“Hear it, feel it secretly possess you” is exactly what this production does. I have to say, as a fan of the original London production I was in two minds about seeing the ‘re-worked’ tour. I was not disappointed. Although certain aspects of the original, in my opinion, worked so much better and did not need changing, in no way did it dampen my enjoyment.
After just over 25 years, some people may think “why fix something that’s not broken?”, which I agree with to a certain extent. What it does do though, is gives the show a fresh feeling, as though you were watching it for the first time all over again.
Although there was no falling chandelier in this production, the visuals were incredible. The new set design, by Paul Brown, was genius. Just as stunning as the original.
The thing that makes this production so brilliant though, were the outstanding cast, who have obviously worked so hard to bring this story to life. Katie Hall brings a fresh new take to Christine, and makes a more believable undiscovered talent. Her vocals were faultless, in which her rendition of ‘Think of me’ ended with rapturous applause. Simon Bailey, for me, played a rather bland and boring Raoul, which I’m not sure if I liked or not. Either way, he still brought something fresh to the role and is indeed a talented actor.
The true star of the show, in my opinion, was Earl Carpenter who played The Phantom. This man was perfect, everything The Phantom should be. Throughout the show, he made you feel scared of him, but by the final scene, he somehow made you feel so much compassion towards him. So much, I had tears strolling down my face, and chills down my spine.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this production to anyone. “Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light, and listen to the music of the night.”
The Phantom of the Opera is on at the Birmingham Hippodrome until 4th May 2013.
Visit http://www.birminghamhippodrome.com for tickets or http://www.thephantomoftheoperatour.com for more info.
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