Phantom of The Paragon

The hit musical's anniversary spectacular at the Royal Albert Hall unfolds on Bangkok cinema screens

The Phantom of the Opera", history's most commercially successful stage musical, celebrated its 25th anniversary on October 1 and 2 at London's Royal Albert Hall, with the last of the three performances broadcast live to packed cinemas in Europe and the US.

Asia and Australia missed out since curtain time was 7pm, which was 1am in Bangkok.

But tapes of the broadcast - made by Cameron Mackintosh, the Really Useful Theatre Company and Universal Pictures - have been screening at cinemas around the world.

Now it's Thailand's turn, with Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea still waiting to see the film.

"The performance will start in 5 minutes," the audience at the Royal Albert Hall was alerted, and viewers in the cinema get the same real-time experience. We see people taking their seats and waiting in high anticipation - and we even stick with them through the 20-minute intermission.

The orchestra, with more musicians than the regular "Phantom" production, sits in clear view above the upstage area, inviting debate as to whether this is actually a concert or a musical.

The conductor is also seen waiting longer than he normally would for the audience to finish applauding after memorable tunes like "Music of the Night".

Leading the cast are Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine, both veterans of the original show who were also critically acclaimed for the less successful sequel, "Love Never Dies". They work so well together, musically and dramatically, that Hadley Fraser's portrayal of Raoul is rather overshadowed.

Laurence Connor based his direction on Hal Prince's original. The staging and choreography are by Gillian Lynne, who worked on the original herself.

Matt Kinley is the set and costume designer, drawing on the work of the late Maria Bjornson. The costumes are just as spectacular, but the set is problematic.

Since the stage is wider and higher than in a regular playhouse but not as deep, Kinley uses digital images on the backdrop, and it looks peculiar when seen together with realistic props and costumes - and in such a majestic venue as the Royal Albert Hall.

The cameramen were clearly well rehearsed. Most of the time they caught the dramatic moments at just the right angles. The edits, though, are too frequent, as often happens when taping live theatre, and occasionally it looks like a pop-music video.

Also, the performers' theatrical makeup and head microphones do not make for great close-ups.

The curtain call brings out many of the original 1986 cast and crew, a fulfilling moment for fans of the show, even if it's quite predictable.

But what follows is completely unpredictable. I'm not going to reveal here what it is - suffice it to say, though, that this memorable segment alone makes this a truly special event.

DVD and Blu-Ray versions of the film went on sale in Europe this week but won't be available in Asia until at least January. So for now, seeing the movie in the cinema is the closest you'll get to seeing the Phantom - unless of course you fly to London, New York, Las Vegas or some other city where it's still being performed nightly.

The quality of the sound, picture and subtitle translation at the Paragon Cineplex makes it well worth getting off your couch, even if there's still a half-metre of polluted water lapping at the gate.

GRAND OLD 'OPERA'

Watch "The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary" at the Paragon Cineplex. There are two shows every weekday and four on weekends until November 30.

Tickets cost Bt300 for the regular screen and Bt1,000 for the Nokia Ultra Screen. You can book online at www.ParagonCineplex.com.

Find out more at www.Phantom 25th.com.