By Rae Hunt
At the Angelus Theatre in Spanish Fork, The Phantom Breaks The Operastarts with the announcement that a good portion of the cast is unable to perform. The people involved in this parody of Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s The Phantom of the Opera starts with the announcement that a good portion of the cast is unable to perform. They assure us that they will continue with the show using the remaining 6… no, 5 cast members. The Phantom Breaks the Opera is based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, and produced by Stephen and Teresa Gashler, with music, lyrics, and scripting by S. Gashler. As incident after incident occurs to interrupt or halt the play to hilarious consequence, we watch the Stage Manager (Riz Op’t Hof) try to hold the production together. The Phantom (Robert Cunningham) has not been paid his salary and is taking out cast members one by one by various stage mishaps until his demands are met.
Having lost the previous Christine Daaé actress and a replacement stagehand, the Stage Manager replaces them with a “member of the audience” (Lori-ann Cunningham), who knows all the songs (except the ones she doesn’t). Of course, as a “non-cast” member, she frequently makes up song lyrics and complains about not knowing the script. This Christine is torn between two men, the mysterious Phantom and the handsome Raoul (Stephen Gashler), who frequently loses parts of his costume. Her beautiful rival Carlotta (Kirsten Fowler) is determined to remain the star of the show and the Phantom becomes convinced that the stand-in for Christine will fall for him if he is as dark and mysterious as the role he plays. Throughout the play the Stage Manager must continuously intervene to provide scripts, fix props and stage sets and occasionally stand in as an additional character to keep things moving. Will they be able to hold everything together or will the frequent shenanigans of the cast and technical failures cause the production to bomb?
Lori-Ann Cunningham is not only spectacular as a great singer, but plays the part of an unrehearsed audience member very well. At times, her mistunderstandings of what is happening add to the illusion that she isn’t part of the actual cast.
R. Cunningham as Eric/The Phhantom is played as his attempt to be mysterious while, in reality, he is a awkward, socially inept and disfigured individual who only wants to find love. Unfortunately, this reclusive individual doesn’t know how to woo a lady of Christine’s beauty. Cunningham delivers a perfect blend of an awkward, somewhat creepy, and comedic portrayal that leaves the audience snickering throughout the play.
Gashler plays the role of Raoul de Chagney in an authentic, exuberant interpretation of his character. He is the only cast member who is part of both casts. He is intended to be a handsome young man, enchanted with Christine, but is actually lovesick for a stagehand named Eileen (Elizabeth Williams). Raoul continuously allows the distractions of his personal drama to interfere with his performance on stage, turning him into a bumbling, and forgetful cast member. Gashler plays this role exceptionally well with his character frequently forgetting or losing various parts of his costume. His on-stage stunts of slipping and sliding are well-executed and lend to the overall hilarity.
Gary Taylor and Lisa King’s performances as ‘extras’ in the cast are masterful. Taylor plays Gaston Leroux, Armand Moncharmin, and Philippe de Chagney, and is delightful and very witty. He has excellent projection and articulation, giving him the appearance of being the most ‘polished’ performer on the stage.
King delivered a whimsical performance as Meg, Mama Giry, and the Persian. Her character accents were on-point, playful, and enjoyable to experience. Between the two, King and Taylor fill out the cast and reliably confuse the other cast members due to their character changes.
The beautiful Carlotta is played by Fowler. As the aspiring star of the first act, she has multiple failed attacks from the Phantom. Fowler really plays up this role and is very expressive. Her over the top performance plays up the comedic aspect of the misadventures of the cast and crew. Fowler really brought in the Carlotta experience and her clear talent shines through as her character navigates unsafe working conditions, unreasonable managers, and casting changes. Her fourth wall breaks are extremely well delivered, and very much in character.Fowler is beautiful, poised, with an excellent stage presence. She has a whimsical and charming character portrayal that really draws you into the story
My favorite role of the production is that of the Stage Manager. Played by Op’t Hof, this character (who isn’t supposed to be a character) is all over the place. They are constantly fixing stage props and sets, replacing cast members as they are struck down, delivering scripts, filling in for missing cast members, and dealing with “technical breakdowns.” With their outstanding performance that is enthralling to watch, they are, in my opinion, the true star of the show.
With frequent lighting “mis-cues” and slapstick sound effects throughout the play from the “understaffed” technical crew as well, the overall effect is a hilarious experience that will intentionally disrupt the performance while completely leaving the audience laughing in stitches. The sets are well designed for the movement of the cast, and the intentional malfunctions the performance experiences.
This production has a Blue Cast and an Orange Cast which means you may experience the show with different performances while the overall script remains the same. This review is based on the performance of the Orange cast. The Blue Cast was also reviewed, and had additional outstanding performances by Garion Jorgensen, Marissa Haynes Brewer, Joy Coxson, Brennan Tripp, Rhonda Seiter, and Anik Hanson.
With such creative, entertaining, and hilarious script, cast and crew, this is a performance I would actively seek to see again as it had me practically falling out of my seat with laughter. I highly recommend that fans of The Phantom of the Opera (book or play) or anyone who enjoys comedy come see this fantastic and amazing production.
Angelus Theatre proudly presents The Phantom Breaks the Opera
Angelus Theatre, 165 N Main St
Spanish Fork, UT 84660
Mar 15-28, 2025. Evening and matinee performances available. See site for individual performance details.
Tickets: $18-22
Contact: 801-358-8134, angelustheatre@gmail.com
www.angelustheatre.com
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