2017 Issue 6 Nov/Dec - Focus Mid-South Magazine

arts+entertainment
Phantom Never Gets Old
Next year, The Phantom of the Opera
will have been running on Broadway for
30 straight years! Such a lengthy run out
paces its closest competitor (the revival
of Chicago) by a full eight years and is
showing no signs of slowing down. Memphis
audiences are lucky enough to host the
national tour again for another two-week
run during the holiday season at the
Orpheum Theatre. Focus Magazine spoke
by phone with one of the stars of the show,
David Benoit (Monsieur Firmin) who’s been
with the national tour for four years and is
currently with the show in Montreal.
Focus: It’s hard to believe
it’s been over 30 years since
Phantom premiered on
Broadway! How is it possible
that this show has lasted so
long with no signs of slowing
down?
I think it’s because of
Andrew Lloyd Webber –
there’s something in the
way he writes that “catches”
people which creates an
enormous commercial appeal
(Cats, Sunset Boulevard,
Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat,
School of Rock, etc.). He’s
obviously the most prolific
writer who is still among us.
He really knows how to write
a song and a book. This story
is the standard “Beauty and
the Beast” story, but with the
lushness and romance of a
Paris Opera House. (Plus, he
never is scant on the scale of
his productions—they’re all
spectacles).
But, after 31 years of
Broadway and touring, how
can there be anybody left
on the planet who hasn’t
already seen this show? How
does it still sell out to packed
houses?
Obviously, there are a lot of
repeat attenders, but actually
David Benoit has been with
the Phantom of the Opera
national tour for four years.
He will appear as Monsieur
Firmin when the show comes
to Memphis for its two-week
run at the Orpheum Theatre.
this tour IS different from the
original Broadway version.
This production is so vastly
different (everything except
the costume design) that for
many people it’s like seeing
Phantom of the Opera for the
first time again.
Is this national tour a scaled
down version of Broadway?
Absolutely not. This
production is just as big, if
not bigger than Broadway!
It’s an enormous show. We
travel with 18 trucks and two
additional trucks go ahead of
time to different cities with
a whole separate stage to
load everything into the next
city. To celebrate the 25th
anniversary of the opening on
Broadway, producer Cameron
Mackintosh wanted to send
out a “reboot” of the show
utilizing the advancements
in technology in order to
embrace everything that was
new and exciting to entice
a newer, younger audience.
Ironically, the advancements
in technology have helped
this version focus more on
the story (without losing
the opulence). It’s a darker,
more realistic version. I’m
not saying it’s better or
worse than the original, just a
different take. Audiences are
definitely “wowed” by it—the
responses at curtain call are
pretty overwhelming!
I saw Michael Crawford’s
(the original) version of the
Phantom in New York and
I saw Robert Guillaume’s
Phantom in Los Angeles a
couple of years later and I
was blown away with how
different their portrayals
of the same character were
(Crawford’s was pathetic
and sad, while Guillaume’s
was angry and hurt) and yet,
they still worked. How many
Phantoms have you had on
this tour since you joined
it four years ago and have
they been different in their
interpretations?
There have been three
and they all have been vastly
different! In this tour, this
Phantom is not a magic man,
he’s not a magician, and he’s
not a sad sack figure. Instead,
he’s just a flawed human
being in love with a girl
seeking happiness ultimately.
This Phantom, like the show,
is grittier, darker and scarier
than any version you might
have seen before—a different
take, but a very satisfying
take!
So, it sounds like it’s worth
seeing this show again even if
you’ve seen it before?
Absolutely! This production
is huge and you’ll definitely
get your money’s worth!
The Phantom of the Opera
runs November 29-December
10 at the Orpheum Theatre.
orpheum-memphis.com
Page 44 / focusmidsouth.com / NOV+DEC 2017 / Joyful Noise