Classical Voice of North Carolina's Review of Phantom

Robert McDowell came to Opening Night of our production of Phantom and gave it a glowing review! To read it, please see below!

North Carolina Theatre Review

LUMINOUS PERFORMANCES BY MICHAEL MINARIK AND REBECCA PITCHER
MAKE YESTON AND KOPIT’S OPERATIC “PHANTOM” SPARKLE

Luminous performances by Michael Minarik as the Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera and Rebecca Pitcher as his protégé, Christine Daaé, help make North Carolina Theatre’s gala production of YESTON AND KOPIT’S “PHANTOM” sparkle, shimmer, and shine as bright as a Super Nova. Composer and lyricist Maury Yeston and librettist Arthur L. Kopit’s 1991 musical, subtitled “The American Musical Sensation,” is truly sensational and even operatic, whereas Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 London and 1988 Broadway hit, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, has a lot in common with his previous rock operas.

This fabulous PHANTOM, which concludes NCT’s 2008 season, is a real musical extravaganza, with soaring sets from Theatre Under the Stars’ world-premiere production in Houston, Texas, an d dazzling 19th century costumes from Malabar Limited of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The spectacular scenery and wardrobe combine with the effervescent staging of frequent NCT guest director Casey Hushion, the dynamic production numbers devised by choreographer Jennifer Werner, and the theatrical magic of technical director Bill Yates, Jr., lighting designer Craig Stelzenmuller, costumer Ann M. Bruskiewitz, and properties mistress Laurie Johnson to make this PHANTOM a feast for the eye.

The show’s only awkward moments come at the end -- in the climactic showdown between the fleeing Phantom and his implacable pursuers -- but that momentary awkwardness – which is as much the fault of the script as the staging -- is quickly forgiven and forgotten, because of the overall strength of the NCT cast and the crew and production values comparable to a National Tour.

Musical director Edward G. Robinson and the energetic NCT orchestra also joined forces with sound designer Jonathan Parke to make the marvelous melodies in Yeston’s superlative score alternately thrill and chill the Sunday-matinee audience, which expressed its appreciation in a loud and lengthy standing ovation.

Director Casey Hushion and choreographer Jennifer Werner liven up this frisky PHANTOM with more than a little of the old razzle-dazzle, and the production also boasts a superb vocal ensemble and a host of charismatic characterizations, starting with Michael Minarik’s passionate performance in the title role and Rebecca Pitcher’s heart-tugging portrayal of Christine, the beautiful but untrained street singer whom Erik, the hideously deformed “Ghost of the Opera,” transforms into a true diva and with whom he falls completely, hopelessly in love.

Neal Benari is likewise terrific as Gérard Carrière, the abruptly dismissed long-time managing director of the Paris Opera (and the Phantom’s secret protector); and Tom Soubrada and especially Ellen Harvey give wonderfully wicked performances as this musical’s king and queen of mean, the opera’s new owners, the puffed-up Alain Cholet and his shrewish wife, the would-be diva La Carlotta, who has a voice that could curdle cream -- not to mention infuriate an angry Phantom inhabiting the subterranean chambers of the Paris Opera.

Harvey’s antics as Carlotta steal many a scene; Jarrod Emick is also good as Christine’s wealthy number-one admirer, the handsome bon vivant champagne heir, Count Philippe de Chandon; and Rob Sheridan adds a pair of crisp cameos as the corrupt French Minister of Culture and the bluff Parisian Police Inspector Ledoux.

This week, the North Carolina Theatre will conclude its warmly applauded 2008 season with what can truly be called a “must-see musical.” YESTON AND KOPIT’S “PHANTOM” will delight and amaze Triangle theatergoers, who are more familiar with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Moreover, there are enough differences between this American PHANTOM and the British to PHANTOM provide some pleasant surprises. Don’t miss it.

Staging a gentler 'Phantom'

There was a great article in the News & Observer on Sunday, October 12th! Click on the link below and be sure to check out the slideshow of pictures!

http://www.newsobserver.com/2766/story/1252020.html

Yeston & Kopit's Phantom vs. Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera

NCT's Yeston & Kopit's Phantom opens next Saturday, October 18th and runs through the 26th in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium! We have an all-star cast for this production and we are very excited about it. Rehearsals started this past weekend and they have been working very hard to put the show up! This version of Phantom is based off of the Gaston Leroux novel, The Phantom of the Opera, and differs from the Andrew Lloyd Webber version - The Phantom of the Opera - currently running on Broadway.

In 1982 Actor/director Geoffrey Holder obtained the rights to Leroux's novel, The Phantom of the Opera, and planned to make an American musical based on the novel. Below is a timeline of events on how Phantom made it to the stage and takes a look at the race for Broadway - between Yeston & Kopit and Andrew LLoyd Webber.

