The Phantom of the Opera
★★★★★ Breathtaking
Edinburgh Academy (Venue 70): Fri 2 – Sat 17 Aug 2024
Review by Eilidh Sim
A haunting production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart’s The Phantom of the Opera is staged by Captivate Theatre with a stellar cast of 21 at The Edinburgh Academy in Stockbridge.
Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, this is the story of ‘The Phantom’, a disfigured musical genius who haunts the depths of the Paris Opera House. Fascinated by the talents and beauty of a young soprano, Christine, he portrays himself as her angel of music, in turn luring her as his protégé, falling fiercely in love with her.
Colum Findlay and Lucy Whelan. Pic: Captivate
As Christine, Lucy Whelan brings out the full emotion of her character, as she falls further into the Phantom’s grasp. The title number allows her to showcase her sensational singing capabilities.
Colum Findlay is a powerful Phantom, captivating the audience with their phenomenal singing voice, which acts as if the audience is in a trance. This portrayal is not only shown through musical numbers such as The Point Of No Return, but also in the vulnerability they bring to the character of the Phantom himself.
The character of Raoul, played by Gordon Stackhouse, is successfully characterised, showcasing his love for Christine during the musical number All I Ask Of You, while also demonstrating his strong vocal talents.
strong and characterful
The roles the Opera House’s resident stars, the tenor Piangi (Joshua Scott) and the soprano Carlotta (Stephanie Strachan), are successfully executed. Scott and Strachan’s acting choices bring out the comedy and their characterisation while their singing is equally as strong and characterful.
The Opera’s new owners, Firmin and Andre, are well though out by Stephen Donaldson and Kennedy Thomson. The pair bring out the comic aspects of their characters, engaging the audience into the production.
A scene from Captivate’s Phantom of the Opera. Pic: Captivate.
The ensemble, while not portraying lead singing roles, collectively have strong singing voices which effortlessly blend together. This allows for a beautiful performance.
This production features a full live band, who are located on stage. For most of the performance they are conducted by Findlay, who in turn plays the Phantom. The use of the Phantom as the conductor, unless he is specifically on stage, gives the appearance that he is always lurking and controlling the Opera House.
effective staging
Director Sally Lyall makes effective use of the staging, with the most prominent piece being a large metal bridge above the stage, where the band are situated. This is also used to allow more space to work with and create different locations throughout the performance
The choreography by Colum Findlay impresses continuously, with performances of ballet along with whole cast numbers, all which contain a significant amount of energy.
The effort put into this production is clear, making for an effortless and breathtaking performance.
Running time: Two hours and 15 minutes (including one interval)
Edinburgh Academy, 42 Henderson Row, EH3 5BL (Venue 70)
Fri 2 – Sat 17 August 2024
Daily at 8.30pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
Captivate Theatre links
Website: http://www.captivatetheatre.com/
Instagram: @captivatetheatre
Facebook: @captivatetheatre
X: @Captivate_LTD
A scene from Captivate’s Phantom of the Opera. Pic: Captivate.
ENDS
Great review, well done all at Captivate Theatre. I love the concept of the Phantom conducting the orchestra. Looking forward to seeing this on Wednesday!