Photo Flash: Westchester Broadway Theatre Presents PHANTOM

Yeston & Kopit's "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 2007 directed and choreographed by Tom Polum, who had been in the original production. This extraordinary piece will grace our stage once again with Tom Polum at the helm.

"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.

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'.... The rich orches­tra­tions bring to mind 'Sweeney Todd' and even the propuls­ive sounds of Philip Glass. This is a score in the grand man­ner". Howard Kissel, critic from the New York Daily Newssaid: "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 story revolves around the central character of a man named Erik, (also known as the Phantom) 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 which can only be experi­enced by attending a perfor­mance here at the Westchester Broadway Theatre.

The music and the drama of this piece are extraordinary and should not be missed! For those of you who have already seen "PHANTOM" we will be adding a few surprises, and if you have only seen it once, it is definite­ly worth seeing again!

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.

Directed & Choreographed by Tom Polum, The Musical Director is Bob Bray;

Associate Choreographer is Erica Mansfield. Set Design by Steve Loftus, Lighting Design by Andrew Gmoser, Sound Design by Mark Zuckerman. The Costume Designer is Keith Nielsen, Wig/Hair Design by Gerard Kelly, the Production Stage Manager is Victor Lukas, and Properties are by Grumpy's Props. Lisa Tiso is the Associate Producer.

Matthew Billman (The Phantom) is honored to be making his WBT Debut! Off-Broadway: The Imbible (Ash/Vin/Bass), Island Song (Will), Ragtime on Ellis (Father Sub). Regional: Hunchback (Phoebus, White Plains). Upcoming: Jersey Tenors Midwest Tour. Matthew co-leads the independent new-works Production Company CONSTRUCT (@constructnyc).

Kayleen Seidl (Christine Daee) is excited to be singing this beautiful score for her WBT debut! Seidl most recently appeared in the American premiere of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish directed by Joel Grey. Other favorite credits include: Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls National Tour), Rebecca (It Shoulda Been You), Magnolia (Show Boat), Laurey (Oklahoma!), Cosette (Les Misérables), and Songs for a New World. St. Olaf College: BM Vocal Performance, BA Spanish.

Tom Polum (Director) was co-lead producer of the multi award winning The Toxic Avenger Off-Broadway. As a Director at WBT he has directed Oklahoma, Funny Girl, Carousel, Grease, Hello Dolly, Phantom (three times now!) and was in the original production in '92. He also served as associate for musical staging and helped restage the Broadway Production of Cyrano The Musical, at the Carre Theatre in Amsterdam. Tom serves as Chairman of the Board of Theatre Resources Unlimited, a non-profit dedicated to helping new producers and artists. Tom is also part of a startup that is creating new soundstage musicals to help facilitate the creation of new musical theatre in the online environment. Seewww.StreamingMusicals.com for info.

Reservations: Call (914) 592-2222. Also at: www.BroadwayTheatre.com

Photos Credit: John Vecchiolla