POTO at Palikū Theatre -- Take Two!

Greetings, everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday season!

About two months ago, I got to see the Palikū Theatre production of the musical once again. That turned out to be the penultimate performance; their final one was the next day. As we'll see, the experience turned out to be an extremely special one for me.

The Phantom of the Opera - Community Theatre Edition
Palikū Community Theatre, Hawaii
Saturday, October 22, 2011 - 7:30 PM
Directed by Ron Bright

The Phantom: Miles Wesley
Christine Daaé: Lydia Pusateri
Raoul de Chagny: Kyle Malis
Carlotta Giudicelli: Jaime Craycroft
Ubaldo Piangi: Johnny Reed
Richard Firmin: Douglas Scheer
Gilles Andre: Leonard Villanueva
Madame Giry: Marlise Ahuna
Meg Giry: Madison Eror

Before the Show:

Just like last time, I came with 2 family members. This time, though, my parents were accompanying me. Their only prior experiences seeing POTO were with the 2004 movie and last year's Punahou School production (though my dad also came with me to see the 25th anniversary concert in movie theaters), so I was eager to show them this spectacular production. This time, I wasn't able to get seats right in front; instead, we were sitting almost in the very back row and way off to the left. But as I found out, the theater is built to ensure that everyone has a fantastic view of the stage, so we had no problems seeing anything that was going on.

One really neat touch I hadn't noticed last time was that the theater had posters of various operas from the period on the walls. Since they couldn't rebuild the auditorium area to look like the Paris Opera, this was the next best thing -- it enhanced the atmosphere of the theater, and I loved the attention to detail in each poster (since they all appeared to be hand-painted, and with the same art style as the "Hannibal" poster that appeared during the auction scene).


Act I


Pre-Show Announcement / Prologue / Overture:

The bilingual pre-show announcement played once again, and the Auctioneer during the Prologue seemed to be more into the character this time. He was a very cheerful Auctioneer and seemed to really enjoy getting to sell these historically significant artifacts. I'm always amazed to see all the different approaches actors take to this often underappreciated character. I noticed that sitting farther from the stage made it easier to convey the illusion that the music box itself was playing, rather than it being obvious that the music came from the orchestra pit. Raoul was again excellent (though he was once again in shadow with his hat pulled low to hide his face).

The Overture went quite well. The orchestra again had a very nice, full sound, and it felt every bit as powerful this time when I was sitting in the back row as it did when I was right in front. The trumpets missed a couple of notes toward the end, but aside from that, it was another superb rendition.


"Hannibal" Rehearsal:

Again, there was some well-done humor between Carlotta and the stagehand who was hammering away on one of the set pieces -- I loved that addition. Carlotta's cadenza went perfectly, and the chorus again sounded excellent. Piangi sounded better on the high C than before; the whole cast seemed to have grown into their roles quite a bit over the last month. I especially loved how at the end of the number, Piangi struggled to get up onto the elephant (which looked to be at least 12 feet tall), had 2 people trying to push him up onto it, and finally gave up, saying it was too tall. Lefevre was a lot more consistent in his pronunciation this time, and the Managers and Mme. Giry were great as well. Carlotta's "Think of Me" and the rant that followed were also fantastic.


Think of Me:

Although she was still hindered a bit by the lack of choreography in this scene, Christine seemed a lot more emotionally involved here than she had before. On the whole, she appeared to be enjoying herself and getting into the character quite a bit more than last time, so that was great to see. Raoul was superb once again, and I liked how the audience applauded at all the "right" parts (i.e. during the instrumental break before Raoul started singing) to make it feel like we were actually in the Opera House watching Christine's debut for real.


Angel of Music:

Madame Giry was again a great and commanding presence and was appropriately curt with the dancers. Meg again had a really nice voice, and was much more sure on the higher notes this time. Also, her acting reminded me a bit of Brianne Morgan from the Las Vegas cast -- I would have been very interested to see what her portrayal of Christine would be like. For such a short scene together, she and Christine conveyed their close friendship really well.

