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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > March > 24 > Entry
Review: ‘The Phantom of the Opera’
“The Phantom of the Opera” is like the Las Vegas of musicals.
It’s full of glitz and glamour. It’s heavy on special effects (real fire! a Venetian style gondola floating on a river of fog!). And like the shimmering city in the desert, it’s a lot of fun, though you might feel guilty for liking it afterwards.
This dramatic gothic musical about unrequited love is the longest running show in Broadway’s history. The national tour of “ The Phantom of the Opera,” now playing at Bass Concert Hall, is the show’s final one—it closes this fall in Los Angeles.
“The Phantom of the Opera,” (directed by Harold Prince) is set at the Paris Opera House in the late nineteenth century. It tells the story of the Phantom (a deformed man who haunts the building) and his obsession with the young soprano Christine Daaé. His unrequited love for Christine, and his determination to make her a star, leads to much scheming, danger, and melodramatic mayhem.
The music (by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart) is undeniably catchy, and the performers in the lead roles are quite good. As the young ingénue Christine, Trista Moldovan’s voice is light and airy. Tim Martin Gleason as the Phantom shows enormous vocal range and power. “All I Ask of You,” a duet between Christine and Raoul (Sean MacLaughlin), showcases the singers’ lovely harmonies, while in “Masquerade,” we hear the impressive power of the entire chorus.
“The Phantom of the Opera” has always been heavy on spectacle, and the visual elements of this production, (production design by Maria Bjornson and lighting by Andrew Bridge) are indeed still striking. The show is suffused with lavish sets, extravagant costumes and, of course, a famously large chandelier.
Perhaps it’s no surprise to say that the production, at times, suffers from a lack of freshness and surprise. For example, when the Phantom first makes his presence known by causing part of the set to crash, no one in the cast is able to act genuinely surprised. The first act has more energy and momentum than the second, and the music sounds somewhat dated, full of keyboards and synthesizers. But after a twenty year run, perhaps asking for freshness from “The Phantom of the Opera” is beside the point.
If you’re coming because you’re already a fan, you’ll be satisfied with this solid and professional production; if you’ve never seen it, you’ll likely be entertained by the sheer spectacle of it all. And if you can’t get enough of the Phantom and Christine, Webber’s new sequel “Love Never Dies,” has recently opened in London and will be heading to Broadway in the fall. Hide the chandeliers.
‘The Phantom of the Opera’ continues through April 4, Tuesday-Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Drive. Tickets $25-$72. www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.
Claire Canavan is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
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