine at "You try my patience!"), but that's fine. I loved how his MOTN was very emotional and involved, and the final lair was something. There was a bit of a mishap (the candle didn't spark), but he handled it well. My one issue was his voice; it seemed particularly weak during MOTN (the 'night' at the end especially), but I can't say whether that is because he wasn't prepared to go on (i.e. didn't have enough time to properly warm up) or if that's a regular occurrence. All in all, though, I did enjoy his Phantom and I'd be very happy to see it again (when I don't spend the first half of his time onstage trying to figure out who he is!). 

Layla Harrison

Layla Harrison
(Tumblr)

What is there left to say about the incredible Layla Harrison? First things first, there is no better Meg. I've seen 10+ in the 49 times (?!) I've seen Phantom and no one has come anywhere near to her in acting, singing, or dancing. A true triple threat who puts her heart into each and every performance, and the result is a Meg that is likeable, intelligent, and important (it's so easy for Meg to fade into the background, so that Layla can make her a key character is noteworthy). I'll just pick a few scenes or moments to discuss, as if I didn't limit myself to the four scenes I have, I could easily write a couple thousand words on her performance. 

Angel of Music is the scene in which Layla first stood out to me as a unique Meg. This was where I first thought, more than two years ago, "Wow… that Meg can sing!" And that holds true today. She's got a gorgeous voice, even when under the weather. It's pure, sweet, and crystal clear. She's also good at using her voice to express complex emotions - there are so many layers to the way that she sings what she sings, which makes the character and whomever she's performing opposite far more interesting. But singing aside, Layla's acting is gorgeous here - she doesn't entirely abandon Meg's more bossy personality, but she demonstrates a side of Meg that is very caring and concerned towards Christine, and establishes the close bond between the two characters. It's a really beautiful scene to watch when Layla's involved (especially if Harriet Jones is on as well). 

Notes has to be my favourite scene of Layla's, simply because without her, it's dull and uninteresting. I think it says a lot if one performer can completely change the tone of a scene that incorporates six other people. Layla's Meg is involved in what's going on around her; she's curious and intelligent, trying to decipher the Phantom's notes, trying to work around her mother's orders, etc. She keeps it very interesting. Moreover, Layla's the only Meg to date I've seen that I can actually hear singing in Notes. Most Megs' voices are just not strong enough to be heard over the other, more powerful voices. Layla easily holds her own, and you can hear and understand 98% of what she sings. This is also where her acting abilities shine the most; she just makes the scene so interesting! You can't take your eyes off of Meg, wondering what she's up to, wishing the other characters would just listen to her because she definitely has something to contribute - it's amazing and so entertaining to watch.

Layla Harrison
(Program Scan)

The Il Muto ballet is one of my favourite parts of the show (I'm a ballet nerd, sue me. At this point, I could probably dance the whole thing with very few problems - you know, aside from the whole pointe thing. I'm working on it), and it's so exciting to see Layla dancing the featured part! She's a remarkable dancer that really expresses the music. Her technique is nearly flawless (I've never seen her falter on the pirouettes through the hoops and her arabesques are lovely), but the expression is what really shines. She extends every movement up til the last possible second and really feels and moves with the music. It's gorgeous to watch. 

Meg doesn't show up too much in Act 2 (just Masquerade, Don Juan, and at the very end) but Layla continues to make sure Meg's presence is felt. I love how her Meg looks over at Christine and Raoul during Masquerade and looks so happy - in an almost smug way, like "I knew it!" - for them - a stark contrast to Mme Giry's concern. Her interactions with Christine during the Rehearsal are so sweet; reaching out a hand, making sure Christine's ok, and clearly seeing she's not. It's very sweet. And of course the final lair; what better way to end the show than with the most wonderful Meg? It's believable that her Meg would've snuck down to the lair because her portrayal is of Meg as intelligent and stubborn. Therefore, you don't get a sense of "What the heck is she doing down here?". It's fabulous.

Layla Harrison
(Operafantomet Tumblr)

A couple misc. notes: I love how smug Layla-Meg looks when the managers are talking about what a promising dancer she is. It's adorable. The little interactions between Reyer and Meg during Christine's Think of Me are so cute; they're looking at each other, Meg's sneaking peeks at the score - there's so much to it and it changes every time. It's so cute, and I could probably watch that for the rest of the act if I had to. The last big thing I love is how much time and effort Layla spends establishing the relationship with Christine; she's very successful at establishing a close relationship, which no other Meg I've seen has successfully done (or in some cases even tried to do). Meg may be a bit bossy and smug, but she's not entirely full of herself and she does have the capacity to care about her best friend, which Layla really succeeds at putting across. Very well done.

Though all three shows were entertaining and enjoyable, the highlight for sure was Layla Harrison's Meg. It's a privilege to witness such a thoughtful, thorough portrayal of a character that is usually lifeless. There is truly no better Meg!

General

May 22 Eve Cast

This might've been the most ballet girls I've ever had on in one show (only Alicia Beck was missing); it was cool to see how it looks when there's that many people. With a full cast, it is very clear that London's choreography/staging is executed much more effectively than Broadway's (Broadway is just a sloppy, overcrowded mess in the big crowd scenes). Anyway, it was a great show. I'm still really not fond of John Ellis' Piangi (very thin, reedy voice, and he doesn't do anything with the character other than read the lines how they're written. It's too predictable). Loved having Lara Martins on for Carlotta again; she's so sassy and fiery, which is really entertaining. I also adore Tim Laurenti's Andre; he's so funny and 'out-there', in total contrast to the Firmin he was playing opposite. You get the sense that Andre's a bit 'out of it', but it's funny nonetheless. No one tops his costume reveal in Masquerade or his introduction to the Il Muto Ballet; I laugh so much when he's on!

I'm back at Phantom June 5th and 6th, so I'll be doing more extensive reviews of Lisa-Anne Wood, Harriet Jones, and Layla Harrison. So stay tuned for that!