Madame Giry was again nicely harsh with her daughter, but seemed less cold when addressing Christine to give her Raoul's letter this time. She still did the Miranda Richardson-esque French accent, but I was able to overlook that more this time.


Little Lotte / The Mirror:

Raoul and Christine had great chemistry in their scene together -- this time, it seemed like Christine was acting more rather than just reacting to whatever Raoul did. The Phantom's entrance was again spectacular, and I was glad that even sitting in the very back row and on the far left side, I could still see him appear in the mirror. I've heard that in the official productions done in London, New York, and elsewhere, people have a hard time seeing the mirror effect if they aren't sitting dead-center, so I was glad to see that this production found a way to avoid similar problems.


The Phantom of the Opera:

The Phantom and Christine were again fantastic here, and it was obvious that unlike the professional productions, nothing was prerecorded; a couple of minor things sounded a bit different from last time I saw it, but neither performer had vocal difficulty here. In fact, the vocal balance between them seemed to be a little better, so perhaps the sound techs were more used to balancing the performers here... or maybe it was just where I was sitting. I noticed that Christine stayed in the boat during the cadenza while the Phantom got out to apparently inspect his lair before taking off his cape. Christine was a tiny bit sharp at one point in the cadenza, but adjusted pretty quickly and finished strong.


The Music of the Night:

The Phantom again gave an excellent performance both vocally and acting-wise, and he seemed to have even more chemistry with Christine than last time. He cut off on "long to be" a bit early, though, so maybe his voice wasn't cooperating there. However, he still stayed in-character, so I don't think anyone who hadn't seen him in the role before would notice anything was wrong there. The rest of the scene went off without a hitch. This time, I noticed that during the mirror bride effect, there was no actual glass in the mirror -- instead, it was a really clever trick using fog effects to make it look like there was glass.


I Remember / Stranger Than You Dreamt It:

This scene was also very well-done (though I still disagree with the 2004 movie-inspired take on Christine's unmasking of the Phantom). However, it seemed like the Phantom's performance of this part came across to me better the first time I saw it when I was sitting right up front; he acted it pretty much the same way the second time, but from the back row, I might've thought his acting seemed a bit over-the-top and campy if I hadn't known what he was doing from the previous time I saw him. Up close, it was clear that he really was conveying the Phantom's fury, heartbreak, and desperation. Still, he definitely wasn't a passive Phantom, and he and Christine continued to have superb chemistry.


Magical Lasso:

Buquet was again great despite that his singing voice was a rather young-sounding, especially compared to the raspy voice he used when speaking and laughing. Madame Giry was again a commanding presence, and after seeing Liz Robertson in the 25th anniversary concert, I had even more appreciation for this cast's Mme. Giry (especially her superb singing voice).


Notes / Prima Donna:

The managers were hilarious once again, and I loved the little touches they added to their performances. Especially great was Firmin attempting to shoo everyone else offstage when he sang "In which case, I think our meeting is adjourned!", and his clear lack of enthusiasm for Carlotta getting the lead role even as he sang in the first stanza of "Prima Donna." Andre, Carlotta, and Piangi were also hilarious, and the Girys were a bit more prominent; rather than being overshadowed by the others (particularly Carlotta and Piangi), they were able to make themselves heard and their presence felt all the way through. Everyone seemed to be more settled into their roles vocally and acting-wise; unlike the last time, I didn't feel any sense that the cast was losing energy toward the end of the scene.


"Il Muto":
There were a couple of downright hilarious things going on with one of the fops here. At the beginning of the scene, as Raoul made his way to Box 5, the fop seemed to be attempting to flirt with him, and so Raoul gave him a look that plainly said, "Um... no." I burst out laughing at that along with most of the audience. Raoul and the managers' comments about every seat being sold didn't feel as much like playing with the fourth wall this time (though, again, there wasn't an empty seat in the house).

A bit of a correction for an error I made in my last review of this production, which was brought to my attention by Johnny Reed (who played Piangi): Mr. Reed didn't play Don Attilio in this scene. Instead, the role was played by Kala'au Kaye, who also played Passarino in "Don Juan." Don Attilio performed his scene well, and to the amusement of many in the audience, he barely even started walking out of the "room" before Carlotta started singing and revealed her "maid" to be the pageboy. Carlotta's croak was well-done, and the Managers seemed like they were struggling not to laugh while trying to keep the peace and announce the ballet.

