Phantom of the Opera (1)
Information
- Date
- 21st November 2018
- Society
- Brentwood Operatic Society Youth Theatrical Group
- Venue
- The Brentwood Theatre
- Type of Production
- Musical
- Director
- Gaynor Wilson assisted by James Wilson
- Musical Director
- David Pickthall MBE
- Choreographer
- Katie Lawrence and Jake Hunter
Having discovered amateur musical theatre at the age of 10, and been bitten with the bug of performing age 11, it’s always with some envy that I see today’s youth groups being able to perform versions of my favourite West End shows such as Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. Oh, how I wish these had been around when I was young enough to be in them! But it does mean that I get to see these amazing shows for a fraction of the price and closer to home, which can only be a good thing.
I know that Phantom is a tough show to perform, and BOSSY did it very well. For ones so young, there were some amazing voices amongst the group. Sam Harper as the Phantom has a brilliant singing voice; it had a maturity to it that often doesn’t come until later in life. I liked his characterisation overall, although it was a shame that when he was unmasked, there was hardly any disfigurement to be seen on what should have been a deeply scarred face.
Of the two Christines, I saw Rebecca McDiarmid. A beautiful actress, her voice was also stunning. She was able to hit all the extremely high notes well and sing with emotion. I would perhaps have liked to see a stronger character portrayed at times, but she really came into her own in act 2 when she was terrified of having to play the lead in the Phantom’s new opera. It’s not east to sing and sob at the same time, but she pulled it off!
I really liked Mia Harper as Meg Giry; she had great characterisation, movement and facial expressions. I also enjoyed the more light-hearted characters. Firstly, the OTT operatic duo of Carlotta (Lucy Green) and Piangi (Sam Johnson), who not only sang beautifully but made the audience laugh throughout. Also, the new owners of the theatre, Firmin and Andre, played by Theo Harris and Dillon Buckley. The warmed up after their first few scenes and did really well – their harmonies together were absolutely beautiful. I was also really impressed with Jamie Wilson as Raoul. He connected well with the part and I really believed he loved Christine.
Some of the smaller parts seemed a little lacking in rounded characters or confidence, but well done to each and every person for getting up to perform in what is an extremely intimate and therefore intimidating venue. An extra well done to the young dancers, who all performed beautifully. I really enjoyed the choreography, although the dancing was so good that it was extremely distracting during one particular key scene. During the performance of the Phantom’s opera, the Phantom disguises himself in a black cape to come on stage and sing with Christine, who’s unaware he has replaced the real actor. This is an important scene, where tension is meant to build, but I soon realised I hadn’t been watching the action at all but the dancing that was going on behind!
Having performed at Brentwood Theatre, I know how little room there is backstage and therefore how difficult it is to have big pieces of set. Some scenes were well dressed, particularly the Phantom’s lair, with candles and drapes, but others did look sparse. I liked the fact they had created a proper theatre box, as “box 5” plays a key part in the story, it needing to be kept free for the Phantom, but unfortunately the position of this in the wings meant you could see what was going on backstage at times. Lighting was good throughout, with only one slight hiccup of a black stage when people had already entered, and they did well to make the stage look atmospheric.
I thought that the cast moved around the stage well and obviously the director (Gaynor Wilson) and assistant director (James Wilson) had worked hard with them, although some scenes were very static and I would’ve liked to see more movement. I understand that in poignant moments, you don’t want to distract too much from the emotion, but if done right, it can actually add to this. Love songs can get a bit tedious if couples simply sing facing each other throughout. It was also a shame that at one point, Christine’s dressing table with mirror was placed right in front of her so that when she was sitting down, she got lost behind it! Putting this just to the side would’ve solved the issue. I loved all the costumes, especially for masquerade, which were colourful and creative.
Well done to musical director David Pickthall, who must have worked the cast extremely hard. There are three or four different songs in which up to about eight characters have to sing over the top of one another, each on a different tune, and this must’ve been extremely difficult to nail. But each person kept to their lines and I didn’t hear any bum notes or rogue timing issues. The huge orchestra (comprising of 19 people according to the programme!) sounded amazing.
Overall, for an extremely difficult show, BOSSY should be really pleased with their performance. I enjoyed myself throughout and look forward to seeing what they do next. Thank you for having me.
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