Sometimes it is hard to separate art from brand. The Mona Lisa is a small, dark painting hidden under bulletproof glass when you seek it out in the Louvre. Why is the experience of the Mona Lisa nothing like the expectation? Partly, it must be admitted, is its brand: the market version reduced for commercial exchange. If you’ve grown up seeing it on T-shirts, how are you going to react honestly when you see the real thing? And so it goes with The Phantom of the Opera or simply “Phantom.” Title diminutive screams branding. So do the above-the-title slogan: “the longest running musical in Broadway history” and statistics like “80 million people have seen The Phantom of the Opera.” Sounds like “billions and billions served.” But no one would have a restaurant critic review a McDonald’s. The chain has long ago traded quality for consistency. A Big Mac in Sidney tastes like a Big Mac in Seoul or in Seattle. But with such success, they must be doing something right. With my bias duly noted, I went to “Phantom” hosted by Dallas Summer Musicals at the Music Hall at Fair Park and I left satis-fried State Fair style.
The location could not be more appropriate. The site of the world’s largest fair is perfect for this kaleidoscopic spectacle of fabric, voice and set. At times every costume on stage is subjected to texture enhancements rivaled only by the Midway on a Two-dollar Tuesday. The sets play just as many games. Every trick employed to excite and delight. And if indulgence is your druther, there’s food like none other, in the richest of voices. Just as all things are fried at the fair. The singing is a juggernaut of operatic vibrato. This assault on the senses may not be your cup of tea but to the fair and Phantom-minded alike it’s hog heaven. If you can overcome the overkill, you’ll enjoy the magic of the music of the night all the earlier.
The musical premiered in 1986, years before the World Wide Web, and some things haven’t aged well, particularly the pulsing electric piano in the most famous riff we all recognize as the Phantom’s theme. The chandelier is quaint in the age of Avatar effects, as are most of the Phantom’s pyrotechnics. Though, movies can’t hold a candle (literally) to the ambience of the tunnel lake. So, why is this the longest running musical in Broadway history? The plot is programmed for maximum romance. In a Paris opera house, a young star is discovered out of the chorus. Her performance is a triumph bringing a childhood love out of the woodwork. The jealous opera ghost completes the love triangle. In the end, she must chose. But the ace in the hole lies in the second act. Just like any flight you can walk away from is a good flight, this mammoth musical touches down with a kiss as lightly as cotton candy. I defy anyone to sit through the last four songs and not be thoroughly entranced.
Tim Martin Gleason plays the ghost in the machine. His voice is a broad spectrum of tone and color but he doesn’t so much charm Christine as overwhelm her. He’s moving into the role from Raoul whom he played for 2,600 performances. So, he knows every nook and cranny of the Phantom performance having played opposite it for so long. Unfortunately, that translates as a feeling that this isn’t his first time at this rodeo. The events of the play don’t surprise him or us anymore, but it’s no matter. Don’t we all know the story by now? For her part Marni Raab’s Christine is fresher but she matches Mr. Gleason’s performance note for note, which appears her determination. These two can compare to any recording you’ve heard and the production is better than any t-shirt you’ve seen. In fact, this Phantom is polished beyond the expectation of its brand. Occasionally cracks appear in the gloss, but you can’t be altogether sure they aren’t meant to be there. Having grossed an estimated $5 billion worldwide, they may be the studied awkwardness of a carnival huckster who loses a few rounds in order to sucker you in. Confidence will be your undoing; it is best to watch in wonder and hope you get away without losing your t-shirt.
For the record, I didn’t buy one.