When the ballet was starting, Andre once again had trouble getting back into his box seat, and took a long portion of the number to climb in this time even with help from one of the fops (the same one who tried to flirt with Raoul earlier). Hilariously, he happened to land right in Firmin's lap, causing Firmin to shout "Good heavens, man!" and everyone else to burst out laughing. The sudden descent of Buquet's dead body made everybody in the audience jump once again, accompanied by Andre yelling "It's Buquet!" As before, the absence of the Phantom's evil laughter and his shadow play actually enhanced the scene there.


The Rooftop / All I Ask of You / Reprise:

In my last review, I forgot to mention that this scene featured a starry sky background using LED lights for the stars. It was quite nice, except that the way they flicked on at the beginning of the scene was a bit jarring; I think it might have worked better if there was a way to fade them in. My one and only major quibble with the orchestrations in this production was that the snare drum at the beginning of this scene was a bit too loud and seemed to overpower the rest of the orchestra. Other than that, this scene went extremely well. Christine was less angry at Raoul this time around and instead came across as traumatized by what she had seen. Her voice cracked with emotion quite a lot, but I'm positive that was a conscious and intentional acting choice and not simply the performer having vocal problems. Raoul was appropriately gentle and consoling while trying to figure out just what was going on.

Raoul and Christine were flawless in terms of both vocals and acting when they sang "All I Ask of You," and after seeing the rather douche-y interpretation of Raoul offered by Hadley Fraser in the 25th anniversary concert, it was nice to return to a more appropriate portrayal here. Near the end of the song, I noticed the Phantom walk up to take his place by the angel statue for his big moment, though they did a decent job of trying to keep him hidden.

The lights came up on the Phantom for his section after Christine and Raoul left, and he was again excellent. The sound effects for the chandelier crash were even better-timed at this performance; the "shattering" sound occurred the very second that it appeared to hit the stage, which was really awesome.


Intermission

Since the chandelier remained on the stage for most of the intermission (and since I hadn't noticed the opera posters last time), I decided to ask one of the ushers if I could take a few photos. He said sure, and then shot me a question I hadn't expected: he asked if I was the blogger who had posted a 10-page review of the show. I nodded, amazed that someone involved with the production had actually found it, and he said the entire cast had read it and that he had even printed up a copy for director Ron Bright to read when he had time. I was thrilled and amazed, especially when he asked if I'd be interested in coming backstage after the show to look at the sets up close. One doesn't simply turn down an offer like that, so I naturally said yes and eagerly awaited the chance to come by after the performance. My parents were pretty stunned when I told them, as well.


Act II


Entr'acte / Masquerade:

When the intermission ended, I was again struck by how strong and accurate the orchestra was. Other than the minor issues with the Overture and Rooftop scene that I had mentioned before, every single player was completely spot-on throughout this performance, which was really great to hear. During the Managers' short scene, Firmin sang "what a splendid party" this time, and Andre again did his hilarious little dance during his line. "Masquerade" was spectacular in terms of both visuals and music once again, and it was great to see those possible references to other Phantom versions in the scene. Christine's outfit still didn't seem to fit with the period the show took place in, but the choreography and design for the whole scene made it awesome to watch.

The Phantom's entrance dressed as Red Death was superb, and I again liked the contrast between his large ruby ring and the smaller diamond one Raoul gave Christine. Oddly, the smoke effect the Phantom used to "disappear" didn't quite work this time -- there was the sound of a gas jet going off, but no actual smoke to hide the Phantom running back up the stairs to make his getaway. (According to one of the stagehands I talked to after the show, the gas tank was nearly empty.)

The scene between Madame Giry and Raoul went well again, and I still really liked how they played the scene slower than most productions -- I felt it added some much-needed extra tension to an often neglected scene.


