The music of the night
Posted by cacophony in : Entertainment , trackback 
Actors are a superstitious lot. I guess it must be a symptom of the unpredictable nature of the theatre. If I worked in an industry where so much could go so badly wrong with one slip-up, I think I’d be wary too. So it was with some pleasure that I noted the Princess Theatre had left a box empty for the opening night of The Phantom of the Opera on Thursday.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic modern musical breathes new life into the 1886 theatre with lavish costumes, strong vocal and musical performances, pyrotechnics and constantly surprising staging. It is as bewitching and intricate as the Opera Ghost himself.
Phantom veteran Anthony Warlow is captivating in the lead role, backed up by a strong and enthusiastic cast from which Andrea Creighton as Carlotta is a clear standout. Ana Maria plays the Phantom’s love interest Christine a little too demurely and as a result, she pales next to the other leads during group scenes.
The production makes excellent use of the intimate and ornate Princess Theatre, using levels and lighting to show changes in space and time, and electronic props glide on and off stage to set the scene. Fireworks add drama and spectacle, and the chandelier that is almost itself a character, is mobile, suspended from the ceiling by pulleys.
Phantom is a challenging play and this production demands a lot of its cast and crew. One confounding costume and set change takes place in less than 30 seconds during the first act, and poor Christine is either singing or swooning for the better part of the evening. But save for one minor “wardrobe malfunction”, opening night was without fault.
The Phantom of the Opera is on at the Princess Theatre until at least late November. Tickets are $69.90-$99.90 from www.ticketek.com.au
Details: www.thephantomoftheopera.com.au
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Hi ‘cacophony’, I like Anthony’s singing and love Andrew’s music. But no time to see Phantom. A little envious of you having the time to see all those shows and doing reviews. I just have to stick to my walks to GlenHuntly. It hasn’t got even a pub! The biggest entertainment we have is a station away at Caulfield racecourse. Are you a horserace fan? Try to review horseracing, huh?
I’ve just noticed that you have been a Nookster for a long time. I enjoyed your little story on P & J. Are they still declaring they Love for each other in newspaper Public Notices?
Evil Overlord, you are a worthy practioner of your art
shadowmaster- no cheerio sorry.
Ah the Phantom - beautiful absolutely! I saw it last time from the balcony and I couldn’t take my gaze away from the magnificent chandelier….
Can I afford to go again? When’s Mother’s Day, my birthday, christmas, whatever?
Anything would have to be an improvement on my afternoon at the Melbourne Town Hall, on the 5th, to a packed house listening to The Trial of John Winston Howard…one of my bigger disappointments given the “star studded” lists of actors…A Fabian production of forgettable standards.
I see previously you’re “under the weather, just like the rest of the world” but seeing the Phantom has left you “over the moon” by now, I trust