Phantom of the Opera opening at Sydney Opera House a dramatic boost for live performance

The opening of Opera Australia’s production of Phantom of the Opera at the Sydney Opera House last night represents a return to the intimacy and impact of live performance which theatre audiences have longed for since COVID’s global reduction of productions.

Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is directed in Australia by Seth Sklar-Heyn, and emphasises the human aspect of the Phantom more than previously with the production’s intimacy enhanced by the relatively small stage of the Joan Sutherland Theatre.

The show is an updated version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's legacy production, which debuted in London in 1986 and New York in 1988.

The history making Sydney season sees this most successful and much-loved musical make its debut at the Sydney Opera House.

According to Director Seth Sklar-Heyn - who first worked on Webber's original show as a stage manager two decades ago in New York - the choreography, set and direction refresh for the Sydney production, represents an evolution.

An evolution of production also enhanced by the upgrade of the Joan Sutherland Theatre itself. The $71 million upgrade to the Theatre was unveiled in 2017 with the backstage area featuring new state-of-the-art theatre machinery. The new staging of the Sydney production works exceptionally well with clever effects in some scenes lending a distinct edge of danger.

The major overhaul of the theatre also included a refurbished orchestra pit with improved acoustics which for this production of Phantom of the Opera allows audiences to experience the depth and richness of a full 27-piece orchestra (as opposed to the 14-piece ensemble that accompanied its first two runs in the USA and UK).

With musical supervision from Guy Simpson - who has worked on Phantom’s score since Australia’s original 1990 production and has overseen its sound across the world – the music is an absolute joy.

It’s also beautifully sung with Josh Piterman playing the Phantom, having returned home to Australia after playing the Phantom in the West End; Amy Manford, the Australian soprano paying the role of Christine Daaé (also in the West End) where she finds tenderness without sacrificing strength; and Blake Bowden’s vocal warmth giving Raoul’s feelings for Christine a depth beyond that delivered in Webber’s version.

Manford added "it's like the musical of all musicals. It's been the longest-running musical on Broadway and West End. It's really amazing to bring it back to Australia. It's just a mammoth production."

The production now playing at the Sydney Opera House was originally scheduled to open in September 2021 but had to be postponed because of the COVID pandemic.

At the time of the postponement, Cameron Mackintosh commented “the consequences of COVID-19 continue to disrupt people’s lives worldwide, with spikes, lockdowns and quarantine causing chaos in planning. Having got a wonderful Australian cast together for my new production of The Phantom of the Opera, due to open shortly with Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, followed by the Arts Centre Melbourne, it is a huge disappointment, especially for the company and mostly sold-out audiences, that we have been forced by government restrictions to postpone the upcoming seasons.”

Now in 2022, Opera Australia has gambled on staging two different productions of Phantom of the Opera within months of each other which appears to have benefited Opera Australia, turning 2022 into an unlikely record year for ticket sales - revealing that $77 million of tickets sales had been booked so far this calendar year, already surpassing the previous record of $65 million set in 2019.

The new Sydney production of Phantom of the Opera is overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh with choreography by Scott Ambler and set design by Paul Brown, Tony Award®-winning original costume design by Maria Björnson®, lighting design by Tony Award®-winner Paule Constable and sound design by Mick Potter. This new production is overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh.

The supporting roles of the Sydney production are performed by Australian musical theatre stalwart David Whitney playing the role of Monsieur Firmin, Andy Morton returning to the stage as Monsieur Andrè and soprano Giuseppina Grech playing Carlotta Guidicelli. Madame Giry is played by Jayde Westaby, while classical crossover artist Paul Tabone revives the role he played to much acclaim on Sydney Harbour earlier this year as Ubaldo Piangi, and newcomer Mietta White playing young ballerina Meg Giry.

Joining them are the talented ensemble cast including Elliot Baker, Anton Berezin, Laura Bianchi-Bishop, Eleanor Blythman, Gavin Brown, Ben Clark, Bridget Costello, Andrew Dunne, Lewis Francis, Christina Gibbs, Claudia Hastings, Olivia Jenkins, Daniel Koek, Naomi Livingston, Josephine Lonergan, Aaron Lynch, Imogen-Faith Malfitano, Kayleigh Marven, Emma McFarlane, Lachlan O'Brien, Brittany Page, Edward Smith, Anna Stephens, Tod Strike, Troy Sussman, Raphael Wong, Jack Wunsch and Elisha Zion Lee.  

The Sydney season of The Phantom of the Opera is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.

The Phantom of the Opera will play a nine week season at the Sydney Opera House until 16th October 2022.

All images. Credit: Opera Australia/Daniel Boud