The Phantom of the Opera has finally arrived to Basel! Andrew Lloyd Webber's award winning musical makes an appearance in the Musical Theater Basel from November 6th till December 22nd, 2024.
*Performance in English
*SHOW TIME is Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes including intermission.
Book tickets HERE
The musical has won more than seventy major theatre awards, including seven Tony Awards and four Olivier Awards, including one for Best Musical.
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de L’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, and set in magnificent Paris in the 1930s,
With 100 cast, crew, company and orchestra members, jaw-dropping scenery, breathtaking special effects and more than 230 costumes PHANTOM OF THE OPERA contains some of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most famous and stirring music including; The Phantom of the Opera, Think of Me and Music of the Night. The original cast recording, with over 40 million copies sold worldwide, is the best-selling cast recording of all time.
PLOT
In The Phantom of the Opera, the Paris Opera House becomes the haunting ground of a mysterious masked genius who lurks in the shadows, wielding a hypnotic power over the music and its performers. The Phantom, a tortured soul with a flair for the dramatic, becomes fixated on Christine Daaé, a talented young soprano he believes can bring his musical masterpieces to life. Under his shadowy tutelage, Christine blossoms, but her growing love for Raoul, a nobleman from her past, ignites the Phantom’s jealous fury.
As the Opera House becomes a battleground for love and obsession, the Phantom pulls strings from behind the scenes, demanding Christine's devotion and threatening anyone who stands in his way. His Labyrinth lair beneath the opera holds secrets, heartbreak, and a dangerous ultimatum. Will Christine succumb to his dark allure, or will love and light triumph over his tragic madness? Seductive, suspenseful, and unforgettable, The Phantom of the Opera entwines romance and terror into a sweeping, spellbinding tale.
CAST
Simon Whitaker plays the Phantom of the Opera
Maria Conneely as Christine Daaé
Dougie Carter as Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny
FULL CAST HERE
FUN FACTS :
It takes 2 hours to become the Phantom!
That is, that it takes 2 hours to put on the Phantom’s makeup. The process includes the face being moisturised, closely shaved, prosthetics fitted and makeup applied after which 2 wigs, 2 radio microphones and 2 contact lenses are put into place.
The Phantom mask is custom made!
Each actor who plays the Phantom has a mask made just for them. It is custom made from a mould of their face.
There are 230 costumes in each performance
Each performance of Phantom of the Opera has 230 costumes with 14 dressers! There are also 111 wigs that are made of human, yak and synthetic hair.
The Phantom the main character depicts the tendency to suffer from pathological histrionic personality.
Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the musical to for Sarah Brightman whom he married and she also starred in other of his musicals.
A film adaptation, directed by Joel Schumacher, opened on 22 December 2004 in the US.
The musical has played in 15 different languages
Phantom of the Opera has been performed in English, French, German, Japanese, Danish, Polish, Swedish, Castilian, Hungarian, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Mexican, Spanish, Estonian and Russian.
My Seat Section and Review
As press, I could have chosen anywhere, but this time I chose to view this marvellous musical in the „economy seating „ area. Music Theater Basel has outstanding acoustics, comfortable seats and is overall a gorgeous theatre. From my view on row 28 middle and with a medium stature (a height of 5‘6 ) I can confidently say that both visually and audibly these seats are worth their price. I brought some opera glasses just because I like to see close up, individual expressions, though the voices are truly expressive enough! The stage designs were grand and detailed and there was a delightful variety of both scenes and costumes alike.
The foyer is spacious with two areas to leave coats at a small cost of CHF3.00 per coat. Two bar areas are at either end of the large open area and a souvenir stand has Phantom of the Opera related itens to purchase. There is a fun display area where you can take your photograph as well.
In Conclusion
Phantom of the Opera offers the perfect combination of a muscial, a ballet and a opera in one. The storyline is intriguing, the set and costumes are absolutely stunning, the orchestra played beautifully and the performances were utterly fantastic! Thank you to all the cast and crew for putting so much work into the play and the Musical Theater Basel for being perfect hosts with a great location, setting and staff.
Bình luận