• Holder approached Yeston and Kopit to write the musical – this version of Phantom would be the first and only Phantom of the Opera musical
• 1984: British producer Ken Hill produced The Phantom of the Opera, the musical, in England
• Holder had the rights to the novel for two years in the United States and Europe before it became public domain
• The rights to Leroux’s novel were available in the public domain in Great Britain
• Variety published an article saying that Andrew Lloyd Weber was planning to produce the musical version of The Phantom of the Opera in London
• 1986: The Phantom of the Opera was a huge hit in London and Lloyd Webber announced a Broadway production
• Yeston and Kopit’s investors backed out once they saw the huge success of Lloyd Webber’s version
• Kopit saw the Lloyd Webber version of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and realized that there were significant differences from the American version and thought it could still work
• A few years later, Kopit changed the script to a two-part miniseries for NBC – the production was shot at the Paris Opera House and starred Charles Dance as the Phantom
• 1991: Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars put together a new team to put up the world premiere of Yeston & Kopit’s show, Phantom
• Yeston and Kopit made a few changes after the Houston run, and presented it the next fall in Seattle and San Bernardino
• Ever since, audiences have been captivated by Yeston and Kopit’s twist on the Phantom –beginning the story earlier in his life, introducing his father as a character and other turns along the way
• Currently grossed over $500 million world wide

"Fly Me to the Moon"

Fly Me to the Moon: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra opened last weekend! Joe Amato pays tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes in this series at the new Rat Pack Lounge located in Prime Only Downtown at 505 W. Jones Street in Raleigh. Come to the dinner show at 7 PM or the cocktail show at 10 PM and you are in for a treat! Joe sings all of your Frank Sinatra favorites and tells some interesting stories about Frank's life. Here is an excerpt from the title song, "Fly Me to the Moon."

There are only three weekends left (September 25-28; October 2-5; October 9-11) - so buy your tickets today! Tickets for the dinner show are $70 per person; cocktail show tables are $20 per couple in advance. For reservations call NC Theatre at 919.831.6941 x6941. For more information visit http://www.nctheatre.com/.

Whistle Down the Wind Pictures

Pictures from Whistle Down the Wind Dress Rehearsal on Friday, September 12th:

Brian Fisher & English Bernhardt singing "Angels"

The children protecting the barn

The Bostock children~ Maddie Taylor, Spencer Bloom and Alexis van Venrooy

Maddie Taylor

Maddie Taylor, Alexis van Venrooy, Dalton Hood, Spencer Bloom and Sadie Stafford

"The Children" of Whistle Down the Wind

Photo Credit: Curtis Brown Photography

New Form of Entertainment Hits Downtown Raleigh this Thursday!

NC Theatre has teamed up with Prime Only Downtown to bring a new entertainment concept to the downtown area in the restaurant’s newly renovated Rat Pack Lounge. The formula is simple – combine a music legend, live band, good food and drinks – and you have the Rat Pack Lounge series.

The Rat Pack Lounge series began this past April with The Cooke Book, the music of Sam Cooke, and the combination of dinner and the show was a huge hit! The restaurant saw an increase in patrons and sales, and the public left wanting more.

The series will continue with Fly Me to the Moon, a musical tribute to Frank Sinatra beginning September 18th and running through October 11th. Fly Me to the Moon will chronicle the life and times of the great music legend and will feature your favorite Frank Sinatra tunes including “My Way,” “I’ll Be Seeing You,” “Chicago,” “The Lady is a Tramp” and many other classics.

Joe Amato will perform Frank Sinatra numbers in the series and has over thirty five years of performing experience. He has served as guitarist, backup vocalist with Dion on hits such as “Runaround Sue,” songwriter for artists like B.B. King and radio personality. In the early 1990s, Amato was a part of the world renowned Las Vegas production company “Legends in Concert” where he portrayed Frank Sinatra to astounded audiences.

William Jones, NC Theatre’s executive director and producer says, “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue this new entertainment concept in downtown Raleigh and hope it becomes a tradition in the growing Glenwood South scene.”

Escape the crowded bars in downtown Raleigh and experience a new form of entertainment venue at the Rat Pack Lounge! The room has been turned into a 1960s Vegas showroom – with comfortable booths, a small dance floor and nice bar. Catch the dinner show and you will be treated to a delicious three-course meal in addition to the show. If you would rather just see the show, the cocktail show is an option as well.

The dinner show is $70 per person; cocktail show tables are $20 per couple if reserved in advance. To make a reservation, call the NC Theatre Box Office at 919/ 831-6941 x6944. For more information, please visit www.nctheatre.com.

