Not Cameron Mackintosh.
As “The Phantom of the Opera” prepared to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2011 at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, Mackintosh decided it was time for a little updating and renewal.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical 'Phantom of the Opera' gets makeover
Not Cameron Mackintosh.
As “The Phantom of the Opera” prepared to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2011 at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, Mackintosh decided it was time for a little updating and renewal.
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6 comments:
It's like they read my mind. I have been criticizing Phantom of the Opera for years. Not only is the show gaudy, flowery and cloying, the production on broadway is so stiflingly dated that it is dripping with the 80s when the show itself takes place in the 1910s. The frame work itself is intriguing, but the shows creators seemed far more concerned with the admittedly beautiful music and sweeping visual effects than a plot that even resembles something that follows and interesting and logical path for human behavior.
THAT SAID.
Imagine if Phantom closed. It's songs become less ubiquitous. It falls from the spotlight. Then after a few years it returns. It loses the cheesiness. It gets an editor. Costume update. Give some gravity and flaws to it's ingenue. Shorten it by at least 45 minutes. Honestly, that would be a show that could sweep me off my feet. It could be dark, mysterious, get to the root of the man so obsessed with a girl that he is driven to kidnap and kill to preserve her star and her love. That is a dark and tragic story. That could be a story that would live for another 25 years. Or it could bloom and fade and die, like transcendental theatre is supposed to do. Let it exist in the moment. That would be enough.
I’ve had the opportunity to see the Phantom of the Opera down in San Antonio, although I can’t recall if that was a birthday gift that I wanted, and hopefully I will have the opportunity to see it again as it comes through, partially because one of my high school buddies plays one of the leads in the tour. I knew The Phantom of the Opera was a big operation, I didn’t know it was a twenty two truck operation. Hot dang, what that must be like to haul all of that scenery around, but I guess that also includes lighting, costumes, sound, and the like. The organization it must take to keep all of the gears flowing as smoothly as it has been is quite a feat. Phantom has to be in my opinion be one of the best musicals that I’ve seen, and it’s been quite a few years since I’ve seen it, so I’m definitely looking for round two.
I have always loved Phantom of The Opera even though I will admit it is not a great show. The entire score is unoriginal but I digress. I love the technical side to the show more than anything. There is such enormous talent involved in how the show is put together from the sculptures, to the chandelier which swings over the audience. I would love to see the new and bigger show which is going on tour. I love to see revamped shows, because the new ideas are always interesting. It isn’t just interesting to compare to the old production to the new production, but also to see the new ideas which have been implemented into the production. I am also intrigued by the fact that people are still seeing Phantom in such high numbers. The fact that the show has gone on for so long and is still making a profit is incredible. I guess that just goes to show that spectacular shows are profitable.
To start, The Phantom of the Opera has always been one of my classic ‘go to’ playlists when I have worked and the movie version of the show is often up on my computer screen. I love it. There are so many technical elements to the performance and I absolutely love it. There is definitely reason that it has been on Broadway for as long as it has been. They must be doing something right to be know as the longest running play on a Broadway stage. I don’t personally see why anyone would want to touch the originally beautiful score or storyline. However, Olivia does make some good points with costume updates and length. Though, I do already see it as dark and mysterious.
Being able to take such an illustrious and long running musical and transform it into something that is new and yet still recognizable to fans of the old version is a gargantuan undertaking. I do feel that the production team has selected several aspects that could truly result in a stronger performance. The distinction between the world of opera and Phantom as a musical is critical. Inattention and lack of detail where this divide is concerned can completely shift the focus of the show. Also, the team's intent to take advantage of technological developments that have occurred is also a smart move. It will elevate this particular musical to the level of spectacle and performance today's audiences are used to seeing. And while the show is by all means a "classic", telling the story with outdated tools and resources could potentially relegate the show to the past. The team does need to be painfully aware of how to proceed without alienating their loyal audience of repeat-offenders.
Phantom of the Opera is a gorgeous show that will perpetually be running on the great white way for forever. One of the things that I feel think that makes it such a beautiful show is the fact that it continues to use old school theatrical technology. In today’s theatre world we are constantly loosing appreciation for the old fashioned way of moving scenery now that we have fancy automation systems that will do it all for us really fast and cool at the push of a single button. Automation is all nice and efficient but there is really something really refreshing about the fact that one of Broadway’s longest running production still doing things the way that it was originally designed. Also, by adding automation to the Phantom of the Opera you are potentially taking away a bunch of run crew member’s jobs. I’m not saying that a makeover is right or wrong; it is just something to think about.
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