NODA Review - Clark Wilkinson
The Phantom of The Opera Workington Amateur Operatic Society Saturday 14th October 2023 When I heard that WAOS’ were adding The Phantom of The Opera to their back catalogue of Andrew Lloyd Webber productions they’ve performed over the years – I had no idea what to expect. I’ve seen Phantom many times and it’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly why it remains a favourite. Whether it be the score, the iconic staging of the original production or a mixture of both- I confess, I was worried that without the bells and whistles of the ‘brilliant original’, Phantom at the Carnegie wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the auditorium with these preconceived expectations, the London production has ran for 37 years, with most theatregoers having seen it before, after all! I am so pleased that any expectations I had were blown out of the water.
I don’t think it’s out of place of me to say that Phantom is not really a show that hinges on big ensemble numbers – the principals need to be able to carry the entire thing and one weak link has the potential to completely derail the whole thing. It's been a very long time since I’ve seen a line-up of principals as strong as those that were on display tonight.
Tony McGee took on the title role, hidden under some excellently designed makeup, and of course, the mask! Considering the title of the show, the Phantom is a role that famously has very little stage time, but Tony did well in this challenging role. It’s a big sing and whilst it was apparent he was struggling with a cold, he still delivered a fantastic Music Of The Night.
Holly Harkness shone as Christine Daae, totalling nailing all the songs that we all associate with Phantom - Think of Me, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again and of course, the ending of the title song, all of which were beautifully sung. Her scenes were wonderfully nuanced as well –a performance to be proud of.
Completing the love triangle, Andrew McMinn gave a solid performance as Raoul. He and Holly had fantastic chemistry together and were a pleasure to watch, as were Graham Hawley and Mark Stilwell - a brilliant duo as the theatre managers Andre and Firmin.
I was impressed with Andrew White, providing some laughs as the leading operatic tenor of the Opera Populaire, Ubaldo Piangi. With a role that requires tremendous vocal range and technique, this role couldn’t have been further away from his Donkey in last year’s Shrek! It was refreshing to see such a versatile character actor outside of the professional world – Bravo!
And then there was Jasmin Smith’s performance as Carlotta. She was quite frankly, breathtaking. That’s all I can say really. The Top D’s at the end of Prima Donna, cut through the rest of the counterpoint perfectly and gave me chills! Perfection.
Incidentally, Notes/Prima Donna has always been my favourite moment of the Phantom score, and I had to close my eyes at one point just to listen and take in the fiendishly tricky counterpoint sections. I did feel though that Carlotta’s costume change should have waited until after the song had ended – it distracted from what would have been a totally sublime scene.
There was no doubt, that WAOS had transformed the Carnegie Theatre for this enormous production. Two huge theatre boxes dominated the forestage really enveloping us audience members into the world of the Opera Populaire from the moment we entered the auditorium. These set pieces fit the stage of the Carnegie perfectly and were an inspired choice, as at times I got completely lost in the production and forgot I was sitting in Workington.
It was abundantly clear just how much work had gone into this production, and I’m sure with his directing hat on Tony McGee can breathe a huge sigh of relief that so many technical strands weaved together to create a production with outstanding technical values. Gorgeous costumes, beautiful lighting, my only wish was that the orchestra pit had been opened up for this particular show to appreciate the natural acoustics from the live musicians. Don’t get me wrong the sound was good, which I find in the Carnegie is very hit and miss at times particularly when the orchestra are remote, I just felt some of the more impactful sections were a tad stilted.
Deep in the bowels of the Opera Populaire, you’ll find the Phantom’s Lair. In the basement of the Carnegie however, you’ll find Musical Director Liz Condron and her 9 musicians. Liz did a brilliant job holding the sung-through score together. I admired the fact that she was conducting the show remotely from another room in the theatre – It must have been very tricky not having face-to-face contact with the actors during the lengthy recitative sections. Not only this, the ability for the conductor to connect with the audience is so important during any production, let alone one that is sung-through. There was only a couple of pregnant pauses where I felt the music should have continued rather than being held for applause – well done Liz for tackling a mammoth score in a very complicated setup.
