The Phantom of the Opera

What a huge challenge for a youth company to successfully stage Andrew Lloyd Webber's great musical! To say that YESOS succeeded in wonderful style would be no exaggeration at all. YESOS can boast a few  talented young performers with really top singing voices, several more with good voices and a large number of enthusiastic and dedicated back-up troops

Tally Goss as Christine Daaé is, at only fifteen years old, a marvellous find. Petite, strikingly pretty with all round ability and presence to die for, she was superb as the leading lady. Joe Brown, playing opposite Tally, as Raoul, was close behind and also showed a lovely singing voice. The chemistry between them was achingly real and really underpinned this show.

A trio of titans was complete with the mesmeric Phantom, given by Jacob Carter. His vocal skills and dexterity together with mesmeric body gestures were quite extraordinary. I really cannot praise these three young performers highly enough! Other main characters who made significant personal contributions were Ross McFadden and William Cook as joint theatre owners Messieurs Firmin and André respectively, who looked suitably worried and flustered to much effect; Amy Blunden as Carlotta Guidicelli, a temperamentally convincing Diva, and her male counterpart Ubaldo Piangi, played well by Nathan Whale. Both could also sing well. Holly French was a bossy and forceful  Madame Giry and Eleanor Hegarty with her lovely vocal tones played her ballet dancer daughter Meg Giry with beautiful grace and movement.

A plethora of quality supporting players added further lustre to this amazing production. Prominent among these were the following, though it should be said that every person on stage did the company and themselves proud tonight! 

Joseph Buquet              Jamie Mcfadden           
Monsieur Reyer            Piers Spicer
Monsieur Lefevre         Sam Sanders
Porter                           Flora Woods
Auctioneer                    Wesley Kent-Hargreaves
Don Attilo                      Daniel Thynne
Confidante                    Freya MacTavish
Popinjays                      Fenella Machin, Elena Brammar
Passarino                      Ruth Cheek
Chief Fire Marshall       Grace Beglan

An octet of lithe and slender young ladies starred as the Corps de Ballet, with grace and top balletic quality throughout, resplendent in their costumes. There was so much to admire in this pacy and seamless production; from the innovative opening at the auction, with "Lot 666" and an aged Raoul in a wheelchair to the very last gesture with the mask held aloft.The tension  and atmosphere was  beautifully built as appropriate,  with the gorgeous music by Musical Director Martin Sargeson and his excellent  sixteen person  but nineteen instrument band, showing off Andrew Lloyd Webber's music and sumptuous melodies to rare effect.  

The whole splendid show was actually one long highlight but I will, though with some  difficulty of choosing, highlight just a few of the many wondrous scenes, as follows: The opening auction scene with clarity of diction; the Hannibal elephant on wheels; the cellar scenes with stage smoke effect and magnificent use of lighting, throughout the whole show, by Will Perkins, for Show LX, aided by FS operators Josh Bull and  Ellie Gregson;  the whole Roof scene into the interval;  "Masquerade", a total triumph; Don Juan rehearsal with  Carlotta and Piangi, plus Christine and the company; "The Point of no Return", a musical and acting delight; The Phantom's Lair and Finale.

The sound quality was way above par too, with great clarity of diction, almost throughout and the singing voices well modulated and enhanced by Ollie Cross, in charge of sound.

Costumes by a seven all female in house team were of professional quality and fitted so suitably. Make up was courtesy of another six splendidly painstaking ladies, plus yet another in Claire Francis-Bird on hair. Mark Smith as SM, competently aided by his thirteen strong crew ensured the seamless and professional  standard scene changes happened, to quote the late, great Tommy Cooper, "just like that"!

Choreographer Alys Dreux set some demanding dance and movement routines and marshalled her willing helpers and talented players so skilfully, in particular her special ballet girls!

The sumptuous and special sets with the all important centre piece of the dramatically emphasised chandelier, plus the Paris Opera House and Graveyard scenes, in particular were admirable and the way the  superb show director Fiona Kuhn-Thompson used her groupings and her deep understanding of theatre and actors to build and hold the all important tension, as the show built was a master class in directing.

This was a truly special performance of a stunning show and a stunning production by a company whose ability and love for their art shone out brightly.

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