You’d think after 65,000 performances, it would finally get through that phantom freak’s porcelain piehole: Dude, she’s just not that into you.
“The Phantom of the Opera” has played on Broadway for 21 years, been seen by 80 million people in 25 countries and visited Denver six times since 1991.
How much “Masquerade” can one man take?
But there is an antidote to Phantom Phatigue: Bring along a 15-year- old first-timer who has memorized every note from the cast recording.
From the moment Carlotta sings “Think of Me,” the girl sits more upright than a right angle, silently mouthing along with every word, utterly lost in Gaston Leroux’s Gothic world of alienation, seduction and obsession. And when The Phantom woos Christine to “Music of the Night” — actor John Cudia hitting a range of notes no human should be able to hit — she’s as fully entranced as the world’s most famous understudy.
Yes, every time out, “The Phantom of the Opera” is new to someone, doing its noble part to introduce newbies to the intoxicating power of live theater. Left to my own devices, I soon would have been wondering when this umpteenth viewing might be over. Impossible next to a mooning, swooning teen hoping this magical night would never end.
This third national tour, already 15 years old, delivers all the garish opulence one should expect from a franchise that bills itself as “the most successful entertainment venture of the 20th century.” At $5 billion, it has outgrossed every film ever made. Even though some of its operatic lyrics have yet to be discerned by human ears.
It’s the cast of 36, the 15-strong orchestra, the 230 ostentatious costumes, that killer chandelier, the pyrotechnics, the 141 lights that pop out from a foggy underground lake. Most viscerally, it’s that familiar “duh duh duh duh duh!” organ dirge that, in a note to cast, is always a sure sign to watch your back!
In the spirit of “It’s always new to someone,” a refresher: It’s 1881 at the Paris Opera House, where anonymous ensemble dancer Christine has been clandestinely coached to sing by a backstage secret admirer she’s never seen … and who kills and blackmails her way into a leading role.
What distinguishes “Phantom” from eye-rolling tales where beautiful women resolve to break through the ugly to find the handsomeness within (a depressing genre that has endured from “Beauty and the Beast” to “The King of Queens”) is that Christine, while momentarily tempted, loves another.
All of the performances are remarkable, which frankly should be expected from a cast with such Broadway pedigree. But there’s something special about this ensemble, which together delivers a more natural, funny and personal telling of the story than you may remember.
That starts with Cudia, who’s more vulnerable, less angry and therefore more humanizing and multifaceted than any previous Phantom I’ve seen. That makes his range of emotions far more vast: He’s at times petty, callous, mentoring, pining, even cold-blooded murderous. And yet, we like him (think Ted Bundy, with a nice voice).
Here, he’s commandeered this opera house for the singular purpose of winning an impossible love, and who can’t relate to that? His twisted transition from angel of music to angel of death is disturbingly knowable, certainly brave, even a bit admirable. You love someone? Well, you can’t get what you don’t go after. So what if a few oafs get offed along the way?
Those shades of a naked heart also help the magnificent Trista Moldovan deliver a more fully fleshed, even contemporary Christine. We can see why she’s drawn to this bad boy who’s so devoted to her. At first she’s naively selfish — using her suitor’s tutelage to turn herself into a star. That plays nicely against the ultimate selflessness she shows when offered her lover Raoul’s life in exchange for her own. That helps make The Phantom’s final act of sacrifice (or surrender) one of greater emotional power than expected.
Maybe sitting next to a 15-year-old fangirl who fully feels the tragedy of it all so deeply will do that to you.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“The Phantom of the Opera” **** (out of four stars)
National touring production at the Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music), Charles Hart (lyrics). Directed by Harold Prince. Through March 22. 2 hours, 30 minutes. 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. $20-$115. 303-893-4100, King Soopers or
This weekend’s best bets
“Eurydice” Sarah Ruhl’s fantastical twist on the Orpheus myth, which here follows the story of his wife, lost on their wedding night. After falling to her death, Eurydice finds herself in the Underworld; but the Dead speak another language, and with the help of her father, she must re-learn her human tongue to remember the world and husband she left behind. In this visually stunning, whimsical story, our characters move through a world of talking stones, raining elevators, letters sent through the earth via worms, and rooms made of string. Through April 18. Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St., 303-623-0524 or
“Sixteen Wounded” The Evergreen Players present the regional premiere of Eliam Kraiem’s 2004 Broadway drama about the collision of two disparate lives — a lonely, emotionally remote Jewish baker and a passionate, young Palestinian far from home. Set in Amsterdam, where a bakery is shattered by more than broken glass, yet somehow, an improbable friendship develops. The playwright will conduct a talkback after the show, which continues through March 22, then returns April 3-5. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. at 27608 Fireweed Drive. $14-$18. 303-674-4934 or .
“Meanwhile Everywhere” The Cody Rivers Show is an innovative sketch-comedy duo from Bellingham, Wash., that pushes the envelope of physical theater and high-concept comedy. Their latest new show, “Meanwhile Everywhere,” employs unexpected juxtapositions leading audiences deep into experimental realms where laughter is often the only thing that makes sense. March 6 and 8: 7:30 p.m. Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder (800-838-3006 or .). March 7: 8 p.m. at the Bovine Metropolis, 1527 Champa St. (303-758-4722 or .). March 12-15: The Manitou Art Theatre, 1367 Pecan St., Colorado Springs (719-685-4729 or , various times).
This weekend’s other openings
“Below the Fold; a Blog on Stage” Five years of blogs by Rocky Mountain News columnist Dave Flomberg have been adapted into this world premiere staging, equal parts reminiscence and observation peppered with self-deprecating humor. Features a cast of 10. Opens Sunday, with performances to follow on Mondays and Tuesdays only through March 24. John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. First Place, 720-434-5245.
“A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline” A musical tribute to the woman who still ranks as the No. 1 jukebox artist in the United States. Songs include “Crazy,” “Walkin’ After Midnight” and “I Fall to Pieces.” Through May 31. Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Market Place Drive, Johnstown, 970-744-3747, 1-877-240-4242 or
“Greater Tuna” Welcome to Texas’ third-smallest town, where the Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never died. Two actors play 24 residents of Tuna, offering a humorous look at small-town life. Through April 25. Victorian Playhouse, 4201 Hooker St., 303-433- 4343 or
“Mary, Mary” The newly formed 73rd Avenue Theatre Company debuts at the former home of the Gaslight Theatre with a lighthearted romantic comedy by Jean Kerr. It’s about a wisecracking couple on the verge of divorce following a nine-month separation. Through April 12. 7287 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, 720-276-6936.
“Office Space, the Musical” This original musical written by Jamie J. Bruss, Christopher Willard and Donna Debreceni is a sly parody of the 1999 cult movie “Office Space,” as performed by the second-floor accountants at Dynacorp. Through April 19. Backstage Theatre, 121 S. Ridge St., Breckenridge, 970-453-0199 or
“Tornado Season” This new one-woman play, written and performed by Emily K. Harrison, explores intersections of faith and violence in the American landscape and consciousness. Through text, image, sound, video and movement, the story travels to the intersection where the Bible Belt meets Tornado Alley, where floods meet fires, cowboys, debutantes and crystal meth. Live sound score by Toby Sinkinson. Through March 21. Square Product Theatre, at the University of Colorado’s Atlas Center, 1125 18th St., Boulder, 303-442-0234 or
Complete theater listings
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