<\/p>\n
Phantom, we hardly missed ye.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been less than three years since Phantom of the Opera<\/em> closed on Broadway after its historic 35-year run. But now it\u2019s back. Well, not really, since Masquerade<\/em>, the new immersive show \u201cbased on the original musical,\u201d is a different breed entirely. Performed by a 28-person ensemble to groups of sixty people at a time, this reimagining delivers the highlights of the show via a series of intimate scenes, with plenty of running around in between. It also offers intriguing variations, including more of the Phantom\u2019s backstory, a song cut from the ill-fated film version, several new scenes, and, since it runs a mere two hours sans intermission, some judicious cutting. The result sort of resembles Frankenstein\u2019s monster, but it works exceedingly well.<\/p>\n There\u2019s plenty of pomp and circumstance involved in seeing it. You\u2019re asked to wear formal attire in black, white, or silver only. You\u2019re required to wear a mask, and as is the case with a lawyer, if you don\u2019t have one, one will be provided for you. And there are no physical tickets (those are so old-fashioned), with entry provided via a secret password you receive 24 hours beforehand. After all that build-up, it\u2019s somewhat disappointing that you get a mere theatrical experience rather than an Eyes Wide Shut<\/em>-style orgy.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all an incredible feat of logistics, presented in a multi-level, 120-year-old midtown building that housed the venerable Lee\u2019s Art Shop for more than six decades. Groups enter the space at 15-minute intervals, each one seeing the same show but with different casts. There are six Phantoms, six Christines, three Raouls, and two Carlottas. Among the Phantoms is a certified ringer, Hugh Panaro, who played the role more than 2,000 times on Broadway. (In what I\u2019m sure wasn\u2019t a coincidence, he was the Phantom at the press performance I attended.)<\/p>\n There\u2019s no live music, except for the sole violinist who serenaded us with an overture from the show in an opening scene for which we\u2019re given complimentary champagne (well, complimentary if you don\u2019t count the ticket prices exceeding $200). There\u2019s an interactive component, with performers recruiting you to dance with them and sometimes sitting in your lap. You\u2019re provided with roses with which to shower Christine after she sings an aria, and artificial candles to provide atmosphere for the underground lair scene.<\/p>\n The physical space has been designed in spectacular fashion \u2014 not surprising, considering the show\u2019s apparent $25 million cost \u2014 with the imaginative scenery and multitude of props thoroughly immersing you into the show\u2019s world. Even the famous gondola ride is atmospherically recreated. And while there\u2019s a chandelier, a very big one, it necessarily lacks the impact of the one that fell eight times a week at the Majestic. Still, it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n Not everything in the adaptation created and directed by Diane Paulus, and conceived and produced by Randy Weiner, fully works. There\u2019s a carnival scene that goes on too long, featuring a fire-eater with an incongruous Harley Quinn tattoo on his chest. And a pas de deux, performed by two robotic figures, is just silly. And although it was a fine idea to stage a climactic scene on the roof, the effect is somewhat negated by the fact that instead of looking at a Parisian skyline you\u2019re gazing at the Nordstrom\u2019s across the street.<\/p>\n But most of the evening is great fun, assuming you have the physical stamina to be constantly moving from one scene to the next, sometimes climbing stairs and other times riding escalators. You\u2019re also on your feet for much of the evening, so it makes sense that the production has banned the wearing of stiletto heels, probably not so much out of consideration for the wearers than concern that someone may get their foot stabbed in the melee.<\/p>\n (On a personal note, my guest for the show is temporarily walking with the use of a cane. Not only was a wheelchair provided for her, a staff member personally escorted her for the duration of the show. By the time the evening was over, I was exhausted and my guest was fresh as a daisy. The same service is provided for any patron who needs such assistance.)<\/p>\n Unlike so many immersive productions, everyone sees the same show that progresses in linear fashion. Not only does it make the proceedings coherent for even those unfamiliar with the original show (hard to imagine, but they apparently exist), it spares you the anxiety generated by constantly having to choose which characters to follow. Not to mention the inevitable FOMO that results in people having to see a show multiple times to make sure they\u2019ve caught everything.<\/p>\n Paulus\u2019 staging features some truly nifty touches, such as the Phantom seeming to emerge from inside Christina\u2019s bed to entwine her in an amorous embrace. At one point we pass through a room featuring a variety of mechanical, self-propelled devices, including a head repeatedly banging itself against a wall.<\/p>\n Panaro, not surprisingly, was a standout as the Phantom I saw. But there were also sterling contributions from Francesca Mehrotra\u2019s beautifully sung Christine, Paul Adam Schaefer\u2019s suitably dashing Raoul, and Betsy Morgan\u2019s amusing Carlotta. You won\u2019t necessarily see the same performers, so obviously individual mileage will vary.<\/p>\n Ultimately, it\u2019s the intimacy of the environment that makes Masquerade such a special experience. You\u2019re just a few feet away from the performers as they sing Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s gorgeous score, and it\u2019s safe to say you haven\u2019t lived until you\u2019ve had a performer of the caliber of Hugh Panaro singing \u201cMusic of the Night\u201d to you directly, just inches from your face. It\u2019s enough to make anyone a Phan.<\/p>\n