Matt Byrne Media. The Arts Theatre. 4 Jul 2013
Shortly after the release of the rights to The Phantom of the Opera, Matt Byrne jumped at the chance to produce the show and instantly tongues started wagging in Adelaide theatre circles. Everyone began speculating how it would be done. Who could be cast to handle the massive score and difficult roles? Would there be a chandelier and a boat? The show is a massive undertaking. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent by professional theatre companies when they produce it, and many people felt that it was simply not possible for a community theatre company to pull it off.
Despite all of this, Byrne did what Byrne does and put his money where his mouth is. His determination is nothing short of admirable and the result doesn’t look half bad either; so kudos to Matt for backing himself and for putting together an epic production.
After seeing the opening night performance however, I felt that enthusiasm and money just weren’t enough to get the show over the line. Despite some wonderful moments the production, on the whole, missed the mark for me.
This show is not just about the suspension of disbelief, it is also about the creation of illusion – and it was the illusion that was missing. Byrne’s production needs much more technical rehearsal. Both the cast and the crew would have benefited from more time working with the set, sound and lighting to really polish the work. Sadly this meant the show was lacking intensity, particularly in its orchestral crescendos; I really wanted the sound to engulf me at crucial moments so that the music shuddered through my whole body – it just never got there.
The Phantom of the Opera is a love story. There is very little action to drive the story along and there are a lot of long solo or duet songs that deliver the narrative content – for this reason, but not only this reason, the casting of the leads is crucial and their ability to sing even more so – and this score is no easy feat! In the role of The Phantom, Michael Bates was both the star of the show and the standout lead performer. I found myself completely in awe when he sang ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘The Music of the Night’, and the audience’s reaction was evidence that they loved it too!
As the Phantom’s love interest, Christine Daaé, Ellonye Keniry was a fabulous actress, but vocally fell short of the difficult score. Whilst it was evident that her voice had the capacity to accomplish the demanding role, she needed more support to sustain the high notes, stay in key and really project the low notes which were often lost under Bates and the orchestra when singing her duets.
Will Daniels played the role of Raoul Vicomte de Chagny and, like Keniry and Bates, was a fabulous actor; all three leads, in fact, worked exceptionally well together and had a great chemistry on stage. Daniels however was also outdone by Lloyd Webber’s score and struggled to match the vocal quality of Bates.
Of the supporting roles both David Gauci and Dione Baker as Ubaldo Piangi and Carlotta Guidicelli respectively were fantastic. Gauci is a true professional, and it is not hard to see why. He is always acting (even when no one is meant to be looking) and when in the limelight he has so much stage presence you almost forget there is an ensemble cast behind him. Baker sang her role as the Prima donna outstandingly and, along with Gauci, really highlighted the benefits of a classically trained voice.
The orchestra, under the baton of Musical Director Rodney Hrvatin, was way too nondescript. So much so I initially thought we were listening to a recorded backing track and not live music. Unfortunately, despite changes being made to the score to suit a smaller orchestra, the fullness was completely lost and it felt like the richness had been drained from the score.
In order to give this production the best chance of success, Byrne hired his set from CLOC musical theatre in Melbourne. The set and costumes look great (even though the Arts Theatre stage is way too small for the show) and really make the production. Scene changes were still clunky on opening night however, and it noticeably slowed down an already slow show. Lighting, designed and operated by Ian Barge and Mike Phillips, was clever and looked great – again more technical rehearsals would have helped as the transitions were occasionally too fast or just late.
The choreography by Sue Pole and, in particular the ballet choreography by, Kerreane Sarti helped the cast to navigate the small stage. Sarti’s ballet work looked good and will improve as the cast get used to the space through the run. Occasionally Byrne and Pole had all the actors standing in lines though which was annoying, albeit unavoidable due to the small stage and massive set.
Byrne has thrown everything at a massive show, and one can definitely see how far the team has come. The Phantom of the Opera is a huge undertaking and, even after the curtain has fallen on opening night, I think the question still remains: Is this ever going to be a show that community theatre can successfully recreate to its fullest potential? I don’t have the answer. Either way, this is a milestone for amateur theatre and for South Australia, so ante up a few bucks and check it out.
Paul Rodda
When: 4 to 27 Jul
Where: The Arts Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
