Miscellaneous
News flash - as of September 2000, Phoenix Production (related to super-touring company Trioka) is producing a major mounting of the piece, touring for 9 months around the US. Mr. Yeston is going to be rewriting some of the music. Information on this production can be found at Phoenix Productions Upcoming Shows, with more information coming soon at www.phantomontour.com.
This review of the musical appeared in the Dec. 19, 1999 Philadelphia Inquirer (at which time it was playing at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philly):
This traditional musical version of the Phantom of the Opera story is richer and more detailed than the better-known Andrew Lloyd Webber pop opera. Its strength is Maury Yeston's accomplished score, which is very well sung by the strong cast in the production directed by Charles Abbott. -D.J.K.
Parody
The A&E cable channel recently ran a 1991 two-part episode of the sitcom Night Court which was a very, very funny parody of Phantom of the Opera, in which falsely-accused Assistant D.A. Dan Fielding, on the run from the police (it's too long and complicated to explain) becomes the Phantom of the Courthouse in order to prove his innocence. His lair is a makeshift courtroom in the sub-sub-sub-basement of the courthouse (below the sewer), which he furnishes with objects pilfered from the rest of the building. "I am going to ... take this stapler, because I need one. And I am going to [ha, ha, ha] raid the refrigerator, because the Phantom's Lair is short on Half-and-Half." It doesn't hurt that the Public Defender's name is Christine, that there is a masked ball at the courtroom, and that a very sorry-looking chandelier hangs from the ceiling of same... Why Phantom, and not some other show? Explains Dan: "I wouldn't look very frightening dressed as Miss Saigon." Definitely worth watching if you happen to come across it.
A&E Night Court page.
My Review
Yeston & Kopit's Phantom is my favorite version of the story of Erik and Christine, for several reasons, including the following:
- This story is not about spectacle, it's about character. Erik is not a monster, or even deranged - he is a real live human being, and an intelligent one at that. We get to see his motivations. He has a *sense of humor*. By the end, we care about him.
- There are family relationships in this story, in addition to the expected boy/girl. We have Father/Son (Carriere/Erik) and Mother/Son (Belladova/Erik). In fact, the song during which I usually begin weeping in earnest is You Are My Own.
- The music is beautiful. My favorite numbers are My True Love, Home, This Place is Mine, You Are Music, and the entire Bistro scene. (Well, that encompasses just about the entire thing, doesn't it.)
I've seen it four times now, with varying casts, and think it is worth seeing again.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
- It's interesting to see different actors' "takes" on the characters. I've seen Erik played as romantic and sympathetic, with a sense of irony; as resentful of his situation; and as a normal young man with a good sense of humor. On different levels, they all work. (Romantic and sympathetic, however, was my favorite.)
- So far, I think a blond Christine (as she was in the novel) fits the part better than a dark-haired one. Something about the lighter hair seems to subliminally suggest innocence, and a contrast to the dark world in which Erik lives.
- This musical is almost like two separate plays; Act I is a comedy, with a little bit of drama, and Act II is a drama with a little bit of comedy.
- The final words of the last song are better sung as quietly as Christine can manage; a fade-out on "and you are life ... to me" is heartbreaking.
Bloopers, aka Unintentional Humor
Things to keep in mind if you are staging a production of this musical, culled from the various times I've seen it.
- Use some kind of quiet fastening for Erik's cape. The sound of Velcro tearing can undo the drama of a scene.
- Try and keep your props in good repair, otherwise you may end up testing he actors' ad-lib skills. Though Christopher Cain, Erik in the most recent production I saw, handled this very well. The basket to be used in the picnic scene was developing a very large hole in the corner, and a cup nearly fell out as he set it down. He said, in an astonished voice, "My basket is breaking." Then, reassuringly to Christine, "It is an old basket."
- Note to the actresses portraying Carlotta: chew the scenery (figuratively, of course). The more you do, the better you'll be. Pretend prissiness doesn't work nearly as well. Remember, you're a diva, and you know it.
- Most productions seem to eliminate Christine & Chandon's "Who Could Ever Have Dreamed Up You" number (which comes right after the Bistro scene, he professes his love, and she, oblivious, expresses her excitement at her singing success) and sometimes "Without Your Music" (first song of Act II) is also cut. Maybe it's for timing, I don't know; but even though they may not be essential songs, they're nice, and are missed if they're not there.
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