'THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA' Returns to SF, Begins Run at Orpheum Starting 11/26

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, the multi-award winning musical returns to San Francisco for the holidays plays the Orpheum Theatre beginning Wednesday, November 26 through Sunday, January 4.    

San Francisco’s relationship with THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA began in November 1993 when the First National Tour opened and played a record-breaking, five-year (266-week) engagement at the Curran Theatre through December 1998.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is presented as a special engagement of the 2008-2009 Best of Broadway season, under the direction of Carole Shorenstein Hays.

Leading the 36-member company cast is John Cudia as The Phantom, with Trista Moldovan as the young soprano, Christine, and native South Bay actor Kyle Barisich as Raoul. Also featured will be Kim Stengel as Carlotta Giudicelli, D.C. Anderson as Monsieur André, Bruce Winant as Monsieur Firmin, Anne Kanengeiser as Madame Giry, John Whitney as Ubaldo Piangi and Jessi Ehrlich as Meg. At certain performances, Kelly Jeanne Grant plays the role of Christine.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and is directed by Harold Prince. Lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Production design is by Maria Bjornson, lighting by Andrew Bridge and sound by Martin Levan. Musical staging and choreography is by Gillian Lynne. Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

With total worldwide grosses estimated at over $5 billion, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is the most successful entertainment venture of the twentieth century, surpassing such blockbuster films as Titanic, Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park and Star Wars. The show had its world premiere on October 9, 1986 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, winning every major British theatre award including the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards. The New York production opened on January 26, 1988 where it won seven 1988 Tony® Awards, including Best Musical.

Over 80 million people in 124 cities in 25 countries have seen THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Worldwide, the show consistently plays to larger audiences and in longer engagements than any other musical in history. On January 9, 2006, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA became the longest-running show in Broadway history surpassing Cats’ record-holding run of 7,485 performances. The show celebrated an unprecedented milestone on January 26, 2008 when it reached its twentieth anniversary on Broadway.

To experience what goes on backstage at SHN shows, go to http://shnsf.com/podcast/index.asp and listen to Backstage, the SHN podcast series, to hear interviews with members of the creative teams or actors for all SHN productions.

Tickets for THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA range in price from $33 to $98 and can be purchased online at shnsf.com, through Ticketmaster by calling (415) 512-7770, at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers and at the Orpheum Theatre Box Office (1192 Market at 8th St., Mon-Sat 10am – 6pm). Groups of 15 or more may order now by calling Group Sales at (415) 551-2020. To learn more about THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and other SHN shows, please visit www.shnsf.com

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
TUE – SAT at 8PM; WED, SAT & SUN at 2PM
ADDED PERFS: FRI, NOV 28 at 2PM, SUN, DEC 7 at 7:30PM, FRI, DEC 26 at 2PM
NO PERFORMANCE: WED, NOV 26 at 2PM, THU, NOV 27, THU, DEC 25
NOTE: WED EVE, DEC 31 PERF IS AT 7:30PM

John Cudia (The Phantom) returns to the National Tour after recently completing a successful run as The Phantom on Broadway. His Broadway credits include both Phantom and Les Misérables. In fact, John holds the distinct honor of being the first and only actor to have performed as both The Phantom and Jean Valjean on Broadway. John recently played Jean Valjean in the highly successful production of Les Misérables at The Marriott Theatre in Chicago, where his performance earned him a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination. John earned his BA from Fordham University. His resume includes leading roles at The Paper Mill Playhouse, North Shore Music Theater, Pioneer Theater, Portland Stage, St. Louis Reparatory, Casa Manana, Westchester Broadway and The Carousel Theatre. In concert, John has made several appearances in The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber for Jeffrey Finn Productions and was a featured tenor soloist with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea in his home state of New Jersey.

Trista Moldovan (Christine Daaé) is delighted to join the U. S. National Tour of The Phantom of the Opera. Most recently, she had the honor of working with Julie Andrews in the John Bucchino musical Simeon’s Gift. She also appeared as ‘Cosette’ in the regional premiere of Les Misérables at the Pioneer Theater Company. Off-Broadway/NYC: Sally in Me and My Girl (Musicals Tonight), Rachel in Paul Revere (Theatreworks) and Seffa in Faces of War (Makor Center). Regional credits: Gypsy (Louise), Nine (Carla), Born Yesterday (Billie Dawn), Carousel (Julie) and Cabaret (Sally). Television: “The Guiding Light,” “All My Children” and “As the World Turns.” Trista is a proud graduate of the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music.

Kyle Barisich (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny). Born and raised in Los Gatos and attending Saratoga High School, Kyle is thrilled to be back in the Bay Area. He returns to this production of Phantom after making his Broadway debut with the New York company earlier this year. A graduate of USC, Kyle moved to New York and received his Masters degree in voice from the Manhattan School of Music, and later studied acting at the famed Esper Studio. Regional credits include: South Pacific at the Hollywood Bowl, Barrett in Titanic, Wolf/Prince in Into the Woods, Will Parker in Oklahoma!, BARE and Behind the Limelight. Together with television writer Genna Yaitanes, he created the long-running off-Broadway show A Touch of Vegas, which earlier played at the Cinegrill in Hollywood. He is occasionally asked to do the audience warm-up for “Live with Regis and Kelly”. Kyle is a winner of the prestigious Lotte Lenya/Kurt Weill Competition and is also a published food writer in New York City.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus