THE “phantom” in Gaston Leroux’s French novel, The Phantom of the Opera, has often been cast as a tragic antihero.
His biggest crime, perhaps, is falling in love with female protagonist Christine Daaé, and in his desire for acceptance, he becomes violent and selfish. Yet, at his darkest and most vulnerable, these qualities only make him more human; susceptible to hurt, frightened by solitude.
He gets an enduring moment of redemption just before the curtain falls, and verses from Leroux’s work haunt theatergoers as they ponder on the human flaw as something to be applauded rather than overcome: “He had a heart that could have held the entire empire of the world, and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar.”
The phantom’s moral purpose, like many other parts of himself, remains hidden behind his mask. Was he a villain or a victim?
The Philippine theater scene will have to decide for itself again as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical masterpiece, with lyrics by Charles Hart and script by Lloyd Weber and Richard Stilgoe, makes its long-awaited return to the country running from February 20 to March 31 at The Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City. “One of the amazing things about Phantom is that it transcends language and time,”
said Kristen Blodgette, the musical supervisor. “In every audience, there seems to be something that resonates [about the story].”
The musical, which first had its Manila run in 2012 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, is produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and presented by telecommunications giant PLDT, as well as Concertus Manila, the same entertainment company which brought Les Misérables in 2016, Wicked in 2017 and The Lion King in 2018 to local theaters.
“The Phantom of the Opera put Filipino theater fans in a spell on its Philippine debut almost seven years ago, and we’re thrilled to bring back the legendary musical for more Filipinos to enjoy,” said Oscar Reyes Jr., senior vice president and head of consumer market development for PLDT and Smart.
The Phantom of the Opera opened in Broadway in 1988, and is the longest-running title of all time by an eight-year margin. It premiered in London’s West End in 1986, the second longest-running after Les Misérables and the third longest-running West End show overall, after The Mousetrap.
In 2018 with more than 70 major theater awards, including seven Tony Awards, four Olivier Awards including Best Musical, and a cult following of patrons no one has ever seen, the production celebrated its 13,000th performance and three decades onstage by being the first theater production to reach worldwide grosses of $6.5 billion and over 140 million in viewership.
“There’s something about the universality of a love story. Even in this generation, it’s something that still echoes with us,” said choreographer Denny Berry, who was responsible for setting and maintaining 12 productions of the show.
Rehearsals for the local staging is now in full swing, consisting of 130 cast, crew and orchestra members, with more than 230 costumes designed by the late international designer Maria Björnson.
“We bring an international cast who are very talented people. We also set our goal of putting up a production that would be able to give the audience the same quality they would get from Broadway or West End,” said Associate Director Arthur Masella.
Of all the iconic roles in musical theater, being the “Phantom” may be the most intimidating—with lead casts often played by such luminaries as Michael Crawford (who won a Tony). This year’s edition stars Jonathan Roxmouth, who returns to play the title role after the 2012 World Tour of the musical.
Following his successful stints as Che in Evita and Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, he is joined on tour by Meghan Picerno, who takes on the role of the phantom’s beautiful young soprano and protégée Christine. Rounding out the principal cast is Matt Leisy, who will be playing the role of Raoul.
Barely a month before the musical officially opens, cast came together for an open rehearsal arranged for the Philippine media on Wednesday. One of the highlights was when Roxmouth and Picerno performed “Music of the Night.”
The original cast recording of the musical sold 40 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling cast recording of all time.
Expectations are as high as they come, but Masella is confident that this production will match those staged in New York and London. According to him, everything from orchestra calls and rehearsals to stage setup went through rigorous inspection to make sure that the production looks and sounds like it did when the show opened in 1988.
“One should take the opportunity to recreate a production. People want to hold onto the classics. The show has not aged, it does not feel dated in the writing, it does not feel dated in the staging, and it does not feel dated in the stage craft,” he said. “The original creative team, who we represent very proudly in the world, still does a magnificent job in creating this production. The Phantom of the Opera struck in a way that I don’t think often happens.”
Berry shares Masella’s optimism: “I think we managed to assemble one of the best dancing ensembles that we’ve put throughout the 30 years of working on this show. I’m proud of them all.”
Blodgette, for her part, shared: “It’s not just about bringing an international team in Manila. We’re working with a Filipino crew, and crew from around the region, and that is invaluable. We learned things about [your] culture, we learned about the way people work, and we’re really proud to be here, and the Philippines should be proud of the people they bring to this industry. There’s a lot to celebrate.”
The Phantom of the Opera has been considered the most “haunting romance” in musical theater history. It tells the story of unselfish love, one that is dark and did not really turn the beast into a handsome prince.
Still, the legend and the music of the strangely lovable antihero endure, because somewhere there’s almost always a phantom hiding in the corner, waiting to be unmasked.