Falling in line for the never-ending ‘Phantom’ experience
Isaiah Bailey as The Phantom and Jordan Lee Gilbert as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera North American Tour. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
The Phaaaaaaaaaaaaaantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind.
Isn’t that the ever-lovin’ truth. I was gaga for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera when I saw it London in 1986. I was 19, away from home for the first time and devouring every theatrical thing I could get my eyes and ears on. The show was the most sumptuous, gorgeous, overwrought thing I had ever seen. I was smitten.
Then Phantom conquered Broadway, then the world. Four decades after its debut, the show is still running in London (albeit in an altered form), and though the original production closed on Broadway in April 2023, the show returned last fall as Masquerade, an immersive off-Broadway experience in which the masked audience experiences the show in various rooms.
In other words, Phantom, the phenomenon, is getting ever-closer to what it was always aspiring to be: a theme park.
I began to fall out of love with Phantom the more I saw it, and I saw it a lot, especially during its five-year run at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre. I’ve seen touring productions, the mostly awful movie and the shortened Vegas version. The fifth U.S. national touring production, directed by Seth Sklar-Heyn, is making the rounds and is, from the looks of ticket availability on the website, mostly sold out for its ATG San Francisco run at the Orpheum Theatre.
Daniel Lopez as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny,mand Jordan Lee Gilbert as Christine Daaé. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
People love Phantom—absolutely and totally. On Friday night, some audience members arrived in gowns, suits, capes and masks. Champagne flowed throughout the theater, and Phantom-branded shopping bags were everywhere.
It was festive and crowded, and it reminded me of being in Disneyland. There we all were, many of us full of love and anticipation (and savoring the comfort of familiarity), waiting for the chandelier ride (this tour’s chandelier effects are more disco ball than horror show). The “Music of the Night” boat ride. The fireworks display that concludes “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.” The “Masquerade” parade.
It all feels trademarked (indeed original production designer Maria Björnson’s name in the program now comes with a registered trademark symbol) and sturdily built for efficiency. The Phantom machine slickly splashes spectacle and melodrama across the stage but rarely uncovers behavior or emotion that feels genuinely human rather than merely functional.
“Masquerade” from The Phantom of the Opera featuring the original designs of Maria Björnson®. Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Audiences are moved by the plight of the disfigured Phantom, and indeed, this tour’s Isaiah Bailey brings warmth and a hint of sexuality to his performance, which does elicit some empathy. But the primary character in the Phantom’s personal drama, the ingenue Christine Daaé (Jordan Lee Gilbert, also possessed of a lovely voice) is so horribly written she might as well just be fluttering her eyelashes and waving her hands through a silent film while men control her.
As with any good theme park experience, you expend your energy and your excitement and you reaffirm your love of (insert name of park), then you trundle home exhausted and share all your good pics and videos on social media. You had fun with friends and family. You got to marvel at the technical prowess of the talented people who make such grand entertainments. And you move on.
The Phantom of the Opera is, apparently, ageless (despite the ‘80s drum machine that still makes the title song so cringeworthy). There were lots of kids in the audience on Friday, so there’s a new generation is getting in line for the Phantom ride. Contrary to a lyric from the show it’s not over now, the music of the night. Not ever.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
The Phantom of the Opera continues through June 21 as part of the ATG San Francisco season at the Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., San Francisco. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes (including one intermission). Tickets are $111.15-$364 (subject to change). Call 888-746-1799 or click here.
