Cappies Review: George Mason High's 'Phantom of the Opera'

Cappies review by Hailey Scherer of Flint Hill School

George Mason High School performed “The Phantom of the Opera” on Nov. 21 with all the intricacies for which the show is renowned, and did it with an impressive complexity that might prove elusive to most high schools.

Le Fantôme de l’Opera was originally a novel authored by Gaston Leroux, which was later adapted into many stage and film productions, most notably Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical. This production first took the stage at the West End in 1986, and then on Broadway in 1988.

The storyline takes place in the grandeur of the 1880s opera theater. Prima donna Carlotta Giudicelli is interrupted during a rehearsal by the sudden collapse of a backdrop, and the story of the Phantom of the Opera, who haunts the theater, unfolds. After Carlotta storms off, Meg Giry encourages her best friend Christine Daaé to offer to take her place. When the managers of the theater hear Christine sing, they accept. However, backstage, Christine confesses to Meg that her teacher is a mysterious angel of music, who she later discovers is the same feared Phantom of the Opera. The story is as fascinating as it is eerie, and calls for a strong cast and a wide array of vocal ranges.

George Mason High School students answered the call for a strong cast with strong vocalists, primarily with the lead actress, Alexandra Smith (Christine Daaé). Smith, like her character Christine was meant to, instantly captivated the audience the moment she opened her mouth to sing. With her impressive vocal control, beautiful vowels, remarkable diction, and strong breath support, she has a consistently breathtaking soprano voice with just the right amount of vibrato. Smith had a secure sense of tempo which enabled her to keep in time with the difficult rhythms of this musical, as well as a keen sense of pitch that allowed her to deliver each note with confidence and accuracy.

Her fellow lead, George Castillo (the Phantom himself) showed his passion and vocal control in pieces such as “Music of the Night”. His comportment and the way in which he made every movement controlled and purposeful characterized his role. Supporting actor Arijeet Sensharma (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny) had an accurate sense of pitch and delivered notes in a consistent, rich tenor voice that blended well with Smith’s for mesmerizing harmonies such as those in “All I Ask of You”. Meagan Pierce (Carlotta Guidicelli) possesses a remarkable soprano range for a high school student, and played the part of the haughty diva well.

Because the material of the musical is at times so sinister, comic relief is important, and actors such as Alec Reusch (Ubaldo Piangi), Gus Constance (Monsieur Firmin, one of the managers of the opera theater), Michael Curtin (Monsieur Andre, the other manager of the opera theater), and Monsieur Reyer (the opera director) delivered their lines with the expression, energy, and comedic timing that roused laughter from the audience.

George Mason High School’s rendition of The Phantom of the Opera was completed by its addition of special effects – the startling, the scary, and the spellbinding. This included highly effective mood lighting, a moving boat behind a ripped black curtain in the scene in which the Phantom takes Christine to his lair, and dropping chandeliers and hanged people that actually surprised the real audience members right alongside the characters on stage.