Most sets today are operated by computers. Her Majesty’s Theatre was built in 1897 and is a listed building because of the quality of the Victorian stage work. ‘When we opened with Michael Crawford as the Phantom we wanted him to stand on the chandelier and then leap onto the stage,’ says Sam. Highlights include the marbled winding staircase, based on the real one in the Opera Garnier in Paris, a papier mache elephant, six 10ft high candelabras that rise from flaps in the stage and the legendary crystal chandelier, which drops down in the first act, dangling perilously above the audience. It is the most elaborate in London and was designed by Maria Bjornson, the fabled stage artist. He is speaking in a cello-baritone about the set. I prefer Sam, who has eyes like a questing panther. Besides I cannot imagine having a relationship with Simon, who is sweet, but not raffish. This sounds suspiciously like method acting, which Humphrey Bogart called ‘scratch your a**e and spit’. By imagining events in my relationship with Simon, my interaction with him on stage will seem more convincing.įine tuning: Members of the cast rehearse their songs with a musician The director, Sam Hiller, who is raffish and lean, tells me I can invent a back story. After such a brief courtship I am not sure he will grow on me. She is going to help me on and off stage. My swing is Lyndsey, 20, who has hair like a winter sunset. It transpires that I am the object to be pushed and pulled, however.Ī swing is theatrical language for a cast member who has to learn all the male or female parts in order to ‘swing in’ if someone drops out. ‘What fun!’ I exclaim, picturing a scene in a Fragonard painting. He adds that the net worth of the 260 costumes used in the show is £400,000 and that the wigs are made of real hair, costing up to £4,000 each.Ĭhristine, the heroine, who is played by Portuguese soprano Sofia Escobar, sometimes uses four wigs a night.Īfter I have been fitted, I am taken to the stage to meet some of the cast and find my bearings. Phantom is the ultimate in theatrical glamour.’ ‘That gown you are looking at cost £1,200 and the fur is real. ‘All our costumes have been specially made by a couturier,’ Rhys says. Run through: The cast give it their all during rehearsals for the show
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |