The Phantom of the Opera has made its way to the Fabulous Fox Theatre for nothing less than an amazing performance, as always. As the longest running show on Broadway, to consider it a success is an understatement. In fact, this year marks its 25th year at the Fabulous Fox Theatre and 30 years on Broadway.
It tells the story of a young, French opera singer (Eva Tavares) who becomes the main obsession of the elusive phantom (Quentin Oliver Lee) who dwells under the Parisian opera house. The phantom, a disfigured and tormented soul, becomes captivated by the singer’s beauty and angelic voice. It’s not long before he makes himself known to her and starts making demands of the rest of the cast, causing tensions to quickly escalate.
If you’ve never seen it, prepare yourself for a whirlwind of nonstop entertainment from some of the world’s best performers. To attend The Phantom of the Opera is to live it. The show is nonstop thrills that will literally have you on the edge of your seat. Some of the most shocking scenes take place in the audience. The attention to detail and level of quality put into the sets, lighting, and costumes all lead to some of the most realistic and terrifying experiences any musical has to offer. If you see the show, prepare yourself for the gasps and even screams from the audience.
One of the alluring aspects of the show has to be the nostalgic feel of it. There’s something about it that reminds you of the old black and white vampire movies that featured the heavy and foreboding organ music that foretold the horror that was to come. That same feeling follows the musical from the very beginning to the very end. The soundtrack (with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe) is some of the most recognizable music in theater even to those outside of the usual theatergoing audience, with songs like the title song “Phantom of the Opera,” “Music of the Night,” and “Think of Me.”
The dungeon scenes inside the phantom’s lair under the opera house are some of the best scenes in the play. The musical has a number of large set changes that are all done with one large convertible set that swivels and turns to expose a number of different sets in one. If you thrive on dramatic entertainment nothing is more dramatic than The Phantom of the Opera. | Jennifer Manjarez
