The Music of the Night

As a theatre major you hear a lot about The Phantom of the Opera. There are those that praise it's every aspect, it's every re-production. There are those that dismiss it's popularity. They say it's just a commercial success rather than any genuine artistic contribution to the theatre. On August 31st 2010 I was finally able to see it for myself and make up my own mind about it.

As I stepped into the auditorium of Her Majesty's Theatre I was struck by the contrast of the lush and vivid coloring of the auditorium compared with the drab, colorless picture set upon the stage. From all I had seen and heard of The Phantom of the Opera, in commercials, advertisements and reviews, it was a colorful and richly decorated production. Therefore, I was surprised to see drapery strewn about the stage in such drab and dull colors. Then the lights dimmed...

The prologue took place in 1911 at the run down Paris Opera House. Once the scene was complete the chandelier and the music rose simultaneously and the stage transformed into the majestically decorated Paris Opera House of 1880. It was amazing to be sitting in the same seat and suddenly feel as if I was sitting in a completely different theatre in just a few moments of song.

As the show progressed I became increasingly impressed with the talent presented on stage, but none more so than the Phantom himself portrayed by David Shannon. The Phantom is an incredibly complex role to portray. It requires the actor to come across as both a frightening menace as well as a romantic and desirable man. The actor must convince the audience that despite the Phantom's controlling and twisted nature, that he is a man with an intense kind of venerability and has the capacity to care deeply for Christine. Shannon not only successfully brought all these qualities to the Phantom but his vocal performance was irrefutably phenomenal.

Along with Shannon, were the enjoyable performances of Gina Beck as Christine Daae and Simon Bailey as Raoul. Though perhaps not as powerful as Shannon's performance, both actors had superb vocal ability and strongly defined characters. Beck portrayed Daae with an elegant and youthful persona. Her vocals were strong and she played off Shannon's Phantom expertly. Bailey also held his own as the often under appreciated Raoul. Though it must be difficult to portray Raoul as a strong man up against such a formidable counterpart as the Phantom, Bailey brought a wonderful amount of strength and vitality to the role.

The Phantom of the Opera is known world-wide. It has been running for decades and stills draws crowds. Many who do not regularly attend the theatre are familiar with the popularity and spectacle of what is quite possibly Andrew Lloyd Webber's best musical. After the many critiques and praises I have heard I am finally able to assert my own opinion on this world-wide phenomenon. The Phantom of the Opera is an amazing production to attend. From the magnificent trans formative set, to the euphonious music, The Phantom of the Opera is a sight to behold and hear from the moment the chandelier rises.

-Jenafer Culjak
 University of California, Irvine
 culjakj@uci.edu