Nauval Yazid, Contributor, Jakarta
If you haven't been caught up in the buying frenzy for tickets to The Phantom of the Opera, which opens in Singapore on March 23, you might be wondering why your friends are singing All I Ask of You during karaoke sessions. Wonder not. The following A to Z to the world-famous musical will put you way ahead of those Sarah Brightman wannabes. Who's Sarah Brightman? Read on.
* A is for Andrew Lloyd Webber
Or Lord Lloyd Webber, according to the Rich List 2006 of the UK's The Sunday Times. Estimated at a worth of 700 million and ranked number 87, the creator of The Phantom of the Opera leads among British entertainment giants, including Patrick McKenna and Cameron Mackintosh. The latter was Webber's producing partner in turning the musical into a phenomenal success, which eventually made them responsible for... * B is for the British invasion of Broadway (1980s)
When Phantom made its Broadway debut on Jan. 26, 1988, at the Majestic Theater, New York, it soon became the talk of the town, outshining previous Mackintosh productions such as Les Miserables and Cats (produced with Webber). Phantom even surpassed Cats as the longest-running Broadway musical of all time, with over 7,500 staged performances. It seems the audience can't ever get enough of the lead character... * C is for Christine Daae
She is the reason why the Phantom is weak in his knees, and why the play exists in the first place. She is an orphan who has been relegated to the ballet chorus in an opera production, until an intended twist of fate cripples Carlotta, the diva. Enter Christine, and her vocal prowess prompts the Phantom to kidnap her. And so the story goes. * D is for Design
The original stage design, set and costumes created by Maria Bjrnson has survived to the present production. Watch for the part where Christine is taken to the Phantom's subterranean lair. The journey passes through several underground tunnels and crosses a lake filled with candles, where the Phantom begins his signature song, The Phantom of the Opera. Chilling. * E is for Esplanade
The durian-shaped arts center in the neighboring city-state is the chosen venue of the Phantom, which will run from March 23-May 13. * F is for Frederick Forsyth
Unknown to many, the famed author of crime-thrillers like The Day of the Jackal, actually published a sequel to the novel, The Phantom of the Opera, called The Phantom of Manhattan in 1999. Despite being panned by many fans, Sir Lloyd Webber has expressed his intention to turn the novel into a musical as -- what else? -- the sequel to his original Phantom. * G is for Gaston Leroux
Now you know that the musical The Phantom of the Opera is based on a Gothic novel of the same name. Written by Gaston Leroux as Le Fantme de l'Opra, it was first translated into English in 1911. * H is for Hal Prince
The Phantom we see now is a legacy of Hal Prince, the original director of the musical, said to be a living legend and great producer-director of American musical --. as evidenced by an unbroken record of 21 Tony Awards, Prince's skillful direction can be seen in other great 20th century musicals like Cabaret and Evita. * I is for Independent
Despite being released by Warner Bros., the 2004 film version of the play was considered the most expensive independent film ever made, with a budget of about US$60 million. * J is for Joel Schumacher
The famed director was an unlikely choice to direct the 2004 film adaptation, considering his past record of destroying the much-loved Batman franchise in his Batman & Robin. Needless to say, he was Webber's personal pick and the film went on to earn three Oscar nominations, including one for Webber. Not a bad achievement for a director who had never done a musical film before. * K is for KISS
What's a rock band with its distinctive make-up got to do with the Phantom? Believe it or not, lead vocalist Paul Stanley once briefly played the role of the Phantom in a Toronto production. * L is for Learn to be Lonely
This is the song you will not hear in the play. The song was composed by Webber specifically for the film version, and it was originally sung by Minnie Driver in a very low-key manner. But when Beyonce Knowles sang it at the 2005 Academy Awards with jewelry as gigantic as the chandeliers in the film, somehow the song lost its soul. * M is for Mask
The famous mask worn by the Phantom to cover his disfigured face has become as famous as the play itself. It is featured in the official poster of the play, along with a long-stemmed red rose. The iconic poster has become synonymous with Broadway, where the musical is still being performed. * N is for The New York Times
The well-respected paper launched a negative review of the musical's 1986 debut in London. Yet, as the play continued to mount its success, the Times' Frank Rich cited this as proof that the paper was not as greatly influential as people thought. * O is for Opera
Don't be fooled by this word in the title. With its chart-friendly numbers and songs, Phantom is a purely escapist musical from start to finish. ""Opera"" refers to the fictional Opera Garnier set in Paris, where the Phantom falls for its supposed prey. * P is for the Phantom
He may be nameless in the musical, but his real name is ""Erik"", as revealed in the original novel. Arguably, he is the world's ugliest romantic lead in fiction, paving the way for the likes of Beast in Beauty and the Beast. What's not to like about a guy who threatens an entire opera theater yet sings in a beautiful baritone? * Q is for Quantity
Figures for the Singapore production include: 22 containers, 110 tons of scenery, 600 lights, 400 costumes, 20 miles of cable, 13,500 man hours to make Christine look beautiful, 75 backstage/prop hands per show, plus a projected 2,000 theatergoers per performance. * R is for Rebecca Pitcher
Recently in Jakarta for the play's press preview, Rebecca Pitcher reprises her role as leading lady Christine for the Singapore production. Despite having performed the role for years, Pitcher said it was still no easy feat to be compared to the original leading lady, who is none other than... * S is for Sarah Brightman
She was the reason why Andrew Lloyd Webber took the painstaking road to create the play in the first place. Christine was created specifically for Brightman, despite her initial doubts about her vocal abilities and the media's scorn at her being Webber's wife then. She needn't have worried, with the show's overwhelming success, and her name is eternally linked to the musical. Too bad she never won a... * T is for Tony
A Tony is to theater as an Oscar is to film, and the 1998 Tony Awards gave the Broadway production seven awards, including the coveted Best Musical. Conspicuously, Brightman was denied a Best Actress award in her star-making role. * U is for Unabridged
Clocking in at 2 hours and 20 minutes, the unabridged version of the musical that will be staged in Singapore will leave you no choice but to make very good use of the intermission as your only toilet break. * V is for The Venetian Resort Hotel, Las Vegas
Since June 24, 2006, the hotel has been the host of Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular. Two of the original creative team, director Hal Prince and choreographer Gillian Lyne, were tasked with bringing the film version to life. The result is a 95-minute, one-act musical and, just like anything else in Las Vegas, dazzlingly larger than life. * W is for West End
London's ""Broadway"", the West End often refers to mainstream theater shows in an area called Theatreland. The area is comprised of about 40 large theatre buildings -- one of them Her Majesty's Theatre, where Phantom debuted. * X is for (e)Xtension
Initially scheduled to run until late April, the play's Singapore outing has been extended until May 13th. Not surprising for the fastest selling musical in Singapore, outstripping Mamma Mia! and The Sound of Music. * Y is for Years
It took 12 years for Singapore to bring back this beloved musical after its first sold-out performances at the Kallang Theatre in 1995. The timeless popularity of this 20-year-old musical will surely be revisited in years to come. * Z is for Zero
Time has almost run out if you have not joined in the craze over the musical phenomenon of the last century, since most shows have already sold out.
For ticketing information, visit www.sistic.com.sg; for production information, visit www.lunchbox-productions.com.
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|