Review-The Phantom of the Opera-Lunchbox Productions
24-12-14
.jpeg)
The Phantom of the Opera – An iconic masterpiece that continues to awe and inspire audiences 28 years after it first opened on London’s West End.
Why does this Musical continue to run non-stop throughout the world and captivate everyone who sees it? Is it the complex characters and touching novel upon which the story is based – Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux? Is it the soaring and complex musical score by Andrew Lloyd Webber? Is it the heart stirring and sometimes whimsical lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe? It could be the richly colored and intricate set and costumes by Maria Björnson. It might be the vision and virtuosity of Harold Prince and Gillian Lynne who established the staging and choreography that is still used today. Or, just a quirk of fate that brought them all together.
When a production comes with such an amazing package, it seems that it would be impossible for it to fail. And, it certainly has not failed here in Hong Kong. Audience members were leaning forward throughout most of the performance in order to make sure they caught every moment. Other than the incredibly rude family sitting behind me who felt it necessary to discuss every scene while it was happening, most audience members sat in enchantment.
The performers on this tour have been performing together for over two years. This has not only allowed them to build a trust and camaraderie that is very apparent on the stage, but it has given the cast time to truly understand their characters and present nuances that I haven’t seen before. It would seem that performing a single character for this long would become stale, but during the press conference last week, the primary actors stated that they are still finding new things about their characters. It was clearly true as their performances were fresh and alive.
Surrounded by a premier cast, Brad Little presented a truly conflicted, vulnerable and captivating Phantom. Claire Lyon is an incredible talent as she develops Christine from an ingénue to Prima Dona slowly and methodically, yet, seamlessly. Anthony Downing as Raoul is dashing and heroic and perfect counterpoint for Ms. Lyon. I particularly enjoyed Andrea Creighton as Carlotta as she preened about the stage. Tina Walsh as the stoic dance matron Madame Giry, has an domineering presence on the stage. I was further impressed with Guy Simpson, the conductor of the skilled live orchestra, who allowed the performers to play with moments in the score, taking dramatic pauses when needed.
All that being said, there were a few issues. The first half of the production had some sound balancing issues. It seemed that they still needed to make adjustments to the Arena space. One of my favorite songs is ‘Prima Donna’ as it is brilliantly complex, but the poor mic balance made it fall a little flat. However, this seemed to be fixed in the second half.
There have concerns about the large screens that are on either side of the stage. These are great and a little annoying. They had Chinese surtitles on them, which is great. They help insure that the entire audience, even those sitting at the far end of the Arena can clearly see what is happening onstage. And, it gives you some great up-close views of the performers expressions that most audience members would never be able to see. Accessible Theatre is fantastic. However, Andrew Bridge, the original lighting designer, would probably be a little frustrated. The screens were easy to ignore if you chose to do so, but throughout, the light spillover from the screen really diminished some of the lighting effects. This mostly occurred when they did the close-up shots. When, they used long, wide shots, this didn’t occur as much. They might consider less close-up shots.
But, don’t let that deter you. This production of The Phantom of the Opera, produced by The Really Useful Group and Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, is a must see whether you are musical fan or not.
It will continue to run at AsiaWorld-Expo through January at 8pm Tuesday thru Saturday. There are matinees on Saturday at 2:30pm and on Sunday at 1:00pm. And, there is an evening performance on Sundays at 6pm. There are also some special performances for the Holidays on the 24th, 25th and 26th. With tickets ranging from $295 to $1195, there are reasonably affordable seats for everyone.
The Phantom of the Opera is playing through January 18th. For more information, click here.
Comments
Ciekawskaa26
tagi instagram impreza Musze stwierdzic ze fajnie sie czyta twoje posty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7tae8lSn9I jak być popularnym
11 June 2017