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What Lies Beneath
The Players Theatre gives insight to the Man in the Mask in The Phantom of the Opera
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Director/Producer Brenda Bell peels back Erik’s mask in The Phantom of the Opera to explore his complexities and passions in order to bring the book to the Players Theatre’s stage.
Bell is a Phantom purist; not only has she extensively studied the novel, but she also traveled to Paris to retrace the steps of the author, Gaston Leroux. During her travels, she visited the Paris Opera House; expecting to be grandiose, she was happily surprised to find that it was much smaller. As Bell explains, “It’s very intimate, which excited me because our space at Players Theatre is so intimate, so I saw the parallel.”
This intimacy plays a key role in the Players Theatre’s production of Phantom and they have accentuated it with the use of live music played without any amplification. This utilization of acoustics helps establish the mood while allowing the audience to feel close to the performance, which cannot be achieved in a large theatre.
This production dives deep into the characters to bring them alive. The phantom, Erik, who must hide his physical deformities with a mask could be interpreted as a monster, but Bell views him differently and explains she “see[s] him as this sort of amazing human being who has all this unbelievable talent and is full of passion and love and art, but he has no way to express it because of his physical condition that has isolated him.”
In the play, he reaches a point where he is overwhelmed by his emotions and is on the verge of explosion because he has never learned how to express them in a healthy way. Bell’s intention for this performance is “to really appreciate and understand who people are at their core—and if you have passion and don’t get to express it, it can be damaging.” By giving an avenue to connect with a man who at first glance would be considered a beast, this performance sheds light on those who feel they must hide behind a mask in order to live.
Players Theatre’s production of The Phantom of the Opera uses original music and choreography to capture the audience and bring them into the world of the Phantom. Previews begin April 9, 2010, and the play opens on April 30.
Please visit www.theplayerstheatre.com for more information about ticket sales and the performance.