'Phantom of the Opera' at the Academy of Music

What they’ve come up with is a production that seems geared for touring to theaters in the provinces with stages smaller than that of the Academy of Music. Action is moved into a narrow area in the center. The Act 2 opener, "Masquerade," has become a crowded dance floor, and the production eliminates the impressive staircase down which the Phantom used to enter. A small compensation there is the addition of an overhead mirror that reflects the dancers.

Also shrunken is the Phantom’s fog-shrouded boat-ride through his underground lagoon and totally jettisoned is the solitary chair on which the Phantom used to sit during the show’s final minute.

(A boy seated behind me asked his father what was going on in that scene. So much for any claim that this version is more accessible to the public.)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Video projections, including a gold proscenium and boxes and the rooftop of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, create atmosphere. Also effective is the excellent sound design, which has the echoing voice of the Phantom emerge from corridors around the sides and back of the Academy.

New emphasis is given to the staging of the faux-opera scenes, and the company’s veteran singing stars (played by Jacquelynne Fontaine and Frank Viveros) emerge more fully as characters. One of Webber’s best songs, “The Point of No Return,” is turned into an enactment of a scene from the Phantom’s operatic version of Don Giovanni instead of being a one-on-one confrontation between Christine and the Phantom. Here is change that is not necessarily an improvement but is, at least, an interesting alternative.

The director’s approach for the principal actors, however, is troubling. Cooper Grodin as the Phantom, Ben Jacoby as Raoul, and Julia Udine as Christine Daaé are louder and more abrasive than in the Broadway production. This Phantom holds Christine at a distance instead of wrapping his arms around her and caressing her face in “The Music of the Night.” This change emphasizes the lack of chemistry between Raoul and Christine — scenes that should be tender are played with detachment.

The Phantom here is noticeably youthful, which makes no sense: Madame Giry, the dance mistress who is also the Phantom’s liaison, says that his career already was in progress when she was a youngster. And, of course, he is a father-figure to Christine.

Grodin and Jacoby have fine voices, but apparently they’ve been instructed to sing with pressure and slancio rather than caressingly. Udine has a nice lyric soprano, yet she elects to belt with a chest voice or mixed voice during many mid-range passages, especially in “The Point of No Return” and the final scene. This does have a net advantage, giving her a more human, less ethereal dimension.

Ah, yes, let’s not forget the chandelier. This version flashes with more fireworks than ever.

The show remains an example of satisfying musical theater. And thank goodness the original Hal Prince staging is still available to anyone who travels to New York or London.