The Phantom of the Opera is showing at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) from October 8 to October 19. This infamous musical was originally adapted by Andrew Lloyd Weber from a novel by Gaston Leroux. Since then, the musical has been adapted many times, though it has remained a classic.
The musical is about a ghost of a man (the “phantom”) who is a musician and falls romantically and musically in love with the talented opera singer Christine. He takes her under his wing and mentors her musically, and terrorizes the opera house and drives away the lead soprano so that Christine can perform. As the phantom falls in love with Christine, he kidnaps her to shield her from the love of her childhood sweetheart, Raoul, in his jealousy.
The performance at DPAC was very well done. The effects, acting and most of all, the music, were incredible.
From the costumes to the set, the effects were awesome and made audience members feel like a part of the production. There were speakers set up all around to project the voice of the phantom to make audience members feel as if he was right beside them. The infamous chandelier from the play actually dropped from the ceiling as a result of the phantom’s antics as if it were headed to hit the audience. The costumes were incredible and looked very authentic. The best part of the show’s effects, however, was the pyrotechnics. Several scenes involved the use of fire, and when it was used, it illuminated the stage and the audience could actually feel the heat of the fire.
The acting in the production was also spot on. You could feel Christine’s fear and fascination with the phantom and you could also see how in love with Christine the phantom was. The interactions between the actors and actresses added to the authenticity of the play and how involved the audience became with the play.
The best part of the production, however, was the music. Of course, much of this can be credited to Andrew Lloyd Weber, but the musicians in this particular performance were fabulous. The pit orchestra never missed a beat and the conductor led everyone precisely so that there were no errors. The vocals of Christine and the phantom were spectacular. Christine had an amazing range and a beautiful opera voice and vibrato. The phantom also had a spectacular voice.
Overall, The Phantom of the Opera was a great performance, and it was a show worth seeing.
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