[NEohioPAL] Review of "Phantom of the Opera" at PlayhouseSquare

[Bob Abelman]

'Phantom' at PlayhouseSquare: The long goodbye

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the News-Herald 8/6/10

 

Naysayers have been saying goodbye to the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Phantom of the Opera since 1988.

 

They said goodbye shortly after it opened on Broadway amidst accusations of plagiarism, an avalanche of blasphemous self-promotion that lauded the work as the heir to the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, and a New York Times review noting that the show was "long on pop professionalism and melody, impoverished of artistic personality and passion."  

 

Still, Phantom persevered.  It earned seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and has been performed over 9,000 times on the New York stage.  It's the longest running and most financially successful Broadway show in history.

 

They said goodbye in 1992, when it was announced that the $8 million production was going on national and international tour, and that the road show was not skimping on production values.  Many believed that a production this large and cumbersome-involving 36 cast members, a full contingent of crew and orchestra members, 230 costumes and 19 truckloads of scenery and technology-could not be profitable outside of New York City.  

 

Yet, Phantom has been seen by more than 100 million people in 144 cities and in more than 27 countries.  The U.S. touring company's five-week engagement in Cleveland, which opened last week in PlayhouseSquare's Allen Theatre, is its fifth visit to our city since 1993.  

 

They are saying goodbye now.  The current production, being hailed the "Farewell Tour," ends for good in Los Angeles in November.   

 

For those who are not one of the 600,000 Clevelanders to have seen this show, Phantom tells the tale of a deranged and hideously deformed musical genius, who lurks in the forgotten catacombs beneath the stage of the Paris Opera House in 1911.  He falls in love with the young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star for the Opera by secretly nurturing her talents and paving performance opportunities through a reign of terror.

 

Phantom tells the tale melodramatically and with a dark, gothic timbre, complete with grotesque gargoyles standing guard from the proscenium arch courtesy of scenic designer Maria Bjornson.  Its atypical show tunes are at once operatic and contemporary, with melodies that are delightful but employed so repeatedly throughout the production that they become both haunting (the intent) and irritatingly redundant (the consequence).  

 

The touring company delivering this mega-musical is top-notch in every way.

 

The production is voluptuous and detailed stagecraft that will knock the socks off of the most stoic theatergoer.  The massive, color-saturated Opera House sets complete with a grand staircase and velvety curtains, the Phantom's monochromatic and candelabra-laden secret lair, the brilliant and beautiful costuming and lighting, and assorted special effects are all first class eye candy.

 

The staging, set to Harold Prince's original direction and Gillian Lynne's original choreography, is dramatic and the epitome of theatricality and precision. There is never a dull, flat or wasted moment on stage.  The orchestra is superb as well-full bodied and well disciplined.

 

The production values are so rich and spellbinding that it is easy to overlook the story's unabashed simplicity and Lloyd Webber's penchant for filler material that showcases his musical compositions and opera parodies.

 

A cast consisting of A-team players with either Broadway or extensive national tour experience has the same hypnotic effect.

 

Everyone is in fine voice and no one is pacing themselves or saving their best stuff for the L.A. grand finale.  The ensemble and featured character actors-particularly Paloma Garcia-Lee as Christine's friend Meg, D.C. Anderson and Michael McCoy as the Opera House's managers, Nancy Hess as the dance mistress, and Luke Grooms and Kelly Jeanne Grant as the opera divas-are as strong as the lead players, who are exceedingly strong.

 

Tim Martin Gleason is mesmerizing as the Phantom.  His expressive voice, physical grace and sensuous hands nicely convey his desire for Christine as well as his deep-rooted emotional torment.  He brings a commanding presence and weighty pathos to the role.  As Christine, Trista Moldovan is delightful.  Although her delicate soprano is no match for Gleason's tenor, she has a beautiful voice and is an absolute pleasure to watch on stage.  Sean MacLaughlin as Raoul, Christine's dashing love interest, is also wonderful-a dynamic and talented performer. 



Despite its long goodbye and this tour's "Farewell" denotation, there is word that the Phantom tour will be back on the road after a major overhaul to upgrade its 20-year-old technology and streamline a production increasingly cost-inefficient to transport. 

 

It will be hard to improve on this production at the Allen Theatre.  This one is worth seeing for those looking for a taste of a big Broadway musical and for the many repeat Phantom phans.    

                                                 

The Phantom of the Opera continues through August 22 at PlayhouseSquare's Allen Theatre.  For tickets, which range from $10.00 to $87.50, call (216) 241-6000 or visit www.playhousesquare.com.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.neohiopal.org/pipermail/neohiopal-neohiopal.org/attachments/20100806/b9d3c36b/attachment-0003.htm>