Interview: PHANTOM's Victor Wallace Takes Us Back to the Paris Opera

It started early, my love for The Phantom of the Opera. I was 12 and I'd made my father buy me the double cassette of the cast recording and I listened to it endlessly. I read the Gaston Leroux novel, and when the show finally came on a tour through Boston, I organized a trip for my entire drama club to go see it.

My obsession ran deep. I was part of the Phantom Phan Clubs (back when that meant writing letters...by hand..to other 'Phans' across the country), joined Kevin Gray's fan club (who'd played the Phantom in the national tour), and dressed as the Phantom for several Halloweens while in high school.

Years later, my obsessions with other musicals have come and gone, but my loving nostalgia for the masked one has always remained. Happily, I'll get to relive some of those incredible memories this summer.

And it seems my dear old friend, Victor Wallace is on his way to Washington D.C., to understudy that very same title role at The Kennedy Center. Interestingly enough, this show and this particular venue is exactly where Victor got his professional start in theatre.

I had some time to chat with him while the show is currently visiting Cleveland. While he's not going on in the title role, Victor plays Joseph Buquet. Chris Mann, former contestant on The Voice currently stars as the Phantom.

JM: I've been thinking a lot about Phantom and how much a part of my life it was when I was young. What was your first experience with the show?

VW: My first recollection was watching a CBS Sunday Morning special doing a behind-the-scenes shoot of the biggest new musical in New York. Similar to what Hamilton is going through now as far as all the hoopla. But at the time it was the hottest ticket around. As a kid, I was always singing and doing theatre, so of course I was captivated. I listened to the cast recording on cassette tape over and over.

Growing up in WI, I didn't have a lot of access to seeing live performances. So the first time I saw it in person was at the Kennedy Center during rehearsals. It was such a dream come true.

JM: Almost 20 years later, what's different and what's the same?

VW: Actually, they've done quite a bit of updating. This isn't the same production as the brilliant original - this is the spectacular new version. The set is almost completely different. Anyone who knows the show really well would be able to find the differences, The costumes are the same, from the same designer. But there are definitely some noticeable changes. It's nice to put a little finesse on an older story. The show came out in the mid-80s and a lot of theatre technology has improved since then. There's a lot more fire, so that's pretty cool. It's fun to have an updated version.

JM: Any changes to book or score?

VW: Nothing worth noting. pretty much in-tact, maybe a few measures here or there during scene changes, but no new songs or anything like that.

JM: Any sound updates? I remember the totally rad synthesizer.

VW: They've updated the sound in all the productions. With a touring show, we don't have a full live orchestra city-to-city, so there's still some of that 80s keyboard that we know and love. Remember that Phantom was part of the British invasion. All those huge musicals in the 1980s and early 90s.

JM: And Les Miz has had two revivals since then and Miss Saigon is on the way back.

VW: And Phantom has been there this whole time!

JM: Now I first met you in New York around 10 years ago or so, right? And then you did a concert for me at Joe's Pub?

VW: Yes, the Standing Ovations concert with Jennifer Holliday. I feel like she hadn't really done anything in a lot of years, and then she did that concert and started appearing all over the place. That's then the Dreamgirls movie came out, and she was performing everywhere. That was actually my first time living in NYC.

JM: So, with this role, are you going on a lot as the Phantom?

VW: Quite a bit actually. I don't usually go months without going on. It's usually at least a few times a month. It keeps things interesting for me.

JM: And how long will you be with the tour?

VW: It's a run-of-show contract, and happily we have dates well into next year, so I imagine I'll be here a while. I've been here for 6 months already. I closed Mamma Mia on Broadway and had a week before starting rehearsals for Phantom. It was nice to go from gig to gig like that. The good part of this tour is it's never going to stay anywhere less than two weeks, so it's not a crazy tour with split weeks or short stays. That gets exhausting.

JM: Anything else you'd like to add?

VW: I'm really proud of this production. It's a really great cast. I think it's exciting for people to come see it again. It's a solid production and I'm proud to be a part of it.

Bigger and better than ever before! This fresh and dazzling production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's perennial classic comes to D.C. as part of a brand-new North American tour. With new choreography by renowned choreographer Scott Ambler, directed by Laurence Connor, and overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh, this Phantom promises a trip down memory lane for some, with some new twists for first-timers. The show will run from July 13th through August 20th at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Purchase tickets in-person at the box office, or by visiting www.kennedy-center.org.