Notes / Twisted Every Way:

The Managers, Carlotta, and Piangi played this scene with the usual humor their characters had in other scenes, but were able to achieve a certain undercurrent of tension that gave the scene an extra, interesting layer to it. Everyone had priceless reactions to the Phantom's note. Carlotta was appropriately outraged when he insulted her acting, Piangi looked down at his stomach and scowled when told that he had to lose weight. The Managers were the funniest, though -- when the Phantom told them their place was "in an office, not the arts," their facial expressions in those few seconds made me think of this quick, wordless dialogue...

Andre: "Ooh, Firmin, you just got told."
Firmin: "He means you too, you know."
Andre: "What? How dare he?!"

Raoul was again nicely protective, and Christine was believably torn between the difficult options she had. Much like in the rooftop scene, her voice was cracking with emotion and helped to get the character's dilemma across to the audience really well.


"Don Juan" Rehearsal:

This was a fun scene to see again. This time, I noticed that at the start of the scene, the chorus was tuning to a dissonant piano chord by section/voice type, directed by Reyer to further establish the fact that he's the Opera House's music director. Carlotta and Mme. Giry were great once again, but the biggest reason for this scene's hilarity was the superb back-and-forth between Piangi and Reyer. Piangi ended up correcting Reyer's pronunciation of his name a couple of times, but still struggled with that troublesome bit. One more thing that was especially neat for me was that when the piano started playing by itself and the ensemble sang along with it, an extra counterpoint had been added to make the musical transition into the next scene even smoother.


Graveyard Scene:

Once again, we got to see the LED stars that were used in the rooftop scene (though again, they flicked on a bit too suddenly for my liking). Christine was great here, giving a superbly emotional and vocally excellent rendition of her second big solo. The Phantom and Raoul were also great, and this time, I could tell that the Phantom's skull staff actually was launching fireballs -- they traveled quite a bit farther this time, though they still didn't really get that close to Raoul. After Raoul and Christine ran off into the wings, the Phantom made his declaration of war. While that was going on, the stage blacked out and the "stars" turned bright red before the curtains closed, creating a really neat effect.


Before the Premire / "Don Juan Triumphant":

This time, I noticed that as soon as the Phantom's voice was heard, the door behind me (which had previously been "secured") seemed to open up again on its own, and I heard a couple of other doors do the same. It gave the Phantom an extra dose of mystery -- not only can he make opera divas croak onstage and shoot fireballs, but he can also cause locked doors to fly open! Some curtains in the box seats and onstage also fluttered a bit as he sang.

The performance of the Phantom's masterwork went really well (aside from, of course, the fact that the main actor got strangled and replaced by the Phantom himself before the act was finished). Piangi and Passarino were again fantastic, and Piangi was right on time for his lines. After he went backstage for the last time, Christine sang her lines offstage and then entered the scene, flashing her ankle and a big grin once again while the audience applauded.


The Point of No Return:

The Phantom once again wore a hooded cloak that did nothing to hide his identity. Both he and Christine were superb in terms of vocal and emotional delivery, and the Phantom was again the one in control, though Christine seemed to make more of an effort to take charge of their interaction. I liked how the Phantom's vocal approach to this song made him truly seem like a Don Juan -- actors with well-developed lower ranges seem to pull that off best, in my view. I loved how once again, the policemen ran down the aisles to the stage to try to capture him, and the deformity makeup was done superbly again; although I didn't have as good a view of it this time, it was still clear that something was seriously wrong with his face once the mask came off. The Phantom ran offstage with Christine, and there was some very well-done chaos (complete with an even more awesome scream from Meg) when Piangi's dead body was revealed.


Final Lair Scene:

Great transition to the lake set, and the Phantom nailed his vocal section -- no flubbing of lines this time. The candelabras were again pushed on by clearly visible stagehands, and then the Phantom arrived at his lair with Christine. The emotional and vocal delivery was spot-on from both of them throughout the scene, and Raoul was again superb after he entered the lair. The Phantom was very violent and intimidating again, which I loved. In this scene as well, he came across better when I was sitting closer to the stage, but knowing what his approach was this time, I was able to appreciate his portrayal even from the back row. Christine was once again helpless and emotionally torn, but still trying her best to make the Phantom see reason. Raoul struggled believably against the rope and seemed to do whatever he could to stand up to the Phantom even though he was about to be killed.

