Phantom of the Opera heats up ASU's Gammage Theater
By Jeff Schwartz

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s international award-winning phenomenon, "Phantom of the Opera," has returned to the Arizona State University Gammage Theater, Tempe Arizona, directed with an exasperated approach by Harold Prince.  The show opened to a cold stage set to the beginning action, as I expected to see and hear. Nothing caught me at the start, but from the moment the shattered chandelier was rekindled within a flash of sparks and suspended over the first few rows of the audience, I became excited. The cast, as well as the audience, came to life.

In the role of Christine Daae, Trista Moldovan played the dynamics of the character beautifully once she got rolling. The first song was a little shaky, although the delivery improved as Christine became drawn both to the Phantom and to her old friend Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny (Sean MacLaughlin), fueling the Phantom's drive to have her for himself.  The Phantom writes an opera especially for her, overseeing every aspect of the production through a series of notes sent to the company managers, who, in turn, are working with Raoul and the police to put an end to the Phantom at the premiere of the new opera. Good guy though he may be, however, Raoul's motivation is the same as the Phantom's-- jealousy and the desire to have Christine for himself.  The chemistry between Moldovan and MacLaughlin was perfect; both brought insecurities to their roles and made the characters personable and familiar. The biggest surprise to me, however, was easily Tim Martin Gleason, who filled the role of the Phantom.

Gleason has filled the role of Raoul in several casts of "Phantom" in the past and upon opening, left me feeling as though my expectation of what the "Phantom of the Opera" should be was not filled.  I wanted to mentally picture the Phantom’s dark and tormented soul coming through his vocals.  My opinion changed dramatically, though, as the performance carried on. Adding a sense of depth, perfectly balanced between longing and revenge in this superb performance, this rendition of the Phantom was truly coming alive.  Leaving the theater in awestruck amazement, I felt like I had not just watched a play, but experienced a part of someone’s life. It is such performances as these which make some of the most magical memories I cherish for many years to come. Thankfully, I got to share this one with some good company over a great weekend

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