By: Cameron Tyo
January 21st, 2025
Note: This review could include what people deem as mild spoilers for Phantom of the Opera. Please continue with this in mind
The Phantom of the Opera book was released by Gaston Leroux in 1910 and, from that point forward, has been created into many different movie and show adaptations. However, while this may be the case, one of the better adaptations of his work has been the musical created by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which was released on October 9th, 1986, and premiered at Her Majesty’s Theater, London. My first foray into the music of The Phantom of the Opera was actually while watching the 2004 movie version, which was later followed by a listening to the original cast recording of the musical version. My listening through the OBC recording got me attached to the show’s music. Beautiful and belty operatic moments filled with lovely soaring melodies and interesting arpeggios are thrown together to tell an emotional and gritty story, and I loved every minute of it. And while the music was impactful, I knew I wanted to see it live. I’ve never been so far, but the closest I’ve gotten to the experience has been watching the Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, performed where the title says in commemoration of the show’s 25th anniversary. Being my first and only live while filmed production of this musical I’ve watched how does it fare?
To give the quickest of summaries: after a backstage incident during rehearsal, which many are quick to assume is the doing of the Phantom of the Opera (Ramin Karimloo), senior opera singer Carlotta (Wendy Ferguson) refuses to perform her role, which is ultimately given to the innocent-like ballet corp member Christine Daaé (Sierra Boggess) whose voice captures the attention of everyone such as the new business owners of the Opera House Gilles André (Gareth Snook) and Richard Firmin (Barry James) and her former childhood now arts patron Raoul (Hadley Fraser). From this point forward, it is a show of love, seduction, threats, and mystery, all captured and told through minimal dialogue and the rest of the music. The story is basic, but one might not watch for the plot. I, for example, enjoy the musical mostly for the music. Before I talk about some of my favorite songs, I just need to point out how well-rounded of a cast this filmed production has. Boggess, Karimloo, and Fraser all do such a great job at showing the complicated chemistry amongst one another, and the others like Snook and James, and even Ferguson and Wynne Evans, who plays Piangi, do a great job contributing to some of the more comedic moments. Liz Robertson, who plays Madame Giry, and Daisy Maywood, who plays Meg, also do well in their roles in the musical, adding to the mystery of things.
When it comes to the music, “Think of Me,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “All I Ask of You,” “Point of No Return,” and “Notes” leading into “Prima Donna” are my favorite songs in the musical. “Think of Me” does an amazing job at identifying the personality of Christine, the main character, and does well in revealing the emotional strength she keeps hidden inside her through the haunting and saddening melodies of a tune in the opera they’re performing. I like how she is almost timid when first signing because it’s her first time singing in front of a big crowd. This also shows her innocence, but as the melody progresses and octave leaps become more prominent, her voice becomes boomier and free. I especially like the cadenza that happens at the very end. Sierra does it so effortlessly, and it shows that her training from the so-called “Angel of Music,” referenced multiple times throughout the story, is helping her.
Next up is the “Phantom of the Opera.” I love Ramin’s performance as the Phantom because of his lighter baritone quality but also because of the aggressive emotion of his singing, especially during this song, which shows that he is is a malicious being but also one that must have felt pain in his life which you’ll see as the show progress. While stopping many times for bits of rock instrumentation, the meter stays roughly the same, and the music gets more sinister as the Phantom drags Christine down to his lair to have her sing. Sierra effortlessly reaches the highest notes of the opera, and her voice blends so well with Ramin, culminating in such a powerful ballad.
In a similar vein but with a less gritty tone is “All I Ask of You,” which is a duet between Raoul and Christine. Raoul is trying to comfort Christine from things that have happened around her by revealing she can feel free if she is with him, and as the two sing about how they feel and hope they can be with each other after confirming their trust, sweet brass and strings of the orchestra start to blend so well with the harmonies sung by Sierra and Hadley at the conclusion which leads to a gut punch for essentially the first half of the finale of Act 1.
The other two songs, “Point of no Return” and “Notes/Prima Donna,” both tie into the severity of what is happening at the Opera House due to the Phantom’s shenanigans in one way or another. In Point of No Return, Christine plays the role of a lady seduced by a man who she can’t leave being far too deep in this intimate and possibly forbidden relationship. The slower, more hesitant pace of the song shows the severity of this situation. “Notes,” on the other hand, is a frantic song that has many people singing over one another about all the negative things that have occurred at the Opera house, blaming one another for things, which leads to “Prima Donna” when they sing about things going against the rules of the Phantom. This breaking of the rules is what causes all bad things to happen during the musical.
The last thing I’d like to mention is the costume design and background designs. Since the production was performed in a concert hall and not a stage, there were a few things they couldn’t do. Per the hall’s request, they couldn’t drop the chandelier at all during Act One finale, but they were still able to create the illusion of it dropping by causing the lights to flicker violently. I liked the fire effects the Phantom used in Act 2 as well. Furthermore, the scenery of the Phantom lair, the scenes of the Operas the house performed, and the cemetery were all compact but detailed to get you invested in the story and where the people were. The costumes were beautifully designed, especially the many unique costumes presented in “Masquerade.”
At the end of the filmed production, you even got some guest appearances from previous creative designers and actors who have been involved in the Phantom of the Opera in one way or another. Overall, the Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall is a fantastic production of the musical. There are a few differences between this production and the musical, but nothing is omitted to where the story makes no sense. The casting was great, and the singing and dancing were really well executed by those involved. It told such a gripping story all the way to the end. This goes for named roles and chorus alike. The orchestra nailed every entrance, and it all culminated in such a great live production of the musical. The first one I’ve seen. Anyone who loves this musical and hasn’t seen this production should really do so. You won’t be disappointed.