[NEohioPAL] Berko review: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA @ Playhouse Square (Allen Theatre)

[Roy Berko]

Phenomenal Phantom at Allen Theatre

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--
Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview 
Times

--coolcleveland.com—

By the time the farewell national touring production of ‘PHANTOM OF THE OPERA’ 
leaves Cleveland on August 22, around 600,000 audience members will have 
experienced the show since its first local performance in 1993.  

Not only is the production a local success, but, the show, which is credited 
with starting the mega musical trend, is still running on Broadway.  It became 
the longest-running show in Broadway history in 2006.   In 2007, it became the 
first show in on-Broadway history to celebrate 20 uninterrupted years in 
production.

The mega musical designation comes from the cost and number of sets, costumes 
and special effects which create the illusions of the opulent show.  For 
instance, the replica of the Paris Opera house chandelier features 6,000 beads, 
and weighs over a ton.  The show takes 125 cast, crew, orchestra members and 
house personnel to create a single showing.  Originally costing a record $8 
million to mount,  it would take about $13 million in 2010 dollars to reproduce 
the show.   It took over 20 tractor-trailers to bring the sets, costumes and 
sound equipment to town for this staging.

‘PHANTOM’ is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le 
Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.  It opened in London’s West End in 1986, 
and then on Broadway in 1988.  The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, with 
lyrics by Charles Hart and additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe.   

The plot revolves around Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a 
mysterious, disfigured musical genius known as The Phantom of the Opera. Mostly 
an opera within an opera,  the story centers on the Phantom’s lusting for 
Christine, while she covets Raoul.  The score contains such classics as “Think 
of Me,” “The Music of the Night,” “I Remember,” and “Wishing You Were Here.”

Both the London and Broadway productions originally starred Michael Crawford as 
the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine.

The touring production is every bit as visually stunning as the original.  Yes, 
the famous chandelier suspends above the audience and crashes to the stage, the 
sets are numerous, the costumes are beautiful, the musical sounds created by the 
orchestra is exciting, and the sound system is crisp allowing for easy hearing 
of the libretto. 

Though he does not have Michael Crawford’s mesmerizing vocal sound, Tim Martin 
Gleason is excellent as the Phantom.  He adds his own twist to the role, 
creating a characterization which is well textured and allows the audience to 
experience the character’s emotional torment.  

Brunswick native, Trista Moldovan (Christine), a 2002 musical theater graduate 
from Baldwin-Wallace College, is beautiful and has a stunning soprano voice.  In 
contrast to Brightman’s maturity, Moldovan has a youthful vulnerability which 
works perfectly in her creation of the role.  It’s exciting to see a local 
talent make good!

Handsome Sean MacLaughlin has a fine voice and the right attitude to portray 
Raoul, Christine’s love interest.

The choreography, vocal sounds, chorus actions and technical aspects of the show 
are all excellent.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   The touring company of ‘PHANTOM’ lives up to all its hype 
and is a must see, especially if you have never seen the show.  No local theatre 
will be able to reproduce it at this level of extravagance.

Tickets, for the show that runs through August 22, can be ordered by calling 
216-241-6000 or going to www.playhousesquare.org.

 
Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 
2010, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at 
http://royberko.info
His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and NeOHIOpal (to 
subscribe visit http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal.)