Theater League's Phantom at The Orpheum Theatre
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 5/11/99
(out of )I had been receiving reports from New York of the other Phantom of the Opera. Purportedly written by composer/lyricist Maury Yeston and librettist Arthur Kopit before Sir Webber's modern masterpiece without the "wall of music" effect, and closer to the original book, this was supposed to be more of a Musical Theatre version of Gaston Leroux tale. In fact, it's developed something of a cult following, much like Merrily We Roll Along, and Jekyll and Hyde; shows that admittedly don't work, but do a spectacular job of not working. As a fan of such flawed pieces, and having heard favorable reports from friends and relatives still residing in the Big Apple, I eagerly awaited this production.
Pity.
There are two major regrets about the production that Theater
League has brought to the Orpheum, as well as a host
of minor ones. The first is how lamentably laughable the script,
music and lyrics of the first act are. Most of the songs are sung
as description for what people are doing, rather than feeling.
The feel of the music itself is like Jerry Herman meets Lon Chaney;
a weird fusion of peppy and ominous that goes against what everyone
knows about the accompanying script. This Phantom, as portrayed
by Robert Patteri, is more deadly lounge lizard than murderous,
tormented mutant. The book is nothing short of amateurish, mingling
corny with expository in an unbearable way. When intermission
came, my companion and I contemplated leaving. It's a mixed blessing
that we didn't, and that leads to the other major regret about
this production: the second act isn't that bad.
Just a bit prior to the first act curtain, moments before the
exploding and tumbling chandelier begins its descent, the musical
actually finds itself. It's a shame that the audience has to sit
through pure drivel to get to this point. When Mr. Yeston finally
figures out that this Phantom is a pretty dark guy, and this play
is a pretty dark story, it becomes moody and atmospheric, and
captures the essence of Leroux' romantic thriller. Granted, the
show never raises above the level of a mediocre late '50s, early
'60s musical, a'la I Do! I Do! or How to Succeed,
but it does start getting some things right, and that's what makes
this show so maddening. One has the sense that this could really
work, if only Kopit and Yeston could stop thinking in old forms.
Director Glenn Casale has brought together an acceptable,
though underwhelming in spots, cast to present this mediocre fluff.
His staging is unimpressive, as is Anne Marie Roller's
laughable, and often miscued choreography, but that doesn't hamper
the proceedings any worse than the first act. Mr. Patteri is not
a bad singer, but his dramatic flourishes and overly-emotive acting
make lite of a potentially dark character. As Christine, the Phantom's
protégé, Karen Culliver has a very pretty,
very-very weak voice that is over-amplified by Mark Cowburn's
acceptable sound design. Karon Kearney plays the moustache-twirling
villain, Prima Donna Carlotta in an appropriately, though unimpressively
melodramatic way. Acceptable performances come from Gordon
Goodman as Christine's other love interest, Count Philippe,
Michael McCarty as Carlotta's hubby, Cholet, and Hal
Robinson as ousted opera manager Gerard Carriere. Lloyd
Cooper's music direction is impressive, and the orchestra
did a fine job of playing the musically-clichéd score.
Xuzheng He's set and prop design is generally simplistic,
but the wonderful second act creation for the Phantom's hideaway,
when conjoined with Kim Killingsworth's lighting, is actually
as good as the scene it surrounds.
Even with the thirty-or-so minutes of reasonably good theatre
here, there's no way to avoid this assessment. If this were a
smaller community theatre production, I would have been impressed.
If this were mounted by Phoenix Theatre, I would have said it
was a pretty good effort, and left it there. This, though, is
a Theater League production with much higher ticket prices,
and more available resources, and with that in mind, this is one
Phantom that should stay under the stage.
Production Details:
Phantom Book by Arthur Kopit, Music and Lyrics
by Maury Yeston
Theater League
The Orpheum Theatre, Phoenix
(602) 262-7272
May 11th - May 16th, 1999