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Magnificent musical of the night
Earl Carpenter as the Phantom and Katie Hall as Christine Pictures: Alistair Muir The Phantom of the Opera Birmingham Hippodrome ***** THERE are good reasons Phantom has been
playing continuously for more than 25 years and all of them are on
display in this final hurrah of the touring version – is just a
magnificent spectacle, a true theatrical event. The music is familiar with the Phantom's frantic
harsh organ theme perhaps one of the most recognisable in musical
theatre, it has some hit songs and, in this production, some magnificent
singing in what is Andrew Lloyd Webber's most operatic musical. Earl Carpenter is a fabulous Phantom. He sings
beautifully; you would be hard pushed to better his Music of the Night,
and he can act; his final scene after he feels kindness for the first
time is the most moving of the show. Katie Hall as Christine Daaé has a wonderful
voice in the difficult part of Christine – difficult because of the
range it demands of the soprano singing it but Miss Hall managed it as
if born to the role. They were matched in the singing honours by opera
singer Angela M Caesar as the touchy diva Carlotta – a Lancashire lass
who can sure give a song some wellie. A powerful lady. On a clear night
she can probably be heard in her native Manchester.
And Simon Bailey showed a fine voice as
Christine's would-be lover Raoul, who is trying to save her from the
clutches of the Phantom. Raoul's trio with the Phantom and Christine is a highlight of the show. Andy Hockley as Monsieur Firmin and Simon Green
as Monsieur André are convincing as the joint managers of the Opera
Populaire while Elizabeth Marsh as the ballet mistress keeps the
suspense of the mysterious Phantom ticking along nicely. To go with a big show there is a big cast, 37 in
all, including a corps de ballet - but even without a cast it is still
a spectacular show. Paul Brown's background is opera and it shows in
sets which are huge, with enormous theatrical trucks silently wheeling
everything from grand opera in a Parisian opera house of the 1900s to an
underground lair (fairly) silently into position. We have larger
than life cemeteries, statues, a huge backstage wall, dressing rooms and
the managers office, all looking a solid as rock, and all just illusion,
part of the magic of Brown's brilliant design. How the excellent stage crew manage to get it all
to fit on stage is a mystery let alone move it from theatre to theatre –
but I suppose that is what 22 45-foot trailers are for. Then there is half a tonne of iconic chandelier,
which crackles and shorts its way into life as it is hoisted high above
some rather worried faces in the centre stalls. Then there are the costumes from the late Maria
Björnson, who died in Paris just over 10 years ago. They are a fitting
legacy, recreating the Paris and its stylised operas of the turn of the
19th century. That is also complemented by Paule Constable's
lighting, a times dramatic and at times a throwback to the days of lime
light and footlights in theatres more than a century ago. Musicals depend upon . . . well music, and Mick
Potter's sound design manages both subtlety which every whispered word
could be heard to sweeping drama without resorting to rock concert loud. And behind it all was a 14-piece band, large for
touring shows, under Craig Edwards, which never seemed to put a note
wrong all evening and managed to give a freshness to familiar songs and
tunes.
It did not all run smoothly though, which was
surprising at the end of a run. In the first act when Christine
snatches the mask of the Phantom she revealed the terrifying sight of .
. . well Earl Carpenter really, hardly the most frightening experience. By the second act the make up department had got
their hands on him and he was suitably deformed. As shows go this is huge and spectacular with stunning scenery and special effects including the giant chandelier high above the audience exploding and showering the audience in debris at the end of act one - all in the script I hasten to add. Phantom had its 11,000th performance
in London's West End last night – a milestone in itself, and this
touring version is an exceptional piece of theatre, but somehow it never
quite manages to find that tiniest of sparks that ignites the special
brilliance. It is not something than can be rehearsed,
written in, or created- if it was that easy the secret would be added to
every production – it is just something that happens, a magic of
theatre that give a show its own soul and Phantom never quite managed
it, at least not on Press night, which was a slight disappointment. Somehow y Don't be put off though. This is still an outstanding show, big in every conceivable way with wonderful singing and acting, music known and loved around the world and sets that are just staggering. This is West End and Broadway quality right on your doorstep. Directed by Laurence Connor and produced by
Cameron Mackintosh, Phantom runs to 04-05-13.
Phantom filling night with music
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