“THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA,” through July 22, Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main St. (801-355-2787 or broadway-at-the-eccles.com); running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes (one intermission)
SALT LAKE CITY — As the U.S. national tour of “The Phantom of the Opera” makes its almost-sold-out stop at Salt Lake’s Eccles Theater, two stars undeniably steal the show, and one of them isn’t even a person.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's seven-time Tony Award-winning musical has long been a fan favorite — it’s been running on Broadway for more than 30 years — and if the Eccles' Friday night audience is any indication, the adoration is alive and well, with actor Quentin Oliver Lee as the Phantom and the production’s beautiful, reimagined set design proving to be the best performances of the night.
Based on Gaston Leroux’s early 20th-century novel, “The Phantom of the Opera” takes audiences into a 19th-century Paris opera house where a mysterious “Opera Ghost” haunts the stage and the performers. When the venue’s new owners seem indifferent to the strange happenings, the opera house’s diva star departs in a huff, leaving a young ballet dancer named Christine Daae to take her place in the upcoming show.
Christine has been receiving vocal training from someone she thinks is the “Angel of Music” her father promised to send upon his death but who is actually the brooding, disfigured Phantom of the Opera who lives hidden in the caverns under the opera house. The whole situation turns out to be the Phantom's plot to get closer to the young ingenue, for whom he harbors a burning love, but his plan starts to unravel with the appearance of Christine’s childhood-friend-turned-love-interest Raoul, the opera house’s dashing young patron.
As the title character, a lot rests on the Phantom's shoulders — Michael Crawford’s Tony Award-winning performance as the original masked man is widely considered legendary – but Lee bears the weight with skill. He takes the audience on a roller coaster of emotions as his Phantom is alternately disturbing and pitiable, all while singing every one of the Phantom’s songs with ethereal vocal precision.
Joining Lee in leading roles are Eva Tavares as Christine and Jordan Craig as Raoul, and the three are a vocal force to be reckoned with. Tavares’ soprano voice portrayed facets of clarity, beauty and delicateness that were well-matched with Craig’s baritone. The leading lady’s acting was also spot-on as she portrayed the character’s inner conflict and questioning. She managed to turn “All I Ask of You” — often portrayed as a romantic exchange of promises between two lovers — into an extremely raw moment. Instead of being locked in a loving embrace with Craig, she nervously paced the stage and presented her lines less as requests and more as ultimatums for Raoul to gain her trust and affection.
Such staging choices manage to make a familiar production still feel new, and that quality is even more enhanced with the one-of-a-kind set design and staging that is now only on display in Utah.
In 2012, producer Cameron Mackintosh launched a new production that kept the script, Tony Award-winning costume design by Maria Bjornson, and music — yes, the beautiful, imposing music — the same but revamped the set design and staging, creating a fresh take on the story. And because the U.S. touring cast is the only one performing the show with the changes, the Eccles Theater is currently the only place in the world audiences can see the new version.
Paul Brown’s set design takes on a life of its own with ornate elements and stage magic. Large set pieces move in and out on a turntable and open up throughout to reveal different sections of the opera house, creating a dollhouse feeling as the audience glimpses the different scenes.
By far the best moment for the stage — and a great performance highlight for Lee and Tavares — was during the title song as the Phantom leads Christine down into his cavernous lair. The pair started high on the set piece and descended slim stairs as they magically appeared step-by-step out of the wall before it split down the middle to reveal the Phantom’s hidden home.
Additionally, when portraying the opera stage, the gold-leafed proscenium arch and box seats made the Salt Lake audience feel part of the 19th-century audience. And, yes, the chandelier still makes its dramatic drop and won’t disappoint.
Many will likely leave “Phantom” singing the music — which is just as grand as you’d hope it would be — but the show’s themes also have a thought-provoking, sticking quality to them. The Phantom’s actions are often truly hideous — he drags Christine by the hair multiple times, uses his power over her to manipulate her, hangs two people and purposely instills fear in pretty much everyone — yet as the audience sees his disfigured face and understands the intense persecution he’s endured his entire life, one can’t help feeling sympathy for him.
It’s a haunting illustration of the damage a lack of compassion can cause, and to see Christine’s empathy toward him despite his actions sends a compelling message about what a powerful force compassion can really be.
Content advisory: “The Phantom of the Opera” contains depictions of hangings, abuse, violence and seduction, shown to the degree equivalent to a PG-13 film (as the story’s film adaptation is rated). Jumpy patrons should also note the show contains multiple instances of startling pyrotechnics and gunshots.