Review: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at The Gaslight Theatre

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has taken over The Gaslight Theatre! Written by Peter VanSlyke and adapted by Katherine Byrnes and Mike Yarema, this parody is perfect for spooky season. The story is timeless and familiar: the creepy Phantom haunts the opera house in Paris and wants his favorite singer Christine to rise to the top. He is determined to get her there...at all costs! With toe-tapping tunes backed by the always stellar Gaslight Band, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is a crowd-pleaser and a must-see as we slide into the Fall months. This is family-friendly entertainment at its finest, and we even get to see The Phantom's boat travel on the lake!

Katherine Byrnes and Mike Yarema have knocked it out of the park again with their direction. They make great use of the proscenium with their staging, and I particularly enjoyed the use of trapdoors, sliding doors, rotating backdrops, and hilarious gags. The choreography by Katherine Byrnes is really entertaining, and it kicks (pun intended) into high gear during the Olio later in the show! My wife remarked to me as we left the show that the Gaslight truly is something unique to Tucson. Melodrama and parody are not done everywhere anymore, and we are fortunate to have such a fun destination right in our backyard.

The real star of this show is the vocals. The Gaslight Theatre often features classic and modern pop and rock tunes in their programming. This time around those were still in play, but we also got to hear some real legit classical singing, especially from Charlie Hall and Heather Stricker...more on that later. Josh Lamoreaux successfully achieved a polished sound from all the singers, and I particularly enjoyed seeing him shine on the electric keyboard. The 80's synth was really fun, and I absolutely loved hearing Josh Lamoreaux sing. He has a quality voice and belts those notes sitting down!

Todd Thompson brings the house down (literally) as The Phantom. Some of his ad-libs were especially good, and had the audience belly laughing. We love how much fun the actors have during their performances, because that is what makes theatregoers want to come back again and again! Kelly Coates is a triumph as Christine. I could see her playing this role in the traditional Broadway show with the same title as this one. Mike Yarema is more comedic than romantic as Raoul, but it works. His tongue-in-cheek character and line delivery are always entertainingly spot-on.

The real surprise of this show is Charlie Hall as Sorelli. Hall carries his tenor vocalist role with the poise of someone trained in legit singing. Knowing Hall's background in blues and never having heard him sing this classical style, I was very impressed. Heather Stricker shines as Carlotta, and she is also someone I would love to see play a role in...that other Broadway musical. Many times throughout this show, especially with Hall and Stricker, I found myself wanting to see more of them in Golden Age musicals or operas, singing with the legit style. It was an utter surprise and joy to hear "Funiculì, Funiculà" by Turco sung at the Gaslight and done WELL.