BY ALICE POLIN
From July 4th to July 16th 2023, there was the first performance of the famous The Phantom of the Opera in Italy.
Where? At the Rossetti Theater in Trieste.
The first production of Broadway Italia, which after its debut in Trieste, will be on stages in Milan from October 11th to 22nd and in Monte Carlo from December 16th to 31st.
The musical takes shape from the pen of Andrew Lloyd Webber, an extraordinary author of musicals for which he deserves the title EGOT (an acronym for the winners of the four major U.S. entertainment awards: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards).
The story of the Phantom has far more distant origins: in 1910 Gaston Leroux created the mystery surrounding this occult entity. From this book Webber would take inspiration for his musical, which premiered in 1986, and since then the curtain on this story has not closed and its journey continues.
The musical is divided into two acts: the story begins in 1905 Paris, during an auction of theater memorabilia at the Opera. We see an elderly gentleman, Raoul the Viscount of Changy, making a generous bid to take possession of an old music box that represents a special memory for him.
Immediately afterwards, we are shown the remains of an old chandelier and as we are told its story, we are catapulted through music and light games back in time, when the chandelier hung in all its splendor and lit up the Opera’s environment.
During rehearsals for Hannibal, a new opera scheduled to make its debut in a few days, opera director Lefèvre announces his retirement and introduces new directors André and Firmin.
André asks Carlotta, the Opera’s first soprano, to sing but a backdrop falls and almost hits her. Everyone on stage starts saying it is “opera of the Phantom.”
Our “Prima Donna” leaves indignantly.
Madame Giry makes an appearance and hands the two directors a letter with which the Phantom asks for a salary and a stage reserved just for him. The two are immediately skeptical of the existence of this phantom creature who has lived in the theater for years and created havoc.
But now the problem is not the Phantom but who will replace Carlotta at the premiere of Hannibal.
Meg, dancer and daughter of Madame Giry, proposes Christine Daaé, her friend and dance partner, who has been taking singing lessons from a mysterious teacher whose name she herself does not know.
The audition and the premiere of Hannibal merge into one scene, and here we find the character of Raoul, the opera’s benefactor, who is enchanted by the voice of the girl whom he immediately recognizes as his childhood friend.
In the next scene, Meg talks to Christine and asks her about her mysterious teacher: the young woman reveals to her friend that her father, before he died, told her that one day he would send her the Angel of Music to teach her the art of singing and protect her. Christine is convinced that it was indeed her father’s spirit that sent her teacher. Shortly thereafter the Phantom, the teacher she has never seen but to whom she owes so much, will make his appearance from behind a mirror.
After luring her to him, the Phantom explains that he is a composer and that she is his muse.
At this point, all the characters in the Musical have been introduced. The purpose of this article is not to reveal the fates of the characters. But to recount the experience of seeing one of the most beloved stories in literature and entertainment performed on one of Italy’s most beautiful stages.
I find the work behind the creation of The Phantom of the Opera by Broadway Italia to be masterful, from the choice of the cast, the orchestra, the costumes, to the set design… every single detail has been carefully analyzed, thus giving the audience an unforgettable experience.
The music, the love story and the performers combined with the beauty of the theater and the artistic value guaranteed by Federico Bellone will make a musical that is eternal and unmissable. We will all go home with sparks in our eyes and a sense of living that we have never experienced.
These are the words of Luca Montebugnoli, managing director of Broadway Italia. I cannot but agree with him. The Rossetti Theater in Trieste hosted in those two weeks both spectators from every region of Italy and spectators from as many as seventy Countries around the world. And each of them left a piece of themselves in that theater during those days.
Certainly the cast left an indelible impression: actor and singer Ramin Karmiloo, a figure not unknown to lovers of musicals, returns as the Phantom. I will be biased – Ramin Karmiloo has always been one of my favorite “Phantoms”. I have always found his voice perfectly suited to the controversial figure of the Phantom. He manages to completely immerse himself in the character and convey to us every single facet of his soul, in many ways dark yes… but with Christine’s presence his need to be loved and appreciated by someone comes out.
Amelia Milo is a talented young woman in the role of Christine. She, too, dresses the role entrusted to her well; she manages to connect with her character. Her performance as Christine is touching and is full of sweetness and tenderness but also of fear and confusion. Every side of Christine’s soul, her love for Raoul, but also her deep feelings for the Phantom, are well portrayed by Amelia.
Bradley Jaden, one of the main characters in West End (as Ramin), plays Raoul, the young man in love with Christine. The same point I made earlier talking about Ramin and Amelia can be applied to Bradley and beyond. I enjoyed and loved his portrayal of Raoul. The scenes in which Raoul’s feelings for Christine emerged and those in which the anger and fear he feels during his encounter with the Phantom are shown, are definitely difficult to pull off, but Bradley Jaden proved himself equal to the role. His voice timbre is elegant, soft and sweet and contrasts very well with Ramin’s voice, which is much more energetic and scratchy (with some hints of sweetness at times).
We then have Earl Carpenter and Ian Mowat who give us a splendid and sunny performance of Monsieur André and Monsieur Firmin.
Anna Corvino as Carlotta Giudicelli made us laugh and love the “Prima Donna” of the Opera. Anna Corvino is a very gifted soprano, and I believe her voice and training fit flawlessly to Carlotta.
Alice Mistroni and Zoe Nochi play Madame Giry and Meg, mother and daughter who took in little Christine after her father’s death and cared for her.
There are many others to be mentioned such as Gian Luca Pasolini (in the musical Ubaldo Piangi) Matt Bond, Jeremy Rose, Mark Blocca, Nicola Ciulla, Luca Gaudiano, Antonio Orler, Chiara Vergassola, Marianna Bonansone, Martina Cenere, Robert Ediogu, Stefania Fratepietro, Jessica Lorusso, Marta Melchiorre, Margherita Toso… Many are secondary characters and/or part of the Ensemble but it is also because of their presence that the musical was a success.
All of them were needed, no character was overshadowed by others, rather each cast member added value. In addition, I think the affinity between the various members made it possible to make the whole thing more human, breaking down the fourth wall and letting us enter 1880s Paris.
A special mention of course goes to the whole orchestra (conducted by Julio Awad). We often forget it, but it is an integral part of the show. The musicians and instruments cannot be seen but thanks to them the dream can be fulfilled in all its beauty.
As I move toward the conclusion of the article, I would like to share a very personal aspect: those who know me know my passion for art in every single facet and also know that it is often particularly difficult for me to enjoy 100 percent of each and every performance whether it is in the theater or movie theater or a museum. This is because of my visual impairment. Well, I was fortunate enough to have a seat in the theater that allowed me, as much as one can, to catch the silhouettes, colors and plays of light, and thanks also to the skill of the cast (each actor had his or her own stage presence, perfectly distinguishable from the others) and the orchestra, I can say for the first time in my life that I enjoyed a show in all its aspects from the most technical to those that concern the emotional sphere. A concentration of beauty and emotions, a dream or a nightmare, a journey inside feelings and the human soul. A two-and-a-half-hour show, which however will remain forever in our hearts and souls. A curtain that has just risen. Yes, this is The Phantom of the Opera.
(Translation by Giosuè Tedeschi)
