Above : Joshua Robson in the role of Phantom. Featured image- the stage with stunning harbour backdrop. Images: Prudence Upton.
This year’s Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour event celebrates tbe special magic of musical theatre with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. This musical burst onto the global scene in 1986 and still remains the longest running Broadway show of all time. It is a perfect fit for the Opera on the Harbour vibe and runs over twenty six performances. Over two hundred cast, creatives, musicians and tech crew breathe alfresco life into this much loved musical.
Gabriela Tylesova’s sprawling set rises above the harbour with gentle tilt, a gilded, fractured proscenium arch reaching out from the tower of opera boxes on one side and massive downward swooping staircase on the other. The replica Paris Opera Garnier chandelier is hoisted all around the set with the Sydney city night skyline. Sydney Opera house and harbour supplies a salubrious backdrop for the recreation of the haunted nineteenth century Paris Opera House.
There is amazing attention to detail in creating a set for this stage classic on a large outdoor scale. The cornucopia of costumes plus wigs in Tylesova’s lush designs for dancers, singers and principals constantly splash the harbour stage with constant colour. The masquerade ball scene to open Act Two is an immense highlight in this regard, with the blocking across the set and unison movement on the grand staircase creating the grandiose effect.
Above : Cast of Phantom of the Opera perform ‘Masquerade’. Image : Prudence Upton.
Congratulations must go to Director Simon Phillips, Choreographer Simone Sault and Assistant Director Shaun Rennie for traffic control across the Handa Opera on the Harbour stage. Shifts from huge ensemble needing to quickly meld to intimate moments with much fewer protagonists work so well. These changes of place are as impressive as any pryro, firework or pre-show sunset effect to be seen.
Use of the staircase, railings, front stage section and moat brings the action even closer to us in slick swathes of multidirection. Shifts to the tortured Phantom’s lair are quickly achieved via the sliding in and out of his mirrored organ and step structure, with some great outdoor mist and the gentle glide of his ominous boat across his lake encircling the base and back of the stage.
Sonic blend achieved between the orchestra, soloists and chorus was rather formidable given the necessary evils and challenges of amplification for an open air performance. Lloyd Webber’s iconic Phantom theme music punched out into the Harbour as did many favourite songs from mostly local theatre legends, thrilling fans and bullying the bad weather back into its corner a la fois.
Above: The Phantom (Joshua Robson) and Christine (Georgina Hopson). Image : Prudence Upton.
Fine parody of the Italianate opera Diva and her emotional tenor leaps out at us with duetto excellence in this production whenever Naomi Johns and Paul Tabone light up the stage as the bumbling Carlotta Giudicelli and Ubaldo Piangi. Comic timing and melodramatic operatic accent were fantastic from this flamboyantly costumed and finely placed pair.
The love triangle of Christine Daae (Georgina Hopson) , Raoul-Vicomte de Chagny (Callum Francis) and Phantom (Joshua Robson) is a dynamic equilateral here. Callum Francis brings his global stage experience and characteristion skill to Mrs Macquarie’s Point, giving an energetic and dashing version of the ingenue’s rekindled childhood love, Raoul. He uses the stage gallantly, with perfect chemistry between his character and the grown-up Christine.
Above: Michael Cormick as Monsieur Firmin, Paul Tabone as Piangi, Martin Crewes as Monsieur Andre and Naomi Johns as Carlotta. Image: Prudence Upton.
Georgina Hopson presents quite a layered portrayal of Christine, with breathtaking vocal control. Her super-secure contours reach to the fabled vocal heights of her well-known song set. ‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again’ is a showstopper moment with exemplary building to a point, pace and manipulation of tone colour on the musical theatre stage
Vulnerability, desperation and anger are nicely developed by Geoergina Hopson for Christine’s famous plight over the night. All packaged with watchable momentum and a killer vocal delivery, finding light in the popular music and controlled nuance in the dark of the drama.
Joshua Robson also contributes winningly to the Phantom franchise. Once more, a multi-layered, powerful reading brings freshness to the role with fine reference to the savagery of the character’s agony and history.
This Phantom is engaged, enlightened and erratic. Robson’s acting at the climax of the show depicting a crushed, unmasked Phantom has acute realness. His attack in the larger moments was powerhouse. Throughout there is a full, menacing spoken and sung voice as varied and colourful as the glittering theatre he invades.
Comedy and well-directed energy is firmly provided in the narrative’s hilarious note-filled flow by theatre owners Michael Cormick (Monsieur Firmin) and Martin Crewes (Monsier Andre).
Above : Callum Francis in the role of Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. Image: Prudence Upton.
The harsh caricature of Madame Giry as ballet mistress and confidante to the struggling Phantom is pointedly portrayed by Maree Johnson. Johnson gifts us an extension her Broadway-honed success in this role. This dance captain of a character leads the cast and story about the sprawling set with superstar adroitness, black ballet class stick as secure as her performance. Kelsi Boyden as Meg Giry was also a secure and energetic thread in the storytelling.
The chance to see and hear Phantom of the Opera elevated, magnified and celebrated outdoors should not be missed. Hovering with genius illusion and to very special effect above and about the theatre of our stunning Sydney Harbour, it revives the legend vividly. Andrew Lloyd Webber himself witnessed opening night on our shores. He must have loved how the beautiful harbour night time and this company sharpens his show, heightening sensation for all.