Forty years ago, fresh on the tails of a winning streak of Tony Award Winning hits from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, and yes, even the seriously underrated original Starlight Express, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber singlehandedly changed the face of global musical theatre. His musical adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 Gothic horror potboiler The Phantom of the Opera became a box office sensation in London, New York, and then worldwide. After creating the rock opera with Superstar, then refining the pop opera with Evita and Joseph, with a successful side trip into the fantasy realms of singing felines and roller skating trains, he settled in the most unexpected land—classical opera.
Parodying classical French Grande Opera, Verdi, and Mozart in performance pieces and filling in the score with mock classical recitatives and arias—and a pop neoclassical theme song with a catchy disco beat to incite interest and radio play—Lloyd Webber’s Phantom became one of those gateway pieces that by subject matter alone drew an entire generation of new fans—some as young as elementary school children—to the magic of musical theater.
Forty years later, after shattering box office records worldwide, taking in over $6 billion (second worldwide only to Disney’s behemoth The Lion King) and holding the distinction as the longest running show in New York after 35 thrilling years at the Majestic Theatre, one may suspect that the new age classic might becoming a bit creaky or showing signs of her age.
Let’s get that doubt out of the way right now. Nothing could be further from the truth. The new redesigned national tour that debuted this week at the Hippodrome solidifies, if anything, the show is better, tighter, stronger, funnier, and more impressive then when it debuted stateside in 1988.
The obvious difference is that theatre tech has advanced exponentially since then and Phantom has wisely taken advantage of that, so the opportunities to flesh out the supernatural elements of the story are clearly advanced. Already jam packed with illusions, horror, and thrills, it has effectively elevated those elements to keep up with the modern benchmarks for chills and scares. The big news is the new Chandelier is practically a costar. The original was a clunky mock period look-alike that started off on the foot of the stage covered in a drop cloth that was pulled off to reveal, and it slowly ascended to its previous home atop the center of the audience. But when the pivotal point of the plot comes that the Phantom sends it crashing down, it just a slowly reversed itself to land softly at the foot of the stage again. This new version is much more thrilling (the reveal itself is a spectacle) and, while never posing a true threat, it’s descent is much closer to a Tower of Terror drop than a ski lift descending. In between, the lights and sparkles and sparks and pyrotechnics have advanced so that the prop is finally the character it was claimed to be all along.
So what has changed? Having seen the original Broadway company in 1988 (at a time when they had no idea how to handle cancellation tickets for a sold out blockbuster; we were #5 and 6 in line behind 4 cast members of Cats who had the day off to see this, and after joining the line at noon, got our individual seats at 7:45 and 7:55 respectively), then revisited it with my daughter 3 months before it closed, as well as the last national tour in between to pass through town where the entire show has been restaged and the set radically redesigned. I can attest that this production team has brilliantly chosen the best of all versions for this new, improved, and stellar revival. I won’t describe too many because many involve secret reveals and illusions, just know the infamous staircase for the Act 2 opener “Masquerade” is back (well most of it—it’s still a marked improvement over the less ambitious Hall of Mirrors set employed for the last tour), the Chandelier is the best yet, and the Phantom slipping in and out of the shadows is executed with extreme expertise. The costumes and sets are lavish recreations based on the flawless original designs, and the Grande Opera within Hannibal’s elephant is still there and also significantly upgraded.
But the biggest improvement is the irony that Lloyd Webber’s original Phantom of the Opera, with a nudge from its immediate predecessor Les Misérables, left a lasting imprint on the nature of Broadway performances. Until that point, throughout the Golden Age from Jerome Kern to Rogers & Hammerstein and Lerner & Lowe to Jerry Herman, scores had a definite “Broadway” sound, and singing was a combination of lyrical ballads and belt ‘em to the back row showstoppers. Through the 60s, 70s, and 80s, new composers played with more contemporary styles, incorporating rock, pop, and standards, and as mic technology was evolving, a “star” was cast more for their ability to be loud than their tonal quality (go back and revisit your favorite 70s cast albums now and see the difference between today’s stars and yeserday’s). But Les Misérables sampled it and Phantom cemented it—everything old is new again. Pop Broadway entertainment regressed back centuries to draw its inspiration from classical opera, with bigger voices, more perfect intonation, and legitimate vocal training with the more than occasional high Cs and Ds required of the leads, not just the frustrated soprano in the second row of the ensemble. The amazing part is that by raising the demands of these roles, the vocalists of the 90s and 2000s rose to the occasion and their styles became drastically more legitimate and classical. Original stars Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman created the path to their own demise. Neither would be cast over the talent performing their roles today. Whereas most musical favorites fade and shrink away as time goes on, becoming shells of their former hit selves, Andrew Lloyd Webber actually created a piece that demanded ever-improving quality to ensure its survival. And that upsweep of performance talent, along with the advancing art of technical theatre that has grown by leaps and bounds since 1988, is the reason that not only is this Phantom refusing to show its age, it is legitimately better than it has ever been.
