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Tri-State Theater

Let's discuss upcoming shows, secrets behind the scenes, things you never knew about the theater and why live theater is so darn entertaining.

Friday, June 04, 2010

"Phantom of the Opera" on a Local Stage?

It's a possibility, as this week it was announced that the classic musical, still setting records on Broadway, will be made available starting in the fall - but only to high school and college groups.

The announcement isn't unexpected, as last year they allowed a handful of groups, including Capital High School in Charleston, to try their hand at it (and I heard wonderful things about their performance).

Here's the story from the Associated Press:
NEW YORK (AP) - Andrew Lloyd Webber's global hit The Phantom of the Opera may be coming to a high school or college near you.

R&H; Theatricals said Thursday it is accepting applications from school groups in the U.S. and Canada for performances beginning Sept. 1.

"Phantom" is a gothic tale of romance set in the Paris Opera and has been seen by 100 million people since it opened in 1986. It is still playing in London and in New York, where it is the longest-running show in Broadway history.

R&H; Theatricals has been representing North American performance rights to Lloyd Webber's musicals since 2001. The company is a division of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
Quite a few groups will no doubt be lining up to tackle this show. I suspect Huntington's children's theatre, First Stage, will want to stage it (assuming it is eligible). How I'd love to see that one at the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center...

5 comments:

Stephen Vance said...

It's a great show, the first I ever saw on broadway.

Capital did it just a couple of years ago as a test school for R&H. They were chosen because of their tradition of choir and theatre greatness. We went up and saw it, and its not your typical "jr" show. Just like Les Mis it's still a very challenging and demanding show. The Capital kids did a great job with it, and it will be great to see it done down here too.

Chuck Minsker said...

Stephen, I agree, it will be an incredibly challenging show (probably the most challenging show for a community theatre group this side of "Wicked").

I know Capital HS worked hard and held fundraisers to make it possible, and I heard great things about their production.

marshallmark said...

Capital was, perhaps, unique in its ability to put that show on. It had two very strong female leads that blew the audience away, and a couple of male leads that were very good. The females, however, were amazing -- especially Sarah Pauley, who played Christine. Amazing voice.

Stephen Vance said...

Couldn't agree more about Sarah.
When she hit those notes in "Think of Me" it felt like a standing ovation was going to happen right in the middle of the first act. So impressive.

Chuck Minsker said...

You guys are making me regret even more that I had to miss that show - as I recall, I was away on vacation (or on assignment) at the time.

But it's not surprising that the show was excellent - Capital has had a long tradition of great theatre (as have other schools in our area).