This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 25, 2011 - Similar to the infamous chandelier, Nerinx Hall brought the house down when performing the deeply moving opera about love and loss. "The Phantom of the Opera" shares a story of dangerous evil resulting in truth, when a mask of deception is finally torn away.
The music and orchestrations in "The Phantom of the Opera" were written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the plot is based on the novel "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra" by Gaston Leroux. "Phantom" is the longest running show in Broadway's history and only a year ago, granted the rights for students to perform the opera.
The plot revolves around young Christine (Carolyn Cowling) who works for an opera house and believes her "angel of music" is guiding her in life. This magical being, in reality, is the evil Phantom (Evan Fornachon) who grows jealous and aggressive when kind-hearted Raoul (Joe Essig) asks Christine to be his bride. The Phantom responds to the engagement by retaliation, proving no one in the opera house is safe.
After disguising his evil ways to Christine, the helpless girl follows the Phantom to his lair. Raoul follows close, planning to rescue Christine when he is instantly trapped by the Phantom. Christine must chose to let Raoul die and she go free or let Raoul live in exchange for the Phantom's hand. A kiss from Christine to the Phantom breaks his evil spell and Christine and Raoul are set free, while the Phantom begins to understand true compassion for the first time.
The three leads, Christine, Phantom, and Raoul, stood out from the rest of the cast with their exquisite vocal performance. Each actor successfully hit every note and displayed a very impressive range. Christine (Carolyn Cowling) effectively demonstrated her confusion when deciding what she should do regarding the Phantom's love for her. The Phantom (Evan Fornachon) was so in touch with his character, constantly acting unstable and obsessive. Raoul (Joe Essig) added the softer character in the mix, while believably portraying chemistry shared with Christine.
Notable supporting characters include Madame Andre (Allie Luecke), Madame Giry (Destiny Hooper), and Meg Giry (Liz Freidmann). Luecke stood out from this typically male role as a strong female vocalist. Hooper displayed her fear and protectiveness of the Phantom with clarity. And Friedmann, Christine's best friend, used her ballet skills and kindness to portray this helpful character.
Lighting by Alex Clemens was strong throughout the entire production, effectively illuminating all of the characters, while setting a specific emotion. Special effects -- including flame throwing, body doubles, fog machines, and a moving boat -- added to the magical qualities the show required. Although at times some actors were hard to hear, the powerful, live orchestra provided music for all to enjoy.
While the chorus appeared off rhythm at times, their strong vocal harmonies stood out in a positive way. Actors rarely missed their song entrances, with constant cues made by the orchestra conductor. The strength of the show was clearly found in the lead and supporting actors who used their talent and energy throughout the production.
Overall, the terrific score in combination with the actors who successfully sang their parts resulted in an enjoyable production of a favorite Broadway musical, "The Phantom of the Opera."
About the Cappies
The Critics and Awards Program for high school theater -- known as Cappies -- was formed in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting to celebrate writing and performing arts at America's high schools. It operates chapters across the nation.
St. Louis' program was launched in 2002-03.
At the end of the year, the top performers, technicians and reviewers are honored during a Tony-style gala.
The Beacon is happy to help spread the word by printing some reviews.
Emma Rechenberg is a student at Parkway Central High School.