Congratulations to WAOS, for a wonderful production. There was a particularly vocal woman a few seats down from me who sang along for the entire thing and made it clear to all those around her that the show was ‘brilliant’ and that she’d seen it in the West End twice. Well, I can beat her – eight times for me in London and New York, and I can safely say that WAOS version will remain equally in my memory for what they achieved. It’s always sad when a show ends, and whilst the music of the night maybe over, I guarantee this production will be on local lips for a very, very long time.
Clark Wilkinson
NODA North West District 10 Representative
I don’t think it’s out of place of me to say that Phantom is not really a show that hinges on big ensemble numbers – the principals need to be able to carry the entire thing and one weak link has the potential to completely derail the whole thing. It's been a very long time since I’ve seen a line-up of principals as strong as those that were on display tonight.
Tony McGee took on the title role, hidden under some excellently designed makeup, and of course, the mask! Considering the title of the show, the Phantom is a role that famously has very little stage time, but Tony did well in this challenging role. It’s a big sing and whilst it was apparent he was struggling with a cold, he still delivered a fantastic Music Of The Night.
Holly Harkness shone as Christine Daae, totalling nailing all the songs that we all associate with Phantom - Think of Me, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again and of course, the ending of the title song, all of which were beautifully sung. Her scenes were wonderfully nuanced as well –a performance to be proud of.
Completing the love triangle, Andrew McMinn gave a solid performance as Raoul. He and Holly had fantastic chemistry together and were a pleasure to watch, as were Graham Hawley and Mark Stilwell - a brilliant duo as the theatre managers Andre and Firmin.
I was impressed with Andrew White, providing some laughs as the leading operatic tenor of the Opera Populaire, Ubaldo Piangi. With a role that requires tremendous vocal range and technique, this role couldn’t have been further away from his Donkey in last year’s Shrek! It was refreshing to see such a versatile character actor outside of the professional world – Bravo!
And then there was Jasmin Smith’s performance as Carlotta. She was quite frankly, breathtaking. That’s all I can say really. The Top D’s at the end of Prima Donna, cut through the rest of the counterpoint perfectly and gave me chills! Perfection.
Incidentally, Notes/Prima Donna has always been my favourite moment of the Phantom score, and I had to close my eyes at one point just to listen and take in the fiendishly tricky counterpoint sections. I did feel though that Carlotta’s costume change should have waited until after the song had ended – it distracted from what would have been a totally sublime scene.
There was no doubt, that WAOS had transformed the Carnegie Theatre for this enormous production. Two huge theatre boxes dominated the forestage really enveloping us audience members into the world of the Opera Populaire from the moment we entered the auditorium. These set pieces fit the stage of the Carnegie perfectly and were an inspired choice, as at times I got completely lost in the production and forgot I was sitting in Workington.
It was abundantly clear just how much work had gone into this production, and I’m sure with his directing hat on Tony McGee can breathe a huge sigh of relief that so many technical strands weaved together to create a production with outstanding technical values. Gorgeous costumes, beautiful lighting, my only wish was that the orchestra pit had been opened up for this particular show to appreciate the natural acoustics from the live musicians. Don’t get me wrong the sound was good, which I find in the Carnegie is very hit and miss at times particularly when the orchestra are remote, I just felt some of the more impactful sections were a tad stilted.
Deep in the bowels of the Opera Populaire, you’ll find the Phantom’s Lair. In the basement of the Carnegie however, you’ll find Musical Director Liz Condron and her 9 musicians. Liz did a brilliant job holding the sung-through score together. I admired the fact that she was conducting the show remotely from another room in the theatre – It must have been very tricky not having face-to-face contact with the actors during the lengthy recitative sections. Not only this, the ability for the conductor to connect with the audience is so important during any production, let alone one that is sung-through. There was only a couple of pregnant pauses where I felt the music should have continued rather than being held for applause – well done Liz for tackling a mammoth score in a very complicated setup.
Congratulations to WAOS, for a wonderful production. There was a particularly vocal woman a few seats down from me who sang along for the entire thing and made it clear to all those around her that the show was ‘brilliant’ and that she’d seen it in the West End twice. Well, I can beat her – eight times for me in London and New York, and I can safely say that WAOS version will remain equally in my memory for what they achieved. It’s always sad when a show ends, and whilst the music of the night maybe over, I guarantee this production will be on local lips for a very, very long time.
Clark Wilkinson
NODA North West District 10 Representative