May Palacpac, Storyteller

 EXCERPTS OF THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA IN 1994

Back in 1994 (or was it 1995?), I was this young dreamer who found myself surrounded by gifted, classical-trained vocalists and a cast that ranged from seasoned thespians, popular TV personalities and students of the most respected Music Colleges and Universities. I was this little pop singer whose only credits to boast were participating in a couple of concerts, very little training in classical singing (I mean, very little), very little training in ballet (again I mean very little), a couple of acting workshops and a fading trophy that said I won a singing competition against a bunch of nameless amateur singers.

I came to a call for an open cast audition for a big production that will run for over a month at the Meralco theater and I made it to the ensemble. I had to ford through my insecurities to make it to the end of the production and right before our opening night, a little drama transpired and I ended up taking on the sweet minor roles left behind by one of the diva-ish actresses. It was one of the most exhilarating times in my life. I couldn’t believe the privilege of it all!

The production showcased a row of excerpts including that of The Phantom of the Opera. I watched intently the lead actors rehearse the scenes for such songs as Angel of the night, Think of me, Music of the night and All I ask of you and I marveled at the lavishness of the costumes, the set designs and props that were used. I was a newcomer and everything was magical to me. It was a dream come true.

Our opening night was not received kindly. We got some bad press, with our Phantom bashed consistently for every review in the first batch that ran.

Changes were immediately adapted and better reviews came out, but our Phantom kept receiving negative reviews from theater critics left and right. I stood in the wings night after night as I awaited my turn, wondering what caused such indignation among theater critics and fans.

Sure, our phantom wasn’t a marvelous singer but he was a widely respected actor. Surely, it wasn’t THAT bad.  

My enlightenment came on October 5, 2013, 19 years later. It was the first time I’ve witnessed an international musical production: the staging of the Phantom of Opera staged by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Theater Company Limited (RUG).

MACKINTOSH AND RUG’s PHANTOM OF THE OPERA IN MANILA (2013)

It was, in every which way, spectacular.  From the lighting, to the elaborate stage designs of architectural angels and the beautiful staircase, to the spotlights and stage lighting, the smoke machine that created the foggy, eerily candle-lighted river beneath the bridge, the  famed chandelier and the phantom’s voice that moved from one side to another.

Jonathan Roxmouth’s Phantom was like this smoke swirling around you like some spirit transforming you and taking you into his dark and solitary world. Every rise and fall of his pitch, every gesture of his fingers rendered his every emotion – his love, his rage, his loneliness. It was so affecting, I believed every moment of him. His presence was captivating, his character heartbreaking.

Amidst other excessively gifted musicale actors and dancers, there’s no mistaking it, Roxmouth was the star of the show. And he was young, too. Our phantom was much, much older, like… grandpa older.

He could’ve been really good looking in his younger years, there were still some traces of it. His vocals…..okay, seriously, our phantom could sing. He just didn’t sing THIS GOOD.

I really wish I was able to get an autograph from Roxmouth on the very costly souvenir program. (I haven’t really watched a musical for so long, I haven’t kept track of the costs of souvenir programs. This one’s really pricey!)

(Update: In 2014, a male reader contacted me to ask if he can buy the souvenir program from me because he will be proposing to his girlfriend and that specific show was memorable to both of them. I gave it to him for free. I hope they’re still married until now.– September 17, 2025)

My sister-in-law who had watched the show in London a few years back said that Roxmouth far surpassed the Phantom she had witnessed there.

Claire Lyon’s Christine isn’t far behind. Amongst extraordinary female solos, Lyon’s vocals rose above, piercing through the chorus drone, declaring the female lead of the show. Hers was a pretty face that twisted at every emotion, her eyes conveyed her character’s heartbeat, the soulfulness of her songs transcending as high as our steeply priced Php3K balcony seats. (Good entertainment’s quite an investment nowadays)

Raoul was as beautiful, dashing and ravishing as a Raoul should be.  Leading men need their good looks, I suppose. Besides, it’s gotta be the looks that pried Christine from such an enchanting voice as that of the phantom’s. I would’ve followed that voice to the darkened pits of the ends of the world.  Anthony Downing’s Raoul held his end extremely well. Personally, I admired his acting above his vocals which was also splendid, by the way, I’m just a bit biased towards the phantom. You know that Downing is also lead, yet, he didn’t overshadow the Phantom. Might be in his training to know how much to give and hold back to stay rightfully in place in terms of character credits.

Our show’s props and costumes weren’t shabby in comparison, we even had that boat that floated in the river, the smoke machine, and the mannequin wearing a wedding gown. Our producers and one of the choreographers were said to have watched the show in London several times and replicated the sets the closest to the original as possible.

RUG’s production goes to show that a staging of The Phantom of the Opera in its full length requires a high level of technical accuracy in both the vocal performances and choreography. You need to have had years of training in dance and classical singing to even make it to the chorus. It takes years of training and practice to acquire such swan-like gracefulness and fluidity of ballet movements and you certainly can’t scream your way through the chorus parts. RUG succeeded in the execution of choreography and in casting the best.

A few months ago, I made a comment on a friend’s status on how local productions of such musicals are just as good as the international ones. I still mean that.  The people I’ve worked with have moved on to bigger productions, many of whom are working on   international stages or have taken on some shows as directors and I’m only referring to the chorus. Our leads have maintained their talent fees, for sure. They are a gifted bunch of people. (In fact, they’ve become so successful, some of them have forgotten who I was except for a few I ran into on the internet).

However, I now see why my FB comment was very naïve.  RUG coming here, making the show accessible to us is a good thing. The bar had always been raised high, we need to witness it first-hand to know how far we can still go.

Note: A shoutout to my sister-in-law, Jenny – thank you for sponsoring my ticket and adding yet, another evening to my list of unforgettable lifetime experiences.

(Haha, you must probably be thinking I’ve got some nerve complaining about the ticket and souvenir prices!)