The Phantom of the Opera

by Andrew Lloyd Weber

At The Wang Center

Music is said to soothe the savage breast but perhaps in this case the misquote is more apropos. Music does indeed soothe the savage beast in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Based on Gaston Leroux's famous novel, Phantom tells the story of young Christine Daae (Patti Cohenour) whose career as an opera star is launched by the Phantom, a disfigured, masked composer who haunts the opera house. Their story reveals the tragedy and beauty of unrequited love.

The excellent Boston production of The Phantom of the Opera showcases the talents of the cast and crew. Kevin Gray turns in an inspired performance as the Phantom, imbuing the character with such passion and energy that we see the brilliance and beauty of the music inside his head. The pain and frenzy vibrate out of the soul that is hidden behind the mask.

Gray's Phantom haunts every scene. Whether he is prowling the catwalk or swirling about in his shadowy cloak, his dark presence dominates the stage. The Phantom's unpredictability surprises us just as the magic and the beauty of his music does.

Patti Cohenour, who has just returned from playing Christine with the Canadian National Company, is excellent in her role as the singer. The chemistry between Cohenour's tranquil Christine and Gray's stormy Phantom is perfect. These performances make this standard beauty and beast tale touching.

The production design by Maria Bjornson gives added nuance to the music and the acting. The set transports us to another world. We sail to the Phantom's lair with Christine and feel the ominous pressures of the darkness seeping out of the Phantom. The New Year's Eve masquerade in Act Two, is reminiscent of Poe's "Masque of the Red Death." The Phantom, clad in an angry, bloody red, exacts a shaken silence from the revelers. Like the plague in Poe's tale, the Phantom lurks at every twist and turn.

The Phantom of the Opera illuminates the pain and quirkiness of love in its many forms. We see the bluntness of the Phantom's passion; the sweeping epic romance of Raoul's love; and Christine's love for both. Christine, like the audience, sees the beauty of the Phantom's soul and of the music that he writes; she sees the purity that his grotesqueness obscures. We wonder, will love triumph after all?

Love does, after a fashion. Although Raoul gets the girl, the Phantom does get the memory of love and its exquisite pain. Christine loves the Phantom the only way she can--by being his angel of music. An angel cannot live in the tunnels beneath the opera house. It is this realization that finally allows the Phantom to let Raoul win Christine.

"Think of Me," "The Music of the Night" and "All I Ask of You," the musical highlights of the show, are sure to be instant favorites. With excellent effects and performances, The Phantom of the Opera is a moving tapestry of sight, sound and feeling.