I had an amazing opportunity to see the opening night celebration of "Phantom" at Westchester Broadway Theatre. With my love for the theatre, I could not ask for a better "date night" filled with music, dancing, beautifully done authentic costumes and of course a great dinner. "Phantom", (which is different than "Phantom of the Opera") was captivating, stunning and the entire cast was beyond extraordinary.
Phantom is showing September 13 - November 25, 2018 as well as December 27 through January 27, 2019
The story of Yeston & Kopit's Phantom revolves around the central character of a man named Erik, who was born and raised in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House. Through a series of circumstances, he takes on as a pupil a young woman named Christine, who has been a street singer. She has a natural talent and a beautiful voice, but she lacks the special training to perform in an Opera company. He agrees to take her on as a student with certain conditions, the main one being that she will never see his face. After a lot of hard work, she eventually auditions for the company and is not only accepted but is given the opportunity to play a principal part in an Opera. Without realizing it, they fall in love with each other. The relationship becomes obsessive and impossible, leading to a stunning conclusion.
"PHANTOM" was written by Arthur Kopit, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston who were the Tony Award-winning collaborators for the Broadway Musical "Nine". "Phantom" is not to be confused with Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera", which is currently running on Broadway. Both shows are based on the same Gaston LeRoux novel, with the Webber extravaganza being more like an opera, completely sung. The Yeston/Kopit "Phantom" is more of a traditional Broadway Musical with dialogue and songs throughout.
"Phantom" made its New York Premiere here at WBT in 1992. During our record-breaking nine-month run, over 120,000 people attended. Night after night, audiences rose to their feet for the stunning musical thriller. The original production was directed by William Pullinsi and starred Robert Cuccioli as the Phantom and Glory Crampton as Christine Daee. "Phantom" returned to our stage in 1996 and in 2007, directed and choreographed by Tom Polum, who had been in the original production.
The show opened here at WBT on July 16th, 1992 to rave reviews. Jacques LeSourd critic from Gannett Suburban Newspapers stated... "There is also a gripping story, richly drawn characters, and music that can break your heart with its beauty... You'll find none of that in the Broadway 'Phantom'... Howard Kissel, the critic from the New York Daily News said: "The first Genuine Broadway Musical I've seen in years and the most genuinely exciting Broadway Musical I've seen in years"…"Capturing the genuine 'Phantom"…" Despite all its masquerading, the real thing isn't on West 44th Street; it's playing here in Westchester". He was referring to our wonderful production of "Phantom"!
The music and the drama of this piece are extraordinary and should not be missed! From our show that was seen by many members of The Alliance for Musical Theatre Producers, came scores of productions around the country, some of which are ongoing. Also, after seeing our production of"Phantom", RCA Victor produced a CD recording of the show. Many of our cast participated in the recording, including Glory Crampton who played Christine, Meg Bussert who played Carlotta, and most of our ensemble.
Directed & Choreographed by Tom Polum, The Musical Director is Bob Bray; The Cast Features: Matthew Billman (as Erik; The Phantom), Kayleen Seidl (Christine Daaé), James Van Treuren (Gérard Carrière), Larry Luck (Count Philippe de Chandon), Sandy Rosenberg (Carlotta), Kilty Reidy (Alaine Cholet), Stuart Marland (Inspector Ledoux) Ryan Alexander Jacobs (Joseph Buquet) and Roger Preston Smith (Jean Claude).
The multi-talented Ensemble: Christopher Brand, Julia Louise Hosack, Alec James, Caroline Kane, Melissa Maricich, Corey Joseph Masklee, Alison Rose Munn, Andrew Norlen, Monica Owen, Jose Plaza, Don Rey, and Kelsey Self.
Show Times:
Wednesday & Thursday & some Friday Matinees: Lunch: 11:30 am & Show 1 pm.
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday Evenings: Dinner: 6:30 pm & Show: 8 pm.
Sunday Matinees: Lunch: 12 pm & Show: 1:30 pm
Sunday Evenings: Dinner: 5:30 pm & Show: 7 pm.
For ticket reservations, please call (914) 592-2222. or via website at: www.BroadwayTheatre.com
See you at Westchester Broadway Theatre!