Guest Blogger: Madeline Taylor

Whistle Down the Wind has been a great experience for me. I learned so much from it. I learned a lot about being professional - but having fun at the same time - by watching the adults. They are such wonderful and capable individuals that greatly influence the children of Whistle Down the Wind. We learn so much from them. Everybody is extremely phenomenal and they were all cast perfectly. We all have shaped and molded our characters and character relationships that we are constantly talking like our characters would in our dialect.

To be in a professional show with all of these people is quite exhilarating. It’s such an educational experience; the whole process of learning the lines and music and then putting it to the stage. The final product is worth all of the hard labor put into it and the whole cast is very proud of it. Putting the whole show together is a quick-paced and frenetic process. The rehearsal days just fly by.

Right now we’re having tech week, and I am sitting on a dressing room bench writing this during a break. Tech week is so chaotic, but it only makes the show so much better. It is all about getting used to the space and doing things in that space. From staging, to props, to set changes, to quick changes; it all has to be rehearsed at the theatre. We are so blessed to have the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater. It’s a huge theatre with lots of seats for sold out shows (I hope)! We are truly grateful for all that the management and Wally Jones has allowed us; the time, the studio space, the theatre, and our fantastic crew. It is truly daunting to see the effort that people give to theatre. A lot goes into a show.

The best parts of the show are the run, and the people you meet. You become great friends with everybody in the cast and you stay in touch with those people. And then you see them all the time, everywhere. It is such a small world. The Whistle Down the Wind cast are people I will always be friends with, and our friendships will only grow from here. We are always there for each other and helping one another - we’re like a family.

So this is pretty much my “life upon the wicked stage”. Whistle Down the Wind was a great experience overall for me. I will never forget these memories that I made; everything will stick with me forever. And it will only help me in the years to come. I send my thanks to Julio, Wally, Nancy, and Christine for giving me this great opportunity. I will never forget it!
By Madeline C. Taylor (a.k.a. Cathy Bostock)

Interview with Spencer Bloom

Spencer Bloom stars as Charles Bostock in Whistle Down the Wind. I had the chance to sit down and talk with him about his experiences with the show!

Whistle Down the Wind Rehearsal Videos

The cast of Whistle Down the Wind began rehearsing on Monday, August 18th at the NCT Conservatory in North Raleigh. Below is a video from one of the first rehearsal days. These are the "children" in the production. Musical Director, Nancy Whelan, works through the song "Hymn" with some of the cast.

We will be posting other videos, pictures and have some more guest bloggers to come in the next few days. Stay tuned!

Carly Jordan's Experience with Whistle Down the Wind

Hey guys! My name is Carly Jordan and I am in the adult ensemble of Whistle Down the Wind. This is my second KOB show, my first being A Man of No Importance last year. That show was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had, so I was very excited when I got the opportunity to be a part of this one.

So far, the show is going really well! We’re well into the third week of rehearsals, and everyone’s excited to move into the theatre on Monday. It’s so hard to believe that we’re starting tech rehearsals next week! It feels like two days ago that we started the rehearsal process. Some of us actually hadn’t met before, but we weren’t strangers for long. Our director, Julio Matos, had us do exercises on that first day for character development: those of us in the ensemble chose family names, decided what our role in the village was, who our family members were, etc. (For example, I am Mrs. Bennett, a town gossip, and my children are Jenny and Stephen). We also did “viewpoints” exercises, which helps raise our awareness of each other on stage. Since then, this cast has become incredibly close and I think that that will come through on stage and make for an even stronger piece.

As I write this, we’re doing what’s called a “designer run”, which is a run of the show performed for all the lighting designers, sound technicians, costumers, etc. It’s their first chance to see the show in its completed form before they have to start setting everything up in the theatre. It’s a really exciting day for the cast, because this is the first time we’re getting an audience other than our stage management, Julio, our musical director Nancy Whelan, and our dialect coach Christine Hunter.

That’s another fun part about this show: it takes place in Lancashire in the north of England, so we all have to do the specific accent native to that part of Britain. There’s no way we could have perfected it by ourselves, so we are very fortunate to have Christine’s help. She is a perfectionist, which is really helpful. She goes through lines word by word to help us get the sound right, to make sure we’re moving our mouths correctly. Doing a dialect correctly is a lot harder than most people would think, but we practice in and out of the rehearsal hall so hopefully we’ll sound authentic during the run of the show.

It’s almost time for me to go back on for the finale, so I’d better sign off. We open a week from yesterday!! The show runs through next Sunday, the 21st, so come see it! I speak on behalf of everyone involved when I say it’s an experience you won’t want to miss. J

Best wishes,
Carly