This cast is sublime. Isaiah Bailey (The Lion King, Beautiful, Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl) as the Phantom is one of the few African-Americans to play the role (notable others include Norm Lewis in New York and Robert Guillaume as the first ever in Los Angeles), and his velvety tenor wraps around Lloyd Webber’s show-stopping “Music of the Night”, “The Point of No Return” and the title song like they were written for him. He emerges from the shadows and to be the solid center of the show, as he should
Jordan Lee Gilbert, of course a classical opera singer making her national tour review, is enthralling in the usually thankless role of ingénue Christine Daae. That will change after this performance. Gilbert is an even more expressive actor than she is a technically perfect singer, and she grabs the heart and commands center stage from the moment she steps out from the ballet corps to fill in for the temperamental diva Carlotta.
Daniel Lopez (Into the Woods at the Hollywood Bowl) as the heroic love interest of the story, Vicomte Raoul de Chegny, is every bit as romantic, chivalrous, and swashbuckling as he is devastatingly handsome with a smooth, soaring tenor that checks all the boxes on the visual and vocal demands of this particular leading man. Lopez is a leading man on the rise.
The supporting characters are equally as accomplished and perfect for these well-known roles. As new owners Messrs. Firmin and Andre, William Thomas Evans (Camelot, Scarlet Pimpernel, A Tale of Two Cities) and Carrington Vilmont (the New York Company of the show, including the 25th Anniversary and Closing casts) are a masterful comic duo combining comic arrogance with inadvertent buffoonery as they themselves display voices strong enough to be in the fictional operas they are producing.
Lisa Vroman (Aspects of Love, as well as a former Christine Daae in New York and earlier national tours), takes on the dark character role here of Mistress of the Corps de Ballet Madame Giry, and is thoroughly at home with the Mrs. Danvers-like severity and Gothic posturing this new role demands. She is alternately menacing, judgmental, and sympathetic as the Phantom’s keeper of his many secrets.
But it’s the Opera House’s resident divo and diva, Ubaldo Piangi (Christopher Bozeka) and Carlotta Giudicelli (Midori Marsh), who steal the show with their over-inflated egos backed by stellar operatic voices. Marsh, a Canadian opera singer making her national tour debut, is the superlative stand-out of the cast, crafting a colorful character with bombastic comic arrogance combined with a breathtaking coloratura. Her La Carlotta is a superior comic foil for the Phantom. Bozeka, a regular at the Met with an equally impressive tenor, is her hilarious sidekick who balances his own fits and buffoonery with placating her comic slights. Brava and Bravo.
Maria Björnson’s original set designs, adapted by Matt Kinley here, are still breathtaking. Authentic oil painted drops for the Grande Opera sequences, elaborate side boxes for the owners, Raoul—and the Phantom—are regal, and the return of Bjornson’s grande staircase adorned with mannequins in masquerade for the cast members to mingle and dance among is a welcome and comforting sight. His redesigned Opera House rooftop for the love duet “All I Ask of You” and Christine’s father’s grave are visually impressive one-and-outs that land their mark beautifully—and provide some mysterious access for the Phantom. But it’s their candlelit underground boat ride to the Phantom’s lair during the title number that will always be the most indelible visual of the show, and Kinley was wise to stick hard to Bjornson’s vision here.
Andrew Bridge’s elaborate lighting plot (with an assist from US associate Ken Wills) is a wonder, volleying between full stage brightness for the opera segments but full of shadows within shadows to hide the Phantom as well as provide him perfect hidden entrances and exits to slip in and out. It is one of the most intricate non-concert plots I’ve ever seen on a musical stage (aided by some spooky video shadow play by George Reeve with an assist from his US associate Eli Garman), and the wonders he does with the new updated Chandelier are astounding to visionary.
