So I went to see Capital High's production of Phantom of the Opera (Thursday) night, and I was impressed that they were able to pull of such a complicated show! It's not a "junior" version of the show... this is the entire score... nothing was missing as far as I remember... the chandelier was huge and impressive (and hanging directly above my head... I'm a trusting soul.) They even had a big elephant onstage! You ought to see the "Masquerade" scene... The costumes drew immediate applause from the audience before anyone sang a note. My fellow "Symphony Idol" finalists Sarah Pauley and Micah Atkinson were amazing! I was so proud of them!
Capital High was one of only six schools asked to produce "Phantom" as a pilot production in anticipation of releasing it for non-equity theatre companies. Quite an honor!
They had a few technical issues, but that can happen on opening night, especially with a show this ambitious. There was an extremely loud and obvious foul language slip when someone backstage didn't realize their microphone was live... that's always fun.
But check this out... this is one more reason to love live theatre... Something happened in the show that will never happen again in a million years... at the very end of the show when the ballerina Meg picks up the phantom's mask and holds it up, there is a 5-note musical scale... (the same 5 notes as at the end of "Music of the Night", if you remember.) Last night, on the very last musical note of the show, the school fire alarm went off AT THE EXACT MOMENT AND IN THE EXACT PITCH OF THAT NOTE!
It was Twilight Zone stuff! What are the odds? that will NEVER happen again! And I was there!
Last night was my only chance to see the show because of a previous commitment for the rest of the weekend. Thursday night is appointment TV night for me because my two favorite shows, The Office and Lost are both on, but I can watch them online later...
I'm so glad I went to see The Phantom of the Opera last night instead...Once the show is over, unlike TV or movies, you can never see that specific production again. It's a once in a lifetime experience, and I encourage everyone to get out there and see it!
Saturday, May 03, 2008
"Phantom of the Opera" - Ryan's Comments
My pal Ryan Hardiman got a chance to see a special show the other night, and he sent in these comments - and they were so entertaining, I wanted to post it here on the main page for all to enjoy. Here's Ryan:
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3 comments:
My two girls and I took in "Phantom" on Friday night. While we didn't get to 'enjoy' the fire alarm as did Ryan, we did experience an amazing show!
As Ryan noted for opening night, the costumes for Act II's opening number drew applause even before the orchestra started playing. Also, the crowd clapped for the chandelier as it was raised to the ceiling in the first scene -- I understand the kids at Capital built it themselves, and it was tremendous!
Obviously, this type of production is an emmense challenge for any company, but for a high school to pull it off was incredible. And, let me say this -- the 3 main leads (Phantom, Christine, Carlotta)were simply unbelievable.
The Phantom (sorry...I don't know his name!) was nothing short of excellent. I understand that he plays in the Capital Show Choir's band and, since he doesn't even get to sing with that group, we had no idea of what to expect from him. Simply put..he WAS the Phantom. Excellently portrayed, he captured the Phantom's intriguing nature from Act I that changes to sinister for Act II. Plus, his voice was excellent.
Micah Atkinson played Carlotta and may very well have been the best on stage. She coupled a fabulous singing voice (anyone that has ever seen her would not have been surprised -- she may be the best high school vocalist in WV) with a tremendous stage presence. She really brought out the "diva" in Carlotta, and hit the expected accent spot on.
Lastly, I must say a few words about my daughter's good friend, and star of the show, Sarah Pauley who played Christine. Sarah always has a sweetness to her that played well as Christine, but her 'bread and butter' is her voice. The clarity, power and range she has is incredible in a high school SOPHOMORE (that's 16 years old!). She was more than able to clearly hit the high "E" at the end of the "Phantom of the Opera" song, and the audience immediately applauded her efforts. She continued her strong singing all the way through the show, with not a hint of struggle or strain. Simply amazing.
Great show to see -- some production issues, and some limitations given the fact that it was a high school production in a high school auditorium, but honestly it was one of the best local shows I've seen in a very long time. Well done, Capital!
I am supremely under qualified to make comments about "opera" but Phantom is really one of my favorite shows. So, I'm glad Ryan tackled it first.
I went to the Saturday show and many of the tech issues I had heard about earlier in the week, had been worked out.
After performing in Oklahoma!, this past summer with Sarah Pauley who played Christine, we all knew she was talented, but we were blown away.
By the end of Think of Me, she had made fans of every member of the audience. She was no longer a 10th grader trying to pull of the role of a lifetime but a polished performer portraying Christine Daae.
Although her performance alone had the crowd cheering madly, excellent performances were also turned in by William Stuck (The Phantom) and Micah Atkinson (Carlotta).
The most light hearted and comedic parts of the show were supplied by our friend Robert Haddy who played Monsieur Firmin, one of the neurotic directors of Opera Populaire. Robert is mostly know for his makeup and mask work. He actually built the masks for the Beast in HOT's Beauty and the Beast.
As Ryan mentioned, some of the costumes were just marvelous as were some of the set pieces. Two of my favorites were the elephant used in the Hannibal Opera section and the 9 foot tall roof top angel. Both of which were constructed by the students and faculty. On a side note, Capital did when best technical school at this year's thespian competition, and Maya Clark, who one tech theater student of the year, was largely responsible for the angel.
All being said, it was a terrific show and if you were one of the lucky few who actually were able to score a ticket for the show, you weren't disappointed at all.
Congratulations to Kathy Corbett and the entire production staff on a job well done.
Man,,,I missed it. I was very ill and had tickets waiting that had to be cancelled!!! I'm soooooooo glad it was a huge success!! Great for WV and the kids!
Trish
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