I was especially glad they kept the bit where after the Phantom let Christine and Raoul go, they saw his emotional breakdown and decided to show him one last act of compassion. The Phantom delivered the final lines flawlessly, and the final disappearing act went off with no problems. Meg entered the scene and uncovered the mask, creating that last, beautifully tragic moment before the curtain closed.


After the Show:

The orchestra gave another great rendition of the playout music as the cast took their bows, and all of them got well-deserved, thunderous applause from the audience. Afterward, I went town to the pit and thanked the orchestra conductor for another great performance, and then I went to find Andrew, the usher I had met at intermission. My parents opted to wait in the lobby, though.

Once I found Andrew, we began the tour as soon as the stagehands raised the curtain. He revealed that quite a few of the set pieces, including the desk in the Managers' office, were actually from the Canadian touring company that came to Hawaii in 1994. Hawaii had been their last stop before the company was dissolved, and so they donated all their furniture and props to the Hawaii Opera Theatre, which kept them in good condition and used them for some productions of their own. When they found out Palikū Theatre was doing POTO, they donated several of the set pieces for the production. Other pieces, including the Phantom's throne, were made by Andrew himself.

After that, we met Leonard Villanueva (Andre) and Doug Scheer (Firmin). Len remembered me since we had met after a performance of Miss Saigon back in 2008, when he played the Engineer. I let them know that when playing the Managers, they reminded me of a couple of friends I have in the Phan community, and they agreed it was cool that it added something extra for me to personally enjoy. We took a photo in front of the Managers' desk. (Sadly, my camera battery was dead, so we used one of their cameras.)

After that, we went through the rest of the Managers' office set (the furniture from which, along with the "Don Juan" table and the "Il Muto" bed, was all donated from the Canadian Tour of the show). Then we went to the Phantom's lair, and I learned that the organ was built from 2 electric keyboards, wood framing, and a set of real organ pipes which were donated by a pipe organ collector. Andrew also told me how the "mirror bride" effect at the end of "Music of the Night" was done (using fog effects rather than actually having glass in the mirror). The balustrades for the "Masquerade" staircase were donated by Hawaii Opera Theatre (but didn't come from the Canadian Tour), and the rest of the staircase was built by the Palikū Theatre crew.

Like last year's high school production, the boat was built from a wheelchair. The cool thing was that the Phantom was able to steer the boat by setting the boat pole down against the wheelchair's joystick. Andrew confirmed the suspicion I had last time I saw the show, that the Phantom and Christine doubles came around behind the mirror and went down into the trapdoor so that the real Phantom and Christine actors could appear at the top of the platform above the stage.

After that, I met Abel, the assistant technical director who ran stage left and controlled the lighting and electrical effects for the show (including the candles). I also got to meet director Ron Bright and congratulate him on the production. He thanked me for being so enthusiastic about the show, and was thrilled when I told him I was an alumnus of the high school he used to teach at.

I then met Marlise Ahuna (Madame Giry). She jokingly chided me for making fun of her accent in my last review, but said she enjoyed reading it and thought it was cool that I got to see it a second time.. After that, I met Lydia Pusateri (Christine) and Miles Wesley (Phantom), who thanked me for complimenting their performances. They also said they liked the "Phantom: Las Vegas" shirt I was wearing, and Mr. Wesley said he knew a few people in that cast. Then they left to say hi to some kids who had come to see the show.

I met up with Abel again, and he showed me how they got the candelabras onstage during the title song -- rather than anything mechanical, they simply had stagehands standing just offstage and pushing the candelabras on with long poles. (I forgot to ask why they didn't do that for the final lair scene as well, though). We got to see the Auctioneer's podium, which was the standard podium used for most productions and presentations in Palikū Theatre. Abel also told me about a couple of near-disasters with the chandelier, including one time it fell too quickly and he had to run out and catch it himself. Another time, it didn't light because the wireless receiver wasn't hooked up properly. I noticed they had used gold Mardi Gras beads to make the chandelier look a bit fancier, and thought that was a really cool touch. I was also glad to see that they had a round chandelier a la Vienna and Las Vegas, as opposed to the more oval-shaped ones that most other productions went for.