Costume Designer Jill Parker (with US associate Hunter Kaczorowski) has also wisely leaned heavily into Björnson’s original iconic costume designs for inspiration, to keep the look familiar but with some improved tweaks like a subtle color change to give more brightness to a scene (the Il Muto opera where the Phantom wrecks havoc) or introduce an interesting color not seen elsewhere (the Phantom’s own Don Juan Triumphant opera). The resulting feel is the show is as familiar and at home as it always has been, with a not necessarily needed but much appreciated new coat of paint. Björnson’s designs were already timeless and perfect, but Parker’s little additions just give them a subtle updated jeuge.
Sound is usually the least appreciated (and even less understood) of the technical arts, and usually a dicey issue at best in traveling houses. But Sound Designer Mick Potter (with associate Joshua S. Hummel)’s work is revolutionary. Not only does he have the unenviable job of having to balance the professional opera vocals with David Cullen & Lord Andrew’s powerful, thrilling orchestrations (executed movingly by the accomplished orchestra under the taut direction of Isaac Haywood), but his innovations for a new Surround Sound where we hear the Phantom taunt his Opera House nemeses in voices that clearly bounce around the entire perimeter of the theatre, in a manner so clear and defined in placement that this critic hasn’t seen since Sensaround was developed for 1974’s final disaster epic Earthquake. This achievement is second only to the Chandelier 2025 as the next most impressive upgrade accomplishment.
Seth Sklar-Heyn successfully recreates original director Harold Prince’s spectacular story telling, and Chrissie Cartwright interprets Gillian Lynne’s perfect period choreography. Both give sold grounding to honoring the past in the best way where needed in this brilliant new production.
What are the takeaways here?
- The obvious is this is a no-miss production. If you’ve never seen Phantom (how have you never seen Phantom?), see it. If you’ve seen it, see it again. It’s newer, bigger, brighter, and better, yet oddly familiar at the same time (credit to the entire production team).
- There are three age old battles of Tony theatre history. Who should have won between 1983’s Dreamgirls and Nine (Michael Bennett’s game-changing Dreamgirls was robbed; Boo, Tony folks). 2004’s Wicked and Avenue Q (I think time has shown that Tony blew that one too, as Wicked has had a banner renaissance over 20 years; Avenue Q has shrunken to off-Broadway and community theatre) and, here, 1988’s Phantom of the Opera and Into the Woods. Sorry Sondheim fanatics, for while Woods has also improved over age with new visions and new revivals, this spectacular updated Phantom has proved that the musical has always been underrated because of the anti-Andrew Lloyd Webber prejudice in the theatre world. Phantom has always been and continues to prove it is, with all aspects taken into consideration, the better show. Rare victory, Tony folks.
- The biggest blunder is this magnificently reconceived (and even the vastly improved version I saw in New York weeks before its close) has proven the show never needed to close. Lloyd-Webber’s juggernaut has made billions over 40 years. It is a self-sustaining property. All it needed was to pull a Scarlet Pimpernel or a Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark and close for a month to make all the physical upgrades to the facility (costumes and orchestrations could have been subtly reintroduced before hand), then reopened to an exciting, rejuvenated, impressive, resurrected second coming of one of Broadway’s best and most beloved musicals.
But it didn’t. So this is your only chance. Don’t miss this privilege of having this Phantom 2.0 opening in our backyard. With last season’s stripped down yet innovative Sunset Boulevard taking Broadway by storm and rightly getting the attention it has so long deserved for 30 years, and the advanced word that his new, reimagined Evita will be crossing the Atlantic in 2026, this is your chance to land the trifecta of this impresario’s renovated masterpieces. So, Lord Andrew, while we’re on such a roll, how about that long talked-about Starlight Express arena revival for its salvation? Just asking….
Photos courtesy of Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman
(Chandelier photo courtesy of me)
The show runs 2 hours and 30 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.
The Phantom of the Opera runs through November 15, 2025, at the Hippodrome Theatre in the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at 12 N. Eutaw Street. For tickets call the box office at 410.752.7444. or purchase them online .