The Phantom of the Opera

The London production of The Phantom of the Opera performed at Her Majesty’s Theatre was entertaining, but there were some factors that inhibited the complete success of the musical. The cast and crew did a great job, considering what they were working with.  The music was phenomenal and the singing was absolutely breathtaking.  All in all, the cast and crew were very talented and put on a great show, but the venue somewhat hindered the potential of the performance.  The Phantom of the Opera is currently celebrating it’s twenty fifth year, making it the longest running show in the history of Her Majesty’s Theater.  Even though twenty-five years is impressive, it also means that a spectacular musical has been cramped into a very small and limiting theatre for way too long.  The show has pretty much been sold out since it first started playing in the West End, but unfortunately, a fraction of the seats views are either blocked by pillars or railings.  Because of the steep stadium seating, some seats can barely see the stage even when leaning forward over the balcony railing. 

            Although some people may really like the fact that the production is still located in a very small, historic and traditional theatre, it is a fact that the musical could be even more successful and impressive if it was moved to a bigger and more advanced theatre.  The musical has the potential of being just as high tech and exciting as the production of The Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages in Hollywood, but Her Majesty’s just doesn’t have the capacity that other huge theatre’s do.  If in a bigger theatre, there could be issues with seats being far away and people not being able to see the cast’s faces, but I’d much rather see a play that was a little far away than one where a railing was blocking the stage and I had to practically stand to see anything that was going on.  A bigger and a more technically advanced stage would also allow for a more impressive production.

            In the production of The Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages, there are lots of scenes that use special effects and it adds a lot to the success of the musical.  The performance is grand and extraordinary and leaves the audience talking about it and recommending it for months.  One scene in particular is the scene in the very beginning when the shattered chandelier magically comes together.  All the individual pieces get pulled back together as the chandelier rises to the ceiling and the audience doesn’t even know what hit them, but this is not the case when in comes to the production at Her Majesty’s Theatre.  Instead, there is a fully constructed chandelier laying on the floor and when the “magic” happens it just floats to the top of the stage.  The production has so much potential and could grow so much if just given the ability and space.  I would like to see The Phantom of the Opera at one of the bigger venues in London.