The Phantom of the OperaLyric Theatre - Star City, Sydney (21st May, 2008)
The Lyric Theatre, located within Sydney's harbourside casino, Star City, is NOT conducive to imagining the Paris Opera House in the 19th century. The bland, modern seating and the brightly coloured roof painting made sure of that. The last time it played in Sydney it was at Her Majesty's Theatre (if my memory serves me correctly), which is a theatre with much more character. As is The State Theatre and The Capitol.
Having said that, the designers did their best and the set was a nice blend of functional, Parisian and 1980s musical kitsch. I was only aware of the vastness of the stage in the rooftop scene (at the end of Act 1) where Raoul (Alexander Lewis) and Christine (Ana Marina) couldn't quite fill the stage with their posturing and at the start of the graveyard scene (halfway through Act 2) when Christine's wandering around before the Phantom and Raoul turn up.
But the show... With Anthony Warlow reprising his role as the Phantom, it was bound to be a treat, and he didn't disappoint. His Phantom portrayed both a figure of menace and heartbreak - sometimes simultaneously - which is incredibly hard to do with just one's voice, considering his facial features were covered by a mask for the most part (and some of us sit well back from the stage).
Marina's voice impressed, incredibly clear and suitably vulnerable at key moments, however I'm sorry to say that her acting was terrible and there was no chemistry between her and Lewis at all. She sunk 'Wishing you were somehow here again' (graveyard scene) with her contrived 'anguished' motions and I found myself bored for the first time in the show until the Phantom and Raoul came along.
Lewis is a real find as Raoul, however. Despite the lack of chemistry with Christine, he cut a dashing figure as the soprano's lover and theatre patron (think young Hugh Jackman) and his voice resonated well in the context of his role.
For the first time, I felt I understood Raoul, not as an arrogant suitor who wants to rid himself of his rival, the Phantom, but as someone who is straightforward in his thinking of a problem. He sees the Phantom bothering Christine and threatening others in the theatre so he immediately wants to address the root of the problem by eradicating the menace. What he doesn't understand is how the Phantom's tutelage of Christine has affected her, making it hard for her to make a decision against the Opera Ghost. It is his misunderstanding of her feelings for the Phantom that causes the greatest amount of conflict between the lovers but it also serves to show how his love endures her indecision.
Someone else to note is Carlotta, played by Andrea Creighton, whose voice was not only spot on, but whose acting - part diva, part comic relief - was well-balanced and unforced, unlike Marina's Christine.
Much has been made of the 'tired' musical but I don't think it is tired at all, just out of context at the Lyric Theatre and perhaps requiring a stronger actress than Marina (although I must emphasise that her voice is very good). There are elements that make it kitschy, like the underground lair, but that's actually what the audience come to see so it's an element that must stay. In fact, I personally love the underground lair. It's suitably 'creative genius meets dark side' with a dash of romance. It's on par with the production I saw in 1997 and better than the hapless movie that came out in 2006.
Show rating: 7/10
Enjoyment rating: 8/10