Abel showed me the CO2 container that was set right under the "Masquerade" staircase to cover the Phantom's disappearance (and which, unfortunately, was running a bit low by that time). There was also an air brake under the staircase to prevent it from collapsing when all the actors were on it (since this production didn't have any "dummy dancers"). I also got to see the elephant from "Hannibal," which was plaster in front and wood in the back. I got to go around to the back of the dressing room set and see things through the mirror from the Phantom's perspective. Abel and Andrew compared storing the sets backstage to a game of Tetris in that everything had to fit just right (since they couldn't store anything under the stage), and Abel also mentioned that the dressing rooms were quite small considering how many people were in the cast; comparing them to the average hotel room in Japan wouldn't be too far off the mark.

When making my way out into the lobby, I met Jaime Craycroft (Carlotta), and she let me know that the next day was the final performance (which had slipped my mind for some reason). I met Director Ron Bright again, and he mentioned that he felt many of the professional productions of POTO he had seen lacked the heart he thought the show needed to be able to work, so he wanted to bring some of that back into his production. (I think he definitely succeeded there.) He also mentioned that his dream project was to direct Les Misérables, so I hope he'll get that chance sometime soon.

I bumped into Lydia Pusateri and Miles Wesley, and I thanked Mr. Wesley for not imitating Gerard Butler in the movie. He told me he had only seen the movie once, and instead did his research by seeing the stage show in a couple of places including Las Vegas and also visiting POTO websites. (I forgot to ask if any discussion forums had been on his reading list.) I mentioned some POTO performers who were very active in online POTO communities, like Brianne Morgan (Meg in Vegas), and he mentioned knowing Stephen Tewksbury. He also said that Byron Nease (the original Raoul in the Toronto production, and also a former Phantom in the Yeston/Kopit musical) had come to the rehearsals and given the cast some tips. (On Christmas Eve, I got to see a short clip of Byron performing Christmas songs with a local charity, so that was pretty cool as well.)

Mr. Wesley mentioned that he had seen the high school production I went to last year as well, and we also talked about his other stage work. Some of you reading this may have heard that he had played Aladdin in a stage adaptation of the Disney film that was done in California. (I happened to have the cast recording, so it was cool to find out that I had heard him before.) I mentioned the rumors about Aladdin possibly going to Broadway sometime soon, and he said one thing he thought might be an issue was that there wasn't really a way to make the Genie huge like in the film. I mentioned that I had ironically been seeing the Vegas production at the same time that auditions for this one were going on, and we both agreed it would be cool for another local production to be done sometime soon. Then he went to pose for some cast photos.

I then met one of the stage techs, and then Madison Eror (who played Meg). I asked if she had ever gotten to understudy for Christine during the production's run. She said no, and that she hadn't even been rehearsed in the role but practiced a bit on her own time. I also asked if she had seen the Las Vegas production, since some of her acting choices reminded me of Brianne Morgan from that cast, but she told me she hadn't seen the show at all before getting into this production. She credited Ron Bright with steering her in the right direction, and we got to reminisce a bit over seeing his production of Miss Saigon back in 2008.

After that, Ms. Eror helped me find Kyle Malis (Raoul). I thanked him for making the character likable, and he joked that it was a difficult job since Raoul was "kind of a toolbag." I also met Tom Holowach (Monsieur Lefevre, and also the real-life manager of Palikū Theatre), and he complimented me on how well I knew the show. Ironically, I didn't get to meet Johnny Reed (Piangi), who was the first one to comment on my blog.

***

Well, that's the end of my Phantom experience at Palikū Theatre, and thanks to the backstage experience, it was even more thrilling than I could have hoped for. It was great seeing the show a second time, and I hope Ron Bright will get to be in charge of another production sometime soon. It was truly a magnificent production, and I hope other community and school productions will be able to learn from all the things this cast and crew were able to accomplish.


I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.