The Phantom of the Opera Is Still Hauntingly Fabulous After Nearly 40 years
–by Ashley Cox
Friday night, the line to enter the Fabulous Fox in St. Louis was down the street and around the corner as the audience waited to enter for the sold-out performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic Phantom of the Opera. Press night is usually during the week so attending a packed Friday performance is a rarity. The crowd was dazzling. I have not seen so many sequins and dramatic outfits since Moulin Rouge. Saint Louis knows how to welcome a legend.
Entering the theater, THE chandelier, named Gillian for this production, hung just two rows above me covered in linen cloth bearing the Lot 666 inscription. The Fox has hosted three shows this season with just baffling stages. Les Miz, The Outsiders, and Phantom have all created miraculous set design. Les Miz with a fully changing part of the city, The Outsider full raining, and Phantom extending past the stage and into the audience. These tours set up and strike these stages to new theatres sometimes multiple times a week.
Isaiah Bailey as the titular Phantom and Jordan Lee Gilbert as his muse Christine Daae were electric. I frequently had goosebumps as their voices soared together. “Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer” also featuring Daniel Lopez as Raoul is one of those pivotal pieces in Broadway. The Phantom, Christine, and Raoul layering their voices and arguments in the finale captures such strong emotions and establishes why this musical has remained a staple of the Broadway scene for decades.
The Phantom haunts the Fox for one more week before leaving on March 1st. Tickets are in high demand but check here for availability. The show may not be appropriate for all viewers as the Phantom’s favorite pastime beyond music is using a noose… There are also sexual themes and flashing lights. The 30th anniversary of Stomp takes the stage on March 6, followed by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on March 28th. A special one-night event has been added late in the season, Bat Out of Hell, featuring the music of Meatloaf on April 16th. See the Fox website for more information.