Phantom of The Opera

If anyone wanted to be transported to The West End to see a first class show then they should have been at Rotherham Civic Theatre this week because that is just what we and the rest of the audience were treated to tonight.

From the word go the atmosphere was changed with the addition of a royal box in the theatre, and when the orchestra struck up we knew this was to be a night to remember. The second scene which is the dress rehearsal of Hannibal the whole company came to life in both the singing and the dancing, lead by Charlotte Hucknall as Carlotta and Matt Ellis as Piangi, the casting of these two in these parts was perfect. Charlotte has a very “operatic” voice and is perfect for the arias as the Prima Donna Carlotta, together with Matt whose comedic talents and singing were once again put to the test and it certainly paid off, both were excellent. It cannot had been easy for Matt to continue singing whilst climbing a full size elephant which had been specially constructed for this production.

It would be impossible to name all the excellent actors in this production as there would be far too many to list in this review but mention must be made to Emily Huddleston as Christine, her voice was breathtaking and she was able to give this part everything needed to bring it to life. It is one thing to be able to sing the songs and another to act out the part but all the young actors in this production actually lived their respective parts and gave them the full emotions required.

Christine of course has a love interest in this show and Brad Swinburn as Raoul was a perfect choice, his good looks added to his powerful singing voice and acting talents was able to give him the full package and I am sure there would be a few ladies in the audience swooning each time he came on stage.

It is all well and good to have a good supporting cast but you still need someone to take the helm and perform as The Phantom, after all this is the title role, well I can say Dee Bennie-Marshall need have no worries about this part when she cast Ben Green. Ben was perfect, he has a fine outstanding voice and coupled with his acting talents he was able to give The Phantom life producing every emotion possible to warrant the well deserved standing ovation at the curtain call, well done Ben, it is not an easy thing to play this part with prosthetic make up and a mask to cope with but you did it all.

One thing I must also mention which is a pleasure to say, I did not hear one Yorkshire accent, all the accents from these young actors were perfect for their respective parts, something I am not always able to say for the adult groups.

Well done RTSA for yet another superb performance.

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