When I found out that a production of the musical was being mounted at Brigham Young University, I was curious to see what a production with university students would be like. This is the first production of the musical I've been able to see that wasn't produced by Cameron Macintosh. I decided to go to the show with a open mind and try to enjoy a production that hopefully wasn't weighed down by the spectacle of Cameron Macintosh's version.
Review:
Okay, I have to admit that for the most part I enjoyed it. That is not an easy thing for me to say, but as I said, I am very vocal when it comes to my opinions of theatre, and my opinion is there were some very enjoyable moments in this production.
The costumes were stunning. I was surprised at the level of excellence in each piece on the stage. I didn't expect that level of quality in a university production. I especially liked the set. There was nothing that shouted over-done (other than moments when images on the screens were a bit over-done). The chandelier worked well and didn't take focus off of the performers on the stage. Some great set pieces were the elephant in Hannibal, the opera being rehearsed at the beginning of the show. There were two staircases on right and left stage, and they remained there throughout the production.
The second scene, that began with the rehearsal of Hannibal was good and set the tone for the rest of the production. It was entertaining and funny. There was an especially funny moment when Piangi, the tenor, tries to get up onto the elephant during the last measures of the song and he's trying to get on it before the songs ends. His attempt is quite entertaining, and his final pose as he tries to hold on at the end of the song is hilarious.
Vocally, the production was outstanding. Everyone had good voices and the musical numbers sounded wonderful. The acting was also very strong throughout the entire cast. There were a few stand-out performances. Preston Yates, who played The Phantom has a beautifully clear tenor voice. DeLaney Westfall (whom I performed with two years ago in The Drowsy Chaperone), was perfectly cast as Christine Daae. I knew that she could act, and I knew that she had a wonderful voice. I just didn't know that she could sing operatically as well as she does. I was very impressed that she was able to hit the high note at the end of "The Phantom of the Opera," and it was clear and loud. Well done, DeLaney!
Carlotta, played by Caroline Morris, was wonderful. Her operatic voice was beautiful, and she had very good comic timing. Brad Robbins and Sam Bostwick, who played Monsieur Andre and Fermin, respectively, also brought a lot of humor into the production. I think that's one of the things I enjoyed about this production. It had many humorous parts that made it more enjoyable. It didn't take itself entirely too seriously.
I was happy that, for the most part, most of the actors spoke with their own accents, and didn't try to adopt an affected English or French accent. Only Carlotta and Piangi had French accents, and they both did a good job. I like being able to understand actors, and many times if they use different accents you find it hard to understand what they're saying. We know we're in France, we don't need the actors to have a French accent to understand that.
"The Music of the Night" is one of the most popular musical numbers in the show, and Yates sang it very well. The way the song is blocked, Christine is mesmerized by his voice and the music, and he is able to control her like a puppet during the song. There were times when I wanted to laugh, because in another musical, Xanadu (which, by the way, starred DeLaney in one of the productions I saw last year), during the song, "Strange Magic," the goddesses control what Kira and Sonny do as if they are puppet masters, just like in "The Music of the Night." However, in The Phantom of the Opera it is meant to be serious and romantic, and in Xanadu it's meant to be funny. It's interesting how the exact same type of blocking can be funny or not depending on the tone of the musical.
I liked how the Phantom flies in at the end of "Masquerade" at top of Act II. He has a great costume with large wings like a bat, and it fits well that he would fly in. I'm glad that he doesn't fly out, though. He just walks up the stairs and off stage. However, I didn't particularly like that they fly him in and out in the cemetery. The Phantom is just a man, not a superhero with the power to fly.
The ballerinas were outstanding in the production. They had a group of female ballerinas, and then they had a male ballet dancer, Michael Milkinin, who did a few solos. He was incredible, and received a few ovations from the audience during his solos.
In Act II during the Phantom's opera, there is a song sung by Christine and the Phantom, "Past the Point of No Return." In the middle of the song, Christine walks to stage left where there are curtains leading off stage, and then she has some strange choreography with the curtains. It was very strange. I'm not sure why the director or choreographer had her do that.
I have always had a problem with the Phantom's half mask in this musical version of the book. It's strange to me that the man would have only half of his face deformed, when in the book his entire face is deformed. I heard that for the original production of the musical the half mask was created to make it easier for Michael Crawford, the original Phantom, to sing. They didn't want to cover his whole face. I know that the half mask is now iconic for this musical, but if you look at the original poster, it is a whole mask, not half of a mask. I believe that now a mask can be designed that the actor could wear that wouldn't make it difficult for the Phantom to sing. Just sayin'.
I'm glad that I was able to enjoy the musical for the most part. Now that musical is available to be done by regional and community theatres, I look forward to seeing other productions and hopefully I will enjoy the majority of these productions.
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