David Staller as the Phantom

Staller as the Phantom is both vulnerable and majestic. Where Christine is concerned he can do nothing but comply with her wishes, but he still retains a measure of darkness. He is nowhere as kind as most Phantom and has an overall cold pall to his personality even as he proclaims his love to Christine. Anger is always close to the surface in his nature, but it puts him close to Leroux’s Erik in temperament.

Sadly, Erik doesn’t have to try very hard in this musical to outwit his opponents. Most are portrayed as bumbling fools that could be duped by a child. He does however have a wonderful array of organ-triggered traps. He let’s Christine go in the end despite these accruements tolerating the Daroga’s attempt to comfort him. Then they both posture and bluff, the Phantom escaping in an off moment.

Christine herself is not short on intelligence. She uses her wiles to make the men around her do as she pleases, and the viewer is hard pressed to find true love in her. The performance raises a disturbing point; does she have it in her to love anyone? Still she leaves with Raoul, only to leave the Phantom to seek a new protégé. He has completely lost his mind by this time, and wonderfully horrifies his new prospect with his wicked laughter.

Overall, this is a good musical, but it disappoints in parts. Some threads are picked up such as Carlotta’s view of her ousting, then abruptly dropped. The musical numbers also mix in high doses of comedy that serve to undermine the suspense. The production would have been better off with decent sound equipment and better props throughout, but this musical is still worth seeing and the Phantom himself is worthy of his title.

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