Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” has lengthy been one in every of my and my oldest daughter’s favourite musicals of all time, so after I heard that there was a brand new immersive theatrical expertise primarily based on this beloved musical, we needed to go and expertise it. Going to “Masquerade” is a dream come true. It’s all the pieces you keep in mind and cherish about “Phantom” — besides that you’re there! You’re there within the room the place it occurs, you’re dressed elegantly, sporting a masks, and the actors are actually up-close and private as you journey by way of a six-floor constructing to expertise the story of the Phantom as informed from his perspective. It’s possible you’ll end up dancing with a forged member within the Masquerade scene or chatting with one of many dancers as you look ahead to Christine to enter the room. You’re within the room as every scene occurs, you journey all through this complicated through escalators and stairs and transfer from place to put experiencing moments that you’ll always remember.
One second you end up taking a dance lesson with Madame Giry; the following you end up following her and generally the Phantom because the story unfolds. The costumes are completely attractive. The settings embody dressing rooms; a carnival the place you see the backstory of the phantom as a deformed, exploited baby and the way he got here to be with the Opera Home; and even the Phantom’s lair.
The story of the Phantom is extremely shifting as it’s, however think about the Phantom singing to Christine about breaking his coronary heart and betraying him if you end up solely an arm’s size away. Think about sitting in a room and the Phantom palms you an merchandise to exchange one thing that one other actor in a earlier scene gave to you. However the merchandise he offers you should have a unique impact on the person than initially supposed. (I do know that sounds mysterious, however that’s a part of the enjoyable.) There have been so many moments the place I discovered myself overcome with emotion; so many moments when the Phantom and Christine moved among the many viewers, singing and actually trying viewers members instantly of their eyes.
Experiencing this manufacturing, you get to get a style of the anguish and ache that the Phantom skilled his whole existence, however you additionally see his tender aspect that hardly acquired an opportunity to see the sunshine of day. You additionally get to see all the degrees of emotion that Christine experiences.
What’s so spectacular about this immersive expertise is that there are a number of teams experiencing it at separate occasions every day. There are six totally different Phantoms and 6 totally different Christines, and ticket consumers are given a time to enter the constructing and a secret password. This manufacturing can be a spectacular instance of non-traditional casting at work.
The forged is just too huge to call all of them, however the cohesiveness you expertise by way of them is classy. On the efficiency I attended on a Sunday at 1 p.m., African American actor Kyle Scatliffe was completely extraordinary because the Phantom. His voice, his ache, his love for and dedication to Christine, his protecting but lethal method of constructing positive she was profitable, touched the soul. You felt nice empathy for this man who by no means knew love, not even from his personal mom. Eryn LeCroy was gorgeous as Christine. Her voice was enchantingly stunning. You might sense each emotion she skilled, feeling grateful to the Angel of Music but additionally afraid of him. One of many songs that at all times tears me down emotionally is when she sings “Wishing You Had been In some way Right here Once more,” and I need to admit, when she carried out it in a really fascinating setting, I couldn’t wipe my tears shortly sufficient. The character that we meet from the start is Madame Giry, who’s a job performed by 4 totally different actresses. On the efficiency I attended, that function was marvelously carried out by Liz Pearce.
