A new production of “The Phantom of the Opera” was at The Fabulous Fox Theatre between Feb. 18 and March 1. The show follows the story of a disfigured musician who is haunting the Paris Opera House and his fascination with soprano Christine Daaé. The show first premiered in 1986 and features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
I was extremely lucky to attend the show Feb. 25, and it was amazing. The show’s opening scene set a bar for not only the acting and performances, but also the sets, costumes and lighting. I can confidently say that this bar was met and exceeded during the performance. The actors were phenomenal, the music was enchanting and the physical aspects of the production were stunning.
To no one’s surprise, one of the best parts of the show was the musical numbers. All of the performers had strong and evocative vocals that caught my attention. For the majority of the songs, I felt like I was floating in a dream, listening to an angel sing above me. In addition, it felt like all of the characters’ voices matched the personality of their character. Christine’s voice was light and soothing, while Carlotta, the leading soprano, had a heavy and jarring voice.
On top of the amazing singing, all of the costumes were incredibly detailed and stunning. From the first opera scene, I knew the show’s costume designer was working overtime to make this show true perfection. Carlotta’s first dress during rehearsals was incredibly detailed with individual gemstones and various patterns embroidered across the skirt. Even later on in the show, when some costumes became more simple to portray the intimate nature of the scenes, they were still eye-catching for their lacy trim or creative methods of putting them on the actors while on stage. My favorite costume of the show was Christine’s purple dress during the rooftop scene, where she and her love interest, Raoul, sing “All I Ask of You.” The dress was incredibly detailed with layers, gemstones and a simple cape over her shoulders.
All of the scenes had unique, Victorian-style sets to show the change in location. The theatre featured ornate gold arches and viewing booths, with realistic stage backdrops and supplies. While many sets were relatively simple in their nature, they still created an obvious setting and circumstances for the characters. One of my favorite sets was the Phantom’s grotto below the Paris Opera House. The crew used a kind of rotating staircase to create the illusion of them traveling down the steps to the underground lake, and the entire vibe was very dark and accurate to the mood of the scenes.
Overall, the show was a great experience. Having been to several musicals at The Fox over the years, this was definitely one of my top five. Between the amazing music, great costumes and immersive sets, I could not recommend this show more. While the plot can sometimes be strange to newcomers and definitely would warrant a police report in real life, the entire cast and crew of “The Phantom of the Opera” did a great job making the show magical in all other aspects.
