The Phantom of the Opera

Reluctant as I am to use clichés like Willoughby Theatre Company has ‘raised the bar’ for community musical theatre in Sydney, their production of The Phantom of the Opera ranks high among the finest achievements I’ve seen in some 50 years seeing shows on the circuit.

Director Declan Moore’s beautifully crafted production has a sweeping, cohesive vision, lavish and strong on spectacle yet richly dramatic, supported by a full, lush orchestral sound worthy of any professional pit, under the musical direction of Greg Jones. Simon Greer and Slade Blanch have seamlessly augmented Miranda Musical Society’s excellent set to make best use of the vastly superior stage facilities of The Concourse. Joy Sweeney effectively augments the costumes created by Newcastle’s Metropolitan Players to complete the striking visuals.

However the great coup has really been strong casting. While Andrew Lloyd Webber’s operatic musical is called The Phantom of the Opera, I’m sure you’ll also leave quite smitten with the Christine of this opera, Chloe McKenzie.

I take nothing anything away from Simon Greer’s accomplished Phantom, rich in somewhat unconventional pathos and pain, or Gavin Brightwell’s Raoul, full of proud aristocratic bearing and credible earnestness. Both men give fine vocal performances too; Greer handles the challenging falsetto passages impressively and seamlessly, while Brightwell sings Raoul with a warm rich baritone.

But it’s their beloved Christine who sets sparks flying in their three-way chemistry.

It goes without saying that diminutive, beautiful Chloe McKenzie can sing. She possesses a fresh, sparkling coloratura soprano voice, and sings the role gorgeously, but before this talent is heard, you spot her acting. Later, it’s fully revealed in the intensity with which she endows each of her male co-stars with an extra degree of charisma and seductiveness through her reactions.

Ms. McKenzie empowers Mr. Greer’s ‘Music of the Night’ with her dynamic, subtly shifting trance state, granting his seduction the power to mesmerize. Likewise in ‘All I Ask of You’ she heightens the impact of Raoul’s wooing.

The odds escalate.

The dramatic impact of this conflicted Christine, who you believe could go either way throughout, is immeasurable, while her passionate kisses seem to hold nothing back. ‘The Point of No Return’ is a truly palpable climax of their eternal triangle.

When Christine sings to her late father and mentor in ‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again’, she seems truly to communicate with him. This might be closer to the truth than you’d imagine for Chloe.

Proud real-life father David McKenzie may well be nearby awaiting his next entry as Ubaldo Piangi. His Pavarotti-esque Piangi, an archetypal egotistical operatic tenor, is delightfully matched with the classic portrayal of temperamental operatic diva by Georgia Kokkoris as Carlotta, in a couple of additional pieces of spot-on casting.

Director Moore has treated the opera scenes within the show as a delightful affectionate, knowing pastiche of 19^th century opera (is there a better way to bring these scenes to life than tongue-firmly-in-cheek), and Mr. McKenzie and Ms. Kokkoris lead these passages with enormous comic zest and great operatic pipes to match. They’re supported by an ensemble who also enter enthusiastically and capably into the spirit.

As the comic opera managers, Messrs André and Firman, Andrew Benson and Andrew Castle have the physical and performance contrasts essential to make the pairing work, resulting in an enjoyable rapport. When Virginia Natoli enters straight-backed, she embodies the stern, enigmatic ballet-mistress Madame Giry. Kate Ash’s bright, warm Meg also brings a delightful, inquisitive touch to close the show.

Performances in supporting roles are capably handled, the ensemble is tight and disciplined, while a ballet of eight, all dancing en pointe, is the icing on the casting cake.

From the striking styling of opening auction scene I sensed I was in for something special, richly detailed and polished, while later, technical achievements like the spectacular scene as the Phantom’s boat crosses the lake of fog, proved immense. Impressively handled too, are the many scenic transitions.

Sadly the illusion of that chandelier crashing down over the heads of the audience is probably beyond community theatre resources and outside venue safety requirements. I’m told that even for this splendidly equipped theatre it would have involved consulting engineers with a prohibitive price-tag. Still, I’m convinced theatre audiences will accept a descending chandelier as part of our shared narrative.

Get your tickets quickly for what richly deserves to be a sell-out, top-notch community theatre hit for Willoughby Theatre Company.

Neil Litchfield

Images: Perfect Images Photography.