'Phantom of the Opera': A Little Illumination

April 21, 1998

"Perhaps we can scare away the ghost of so many years ago with a little illumination, gentleman!"

With this line, the ever-successful Phantom of the Opera's haunting score starts, and it grabs you and doesn't let go until you've left the theater.

This, the third touring company of the production, is as good as any. The score is powerful. The effects are stunning (except for the trademark chandelier scene, which wasn't as powerful as it could have been, considering the audience could see the stage hands there to catch it following its plummet to the stage). The emotion is palpable.

The one thing that really separates this version from the other Phantoms is the man behind the mask: Brad Little.

Little's interpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ill-fated creature of darkness is incredible. His physical movement across the stage is deliberate yet fluid, conveying a sense of forced humanity.

His voice has a sharp exterior masking the soft interior that everyone knows the Phantom has. Many of the lines he delivers are even more frightening with his interpretation and inflection: "You...try...my...patience," he sneers, crescendoing into the plays denouement.

Little's cries and screams ("You will curse the day you did not do/all that the Phantom asked of you!") send daggers racing up theater patrons' spines. This is the Phantom that was meant to be. He is cruel, yet we can sense humanity, and we feel for the pitifully deformed, labyrinth-dwelling man.

Little comes from the Broadway production, where he played Christine's other love interest. He seems unfit for that role; however, the power he projects from behind the flowing cape and glowing mask would be wasted on the sniveling Raoul.

The Phantom's protege is played by Amy Jo Arrington, who has a great voice but fails to stand out as much as she could. Jim Weitzer stars as Raoul, and he plays the role well, not overshadowing the others as some Raouls try to do.

Phantom, which debuted in 1988 (ten years ago this past January 26), has earned worldwide ticket sales over $2.6 billion, and has been seen by over 108 million people in 12 nations and 85 cities. It is a production that transcends time, space, and political boundaries; everyone can appreciate and in some way, identify with, the tormented Phantom and the other quasi-dysfunctional people who inhabit the Paris Opera House.

The Bob Carr Auditorium - part of Orlando's Centroplex, where Phantom is playing from now through May 2 - seems to have a stage too small for the production, but its size creates an intimacy that isn't present at the Majestic Theatre in New York. The Phantom's boat glides up to the edge of the stage, and the dry ice fog pouring into the seats off the stage makes it seem as though it'll continue into the audience.

The theater's only flaw is the minimal aisle space that forces theater-goers to stand to allow people to pass--which can be very obnoxious considering Orlandoans' tendency to arrive late.

The return of Phantom to Orlando comes as part of the MasterCard Broadway Series, which consistently brings New York-quality shows to the land of the mouse.

[Published in The Reporter on 4.15.98.]

Andy Dehnart
I spend much of my time deconstructing my surroundings by writing. Other diversions: crossing the line, sucking down caffeine-laced carbonated beverages, pen fighting with the staff of the paper I edit, listening intensely to SHE 100.3, and analyzing my world with an overuse of superlatives. Also find me here.