Phantom has always been one of my favourite shows, I've seen numerous adaptations of the musical, both for stage and film, I've also read the original novel by Gaston Leroux. The first time I saw the musical performed live was quite a few years ago, before I even became involved with theatre myself. At the time I loved the story and I loved the music but that was as far as my interests led me. Since starting my work in theatre the only adaptations I was able to see of the Phantom were recorded - the film, the soundtrack, a broadcast of the 25th anniversary concert - so it was a pleasure to finally see a live production when in London.
It's been a few months since so the details have grown a little hazy in my memory, but what stood out to me is what a classic and beautiful interpretation it was. Often when dealing with older pieces creative teams attempt to modernize the shows, Shakespeare's Love's Labours Lost set in the '80's for example, it's the idea that modernizing the setting will allow a younger generation to relate to and understand the story better. Sometimes this is successful, for Shakespeare in the '80's see St. Aggies '84, and other times it can fail catastrophically. I appreciate that after running for 25 years the London production of Phantom is confident enough that audiences will connect with the play in it's truest form - in a Paris opera house in the 1800's.
The sets and costumes are exquisite, beautifully crafted with the antiquity of the time period yet the flair they deserve. Lighting and sound design are both done with elegance and grace, fitting smoothly in where they are needed and never overpowering the focus on stage. Each element of the production is laced together with the others, creating a beautiful, classical masterpiece.
There are many reasons why the London production has been running for over 25 years and why it will run for many more.
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