Chopsy Baby is Reviewing… The Phantom of the Opera at the Bristol Hippodrome Review
Tuesday 29 May 2012
7.30pm
Apparently, it is not the done thing to shout out “he’s behind you,” during The Phantom of the Opera. OK, so I didn’t do it for real, but the over egging the hammy opera at the beginning set this new production off onto a shaky start. Is it a comedy? Is it a horror? Is it a love story and which bit is the parody and which bit is serious.
Taking the most famous musical theatre show of all time and giving it a new spin is a brave thing to do. The sumptuous sets of the Paris Opera house makes way for the dark and shadowy back stage areas.
There are some inspired sets. The moving stairs going down to the Phantom’s layer. The true to life theatre managers’ office. Much of the costuming appears to be from the original show. But somehow, the red sequins on Christine’s first costume give the unfortunate effect of being nipple tassels back in row O.
Down in the Phantom’s lair, we should really be getting to the heart of his character. The Music of the Night should be heart rending, but somehow, its all a little bit mad man with an organ.
Come Scene Eight with Notes, Phantom finally finds its feet with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wonderful music and the vocal talents of the eight leads.
Katie Hall makes for a strong Christine. She manages young, innocent, playful and scared without being all angst and doe-eyed. By the end, she emerges as a strong character, taking back control of her life from both her father and the Phantom.
Simon Bailey is a solid no nonsense Raoul, and paired with Katie Hall the pair create an electric rendition of All I Ask Of You. On the snowy roof of the Opera House, they turn the song into a desperate urgency to escape their fate instead of gushy love.
Andy Hockley and Simon Green as Monsieur Firmin and Monsieur Andre respectively are a great comedy duo, with Basil Fawltyesque moments from Green.
As the Phantom, John Owen-Jones brings out his human side. He gives us a man who is not in love, but highly manipulative and frighteningly obsessive. When taking Christine down to his lair, it seems to be less about music and love and perhaps more chillingly, domestic violence. That need to control is central to his portrayal.
Some technical difficulties were apparent throughout the show and how disappointing the chandelier does not plummet down towards the audience.
Come the Point of no Return, Phantom is on fine form. The emotion is back, the music is perfect and finally, there is a twisted relationship between Christine and the Phantom that we can finally empathise with. John Owen-Jones’ Phantom does have a tender vulnerable side in the final beautiful moments. And with a puff of smoke, a shuffle to the left, a shuffle to the right, a hokey cokey, he’s gone.
But there is a trick we are all missing here. As the Phantom decends into madness and revenge, there is one very cool customer who watches and controls the situation.
Elizabeth Marsh as Madame Giry is the absolute star of the show as the all seeing strict ballet mistress. Her tender and loving parenting moments with daughter Meg – Hannah Cadec – are delightful in the background of chaos.
It’s early days in its run at the Bristol Hippodrome, so perhaps there is still time to work out those missing voices and little puffs of flame.
It’s worthy of a seven out of ten. As a ‘new’ rendition, apart from the change of set, most of the musical is present and correct to Phantom fans.
Perhaps the move focusing more on backstage, as was the original slant in Leroux’s novel, has taken the romance and mystery of the opera ghost out of Phantom and made it all much more human. Some of the UK’s finest creatives have put their heads together on this Phantom. It’s good, but the original is still the best.