December 31, 2005
Her Majesty's Theatre, London, UK
Life is a Masquerade. There are different masks for different functions, from work to home, from family to friends. And perhaps one of Phantom of the Opera’s true objectives is to present this idea of hiding from the truth for the sake of entertainment and enjoyment. Before our December 31, 2005 viewing of the show at Her Majesty’s Theatre, my only experience with the show had been the various soundtracks, from the Original Canadian Cast featuring Colm Wilkinson to the Original Cast Recording featuring Michael Crawford. My initial impression of the music was very similar to the other works of Lloyd Webber: cliché, overly dramatic, average and very plain. But perhaps I was taking the show too seriously, judging the works as art when they are actually overtly dramatic for theatrical purposes. Perhaps Lloyd Webber was not trying to compose the greatest original score, but rather an extremely accessible score in a spectacular, theatrical sense that would translate well to audiences worldwide. After our viewing at a theatre more than one hundred and twenty five years old, I finally grasped the true spectacle of the performance, and that the visuals must complement the music in order to empathize with the story and characters.
The show lived up to its expectations of providing a magnificant visual display, from elaborate backdrops to intricate costumes to swinging chandeliers. Overall, I enjoyed the show for the amazing experience of viewing such a long-running and worldwide phenomenon at such a beautiful and historic theatre. Our seats were in the Grand Circle, which provided an outstanding view of the elaborate sets and costumes. Also aiding the overall visual experience were the dramatic lighting designs, including chiaroscuro contrasts to enhance the darkness of scenes involving the Phantom and for scenes like Masquerade/Why So Silent. I am grateful for the position of our seats, as I fear the drama of the spectacle would not have been nearly as prevalent from any other location.
Speaking to the tripartite instrument, the director of this production was trying simply to capture the magic and ride on the publicity and longevity that the show has produced in its long-running history. There was no reason and should be no reason for many years to come to break the mold that has produced critical acclaim and filled seats for decades. Further, the show was trying to capitalize on the many themes crucial to the show, such as unrequited love, saving grace and jealousy. Also, the show capitalized on the visually stunning elements to effectively aid audience understanding and express the show’s many themes. The production was effective in accomplishing those objectives and it was worth demonstrating them to the audience.
My main complaint of this performance versus the selections I am accustomed to from the soundtrack was the difficulty to understand the lyrics during group vocal selections. Anytime there were multiple voices involved there was a lack of clarity in the delivery to the audience, causing me to miss some of the important content within the lyrics. From a performance standpoint, the cast was very talented, carried for the most part by the strength of the Phantom of the Opera (Earl Carpenter) and Raul, Civomte de Chagny (David Shannon). Despite the difficulty in understanding the pronunciation of songs featuring multiple parts, the ensemble was very strong, as emphasized in large cast numbers like “Masquerade.” The only weakness of the cast rested in the performance of Christine Daae (Rachel Barrell or Celia Garaham). She was tonally solid, but the strength of her voice varied and sounded stretched and strained on higher pitches. The role of Christine is far too important to the movement of the plot to accept a weak performance at this level of theatre. The remaining members of the cast filled their respective roles appropriately, supporting the vocal strength of the Phantom and Raul with very straightforward interpretations of their characters.
The elements unique to a production of Phantom of the Opera include the reverse stage angle, making the audience feel as though we are viewing the action from the back of the stage, seeing the action as the actors would, and the use of the mirror to produce an almost magical element with the appearance of the Phantom in its reflection. With such a large production budget and nearly a twenty-year run history, these are elements that are necessary in order for fans to continue to spread the publicity about making sure to see Phantom during their next visit to London’s West End or New York's Broadway.
My favorite Lloyd Webber shows are his earlier works like Joseph and the Amazing Technical Dreamcoat and Jesus Chris Superstar because I feel as though they present more of an original voice with less of a confined and plagiaristic delivery on the compositions, as I fear is prevalent throughout the compositions in Phantom of the Opera. But, the beauty of Phantom is not just the music in an isolated format, but it is the combination of the compositions and visual spectacle within the plot of unrequited love, jealousy and acts of saving grace. The performance that we saw in London was everything that the show is supposed to be: visually stunning, musically interesting and overall solid. Despite a weak performance from the character of Christine, the show went forward as hyped, completing a nice afternoon. To be fair, there a few songs in Phantom that deserve critical acclaim, and the renditions of “The Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You,” and “Masquerade” presented the magic and charm that is described in the reviews that preceded them.
The best element of the show actually occurred after the final curtain call, when the cast entertained us with a very professional rendition of "Auld Lang Sang," wishing everyone a joyful New Year. Though I do not view Phantom of the Opera as art, the popularity of the show has turned it into a popular culture phenomenon. And no, the New Year’s Eve show that we watched was not the most amazing performance I have ever seen, but it was a strong rendition of a show responsible for rejuvenating popularity for theatre worldwide. And, despite average music, the show connected with the audience thanks to visual excellence, including lighting and costuming.
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