I’m not a fan of musicals. They just don’t appeal to my gnarled, cynical side and they generally conjure images of people inexplicably bursting into song and slapping their thighs and jumping over barrels and things. When people even talk about musicals, I find myself getting a bit twitchy. This was exactly what happened when Kill Furby asked me if I liked musicals a couple of weeks ago. “But, what about Phantom of the Opera?” he asked after my twitching had subsided.
“Oh, well, I’d quite like to see Phantom of the Opera…” I said, finding myself frantically back-pedalling.
Phantom is in its 25th year and (until yesterday) I had never seen it, and I really wanted to. A musical, yes, but something told me it wouldn’t feature people jumping over barrels.
From the very start of the performance I got a genuinely eerie feeling usually reserved for watching horror films and walking home through deserted streets late at night (the latter, I don’t do very often by the way). This unnerving sensation reached a whole new level the moment those first few haunting organ notes of the overture played – the hairs were standing up on the back of my neck.
The new 25th Anniversary production takes a fresh look at the original story, introducing a new set design which, according to the producer Cameron Mackintosh, would “introduce far more of the backstage life of the Opera House” and “allow this musical to play in theatres unable to accommodate the original production”. Having never seen the original production I can’t compare, but I can say that the new set is a fantastic puzzle piece that rotates, unfolds and disappears – continuously transforming the stage.
The rotating tower shows the backstage area of the Opera House, fulfilling Mackintosh’s intentions of showing what goes on behind-the-scenes. It also unfolds to reveal the manager’s office, splits in half to present the stage and forms a staircase to the Phantom’s labyrinth beneath the Opera House.
And then there’s the notorious chandelier, which almost feels like a character in itself (at times, I found myself unsure whether to watch the stage or to watch the ceiling). The chandelier drops and shatters – causing the usual audience jumps, and as someone who completely wasn’t expecting it, it scared the hell out of me. Despite the sudden heart palpitations, I felt that it was all over a little quickly and I found myself hoping for more chandelier action (now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say). Apparently, in the original production the chandelier swings across the audience, so perhaps it’s too much a logistical nightmare to re-produce this in multiple theatres while the show is on tour. That all said, it’s still a very effective part of the show.
John Owen-Jones takes the lead as Creepy McCreeperson himself – the longest serving Phantom in the West End production. It’s clear why, because for someone playing a Phantom, he really brings the place alive – booming through every song – lurching from quiet, sensitive moments into a pure bitter rage. It’s hard not to be completely blown away by his performance.
But that’s not to say Katie Hall isn’t equally mesmerising, she gives an impressive performance as Christine and has a truly beautiful voice. Simon Bailey is the devilish, debonair love interest, Raoul and Angela M Caesar plays soprano and diva Carlotta – who brings a dash of light-relief to the otherwise creepy ambiance.
My only bone to pick with this overall fantastic (and quite literally, hair-raising) production was that I found myself very occasionally getting a little muddled in the narrative. At times, particularly in scenes where the characters were in an argument, I lost the plot a bit. I struggled to focus when more than three people were singing different things at the same time, unable to hear one voice over another – worrying that I was missing something important in the dialogue. I can’t help but wonder if I’d seen the original, I would be able to fill in the minor blanks.
Suffice to say, for a long-time hater of the genre, seeing Phantom has made me re-evaluate my feelings on musical theatre. This was a powerful and moving performance (I actually cried during one scene), so I urge you to go and see it if you can.
Phantom of the Opera is at the The Grand Theatre & Opera House until Saturday 15th September.
Check the Grand’s website for more information and tickets.