Phantom Of The Opera is the greatest musical that you will ever get to see in a lifetime. This colossus of a show rolled in to Milton Keynes Theatre tonight at the start of a five week tenure which has seen tickets fly from the box office. And for once the legend lives up to the expectations. It is just awesome.
It’s a visual spectacle that’s unparalleled in modern theatre. From the astonishing sets that break open to reveal everything from the rafters to the vaults of a Parisian opera house to the truly sumptuous costumes. This is a feast for the eyes and ears. A Baroque splendour that is more luxurious than anything you can imagine.
I feel that I have joined a not-so-exclusive club that has about 130 million members. Until tonight I was one of the few who had never seen Phantom (scandalous, I know, for a theatre critic).
But the musical just blows you away with its opulence, the sheer quality of its amazingly talented cast, and the delight of hearing (if not seeing) the magnificent orchestra.
The story has been told a thousand times before in tales as old as time but what makes Phantom a stand-out story is in the presentation and it is quality from start to finish.
Deep in the bowels of a theatre lives a horrifically deformed man whose grasp of reality has been warped by the way society has treated him. Retreating from the outside world he becomes an unofficial tutor and “Angel of Music” to ingénue Christine, a young girl who is thrust from the chorus to take centre stage after the management are blackmailed by their unwanted lodger.
Christine (Katie Hall) is a fragile doll with big eyes and tumbles of curly hair but her magical voice sends shivers down your spine. It’s quite remarkable how such a powerful voice emanates for one so petite.
The Phantom is consumed with jealousy when it’s clear that Christine is in love with another man and a battle of wills ensues over the control of this impressionable girl and the theatre itself. It is not for the squeamish and features a couple of horrific murder scenes.
Earl Carpenter has the unenviable job of playing the man behind the mask and he deserved the standing ovation that he got tonight. My companion was a Phantom veteran, who began her viewing as far back as Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford in the West End original, and she rated him as one of the best Phantoms she had ever seen.
Vying for Christine’s love in this most passionate of stories is Simon Bailey’s dashing Raoul. He’s a little on the short side for a leading man but he’s charismatic and with a fantastic voice.
This new production won’t frighten away the purists who have seen the show a dozen or more times. The iconic chandelier is still there (and I had the misfortune of sitting right underneath it!) but some of the sets have been re-configured for a national tour that takes in a variety of stages. Some aren’t as accommodating as the West End but producer Cameron Mackintosh hasn’t cut any corners.
It will take your breath away and leave you wanting more. I can’t wait to see it again.
Phantom runs at Milton Keynes until November 24. For tickets call the box office 08448717652 or go online www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes
ANNE COX