By Joyce Morgan
The Phantom of the Opera
Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Sept 26 – Oct 16
★★★★
We all know about life behind a mask. With so many opening night patrons protectively masked up, the auditorium looked as if it was full of Phantoms.
But it’s the sound that grabs attention. That menacing descending organ riff sets the tone early as we are transported to a gloriously gothic fantasia of shimmering lights, subterranean lakes and dark desires in 19th-century Paris.
Josh Piterman and Amy Manford in the first production of The Phantom of the Opera to hit the Sydney Opera House.Credit: Janie Barrett
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s immensely popular musical has stalked Australian stages before. Indeed, it has had about as many outings over the years as Scott Morrison has had phantom ministries.
But this is the first time The Phantom has taken to the Sydney Opera House stage. And that is a challenge. The Joan Sutherland Theatre has a notoriously small stage - it is not the natural home of a blockbuster musical.
Bringing The Phantom into the House presents the opposite difficulty to the musical’s most recent incarnation six months ago. Then Opera Australia presented it on a vast floating outdoor stage on the Harbour.
The cast of Opera Australia’s Phantom of the Opera when it was on an outdoor stage on Sydney Harbour.
How well does this latest move work? While some larger ensemble numbers felt rather shoe-horned, the heart of the show is a love triangle. It’s an intimate tale played out on a grand scale within, beneath and above the Paris Opera. Overall, it works surprisingly well indeed.
The Phantom premiered in London in 1986 in an era of excess. Back then shoulder pads were big, hair was even bigger and mega-musicals – many of them by Andrew Lloyd Webber – were a spectacular new phenomenon. The Phantom of the Opera has become one of the most long-running shows in theatre history.
Much has changed in nearly four decades, including perhaps our attitude to the Phantom himself. What do we make today of a manipulative, predatory psychopath willing to coerce, kidnap and murder to get what he wants?
The challenge for anyone donning the Phantom’s mask is to elicit sympathy and compassion for this diabolic, damaged character obsessed with the young singer Christine.
The Phantom of the Opera opened at the Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre on Friday.Credit: Janie Barrett
In this, Josh Piterman excels. He is an impressive Phantom, bringing a rich, dark expressive voice and strong physicality, including in The Music of the Night. He blends menace, malice and vulnerability. His late unmasking leaves him like a wounded but dangerous animal.
As Christine, Amy Manford has open-hearted innocence and sings with clarity and sweetness. Her second act solo, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, was a standout.
Blake Bowden was an admirable Raoul, a figure worthy of Christine’s love.
Giuseppina Grech impressed as the preening diva Carlotta while black-clad Jayde Westaby was a funereal ballet mistress Madame Giry.
The versatile 27-piece pit orchestra played music that ranged from operatic to soaring ballads and synthesised pop. But the amplification, particularly in the first act, sometimes overshadowed the voices.
This Phantom is billed as a new production, although it debuted in the UK a decade ago. It feels more like a refresh – with sets by Paul Brown - than an entirely new vision.
The most memorable elements remain; from the gondolier crossing an underground lake in swirling mist to the Phantom’s candle-lit lair (although there did seem to be fewer candles). And, of course, there’s that glittering chandelier.
Maria Bjornson’s magnificent original costumes remain, recreated by Jill Parker. The vibrant, colourful second-act opener Masquerade reveals Bjornson’s breathtaking brilliance.
The Phantom, directed in Australia by Seth Sklar-Heyn, is a triumph of traditional stagecraft. With its imaginatively evoked dressing room, dingy backstage and gilded auditorium, it celebrates theatre itself.
The show that transformed our expectations of what music theatre can do remains as visually ravishing as ever.
A cultural guide to going out and loving your city. Sign up to our Culture Fix newsletter here.