Phantom of the Opera- 20 years later

Sometimes the offerings at the TKTS booth can be slim pickings, especially if you see as much theater as Kevin and I do. This was the case three weeks ago when I approached the booth at the South Street Seaport (insiders always go to this downtown booth. Never a line, and they open much earlier than the Times Square location.) I was dismayed to find that we had seen everything that was offered that day except Memphis (which we are saving for a really desperate week) and Fela! (which I'm not allowed to give any money to, due to an unfortunate feud with one of their hack dressers- yes, Broadway, I hold long grudges.)

So, we were either going to have to pay full price (something I rarely do) or see a show for the second time. Well, it had been two decades since I had seen The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and I do love a good spectacle, so there it was. We would be joining the hoards of Japanese tourists for tonight's 7:00 performance of Phantom.

Now, I was prepared to find it stale, unimpressive, and somewhat neglected. But surprisingly, it still stands up to current Broadway standards. Like I mentioned before, I hadn't seen the Broadway production since my first trip to NY with Doug and Julie, my freshman year at SMU (when we saw 7 shows in 5 days!), almost 20 years to the month. The first thing that struck me is how very little I remembered of the show; they'd start a song and I'd think, "oh yeah, I forgot that song was in this show."

Of course since we see our shows on Tuesday nights, the chances of catching an understudy's performance are greater. And wouldn't you know it, our title character was an understudy, Paul A Schaeffer. Great trained performance, if not somewhat young for the role. And he had all the ridiculous, cheesy phantom mannerisms down pat.

Christine was a bit of a disappointment. With a voice more suited to Belle from Beauty and the Beast and a milquetoast demeanor, I was left wanting more. Plus there were moments where I was unsure she knew the correct notes ("I remember there was mist/ swirling mist upon a dark something lake"). Yes it's part of the atonal bit of the show, but neatness counts.

Overall though, a satisfying night out, though not the best way to spend your money at the theater.