Maria Bjornson

Five Reasons To See: The Phantom Of the Opera

Features, News, The Phantom Of The Opera, West End
Celinde Schoenmaker as Christine Daae in The Phantom Of The Opera

This week, we headed down to the West End to check out The Phantom of the Opera, which is still pulling in huge crowds 30 years since it opened. Here’s our top five reasons to join the millions who have seen it. 1. Set and staging The show is a visual feast, with Maria Björnson’s set design still inspiring awe after all these years. Whether it’s the smoke filled gondolas or majestic staircases, it makes for a spectacular and surprising experience. Combined with Harold Prince’s direction and Gillian Lynne’s choreography, Phantom still wows 30 years later. 2. Costumes The show is also resplendent with some wonderful costumes, particularly during the Masquerade sequence at the start of the second half. Set in 1881, Phantom takes advantage of the colour and elaborateness of the period’s outfits. You may leave lamenting that we do not still wear gowns and top hats! 3. Music … Read more

REVIEW: The Phantom Of The Opera, Her Majesty’s Theatre ✭✭✭✭

Reviews, The Phantom Of The Opera, West End
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom Of The Opera continues at Her Majesty's Theatre, London.

Although there are a few moments when the old girl creaks slightly, for the most part the staging feels contemporary and interest is snapped to attention right from the very start, when the slightly menacing words of the auctioneer herald the commencement of proceedings. The sequences in the Phantom’s lair, complete with boat, candles and ornate organ are almost hypnotic; tendrils of smoke wrap around the imagination, infusing the action and music with intrigue. Harriet Jones is beautiful, petite and alluring, exactly as Christine Daaé should be. Vocally, as the Phantom, Kieran Brown’s fine, high-baritone is silky, seductive, and powerful.