The rule of thumb in theater, as in most endeavors, is simply this: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
So why would one restage and redesign the longest-running show in Broadway history, The Phantom of the Opera, which won Tony Awards for its original direction, its scenery, lighting and costumes, as well as three other categories?
For Laurence Connor, the director of this new-look Phantom that opens this evening at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, the answer lies clearly with the show’s producer, the mega-successful Cameron Mackintosh.
“Cameron has his finger so firmly on the pulse of the public. He likes the idea of keeping things fresh, giving shows a makeover before the interest lags, making new versions so that a whole new generation has access to it,” says Connor, by phone from his London home. “That’s really where it all came from.”
Unlike the corner-cutting 25th anniversary production of Mackintosh’s Les Misérables, which Connor also staged, this new Phantom of the Opera proudly calls it “bigger and better” than the original show. Connor knows better than to embrace that description.
“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s bigger and better. The original was so perfect,” concedes Connor. “It’s certainly bigger and different.
“The set itself is a very massive piece of theater. Maria (Bjornson, the original show’s designer) created possibly one of the greatest stage sets ever seen. Paul Brown has created something very, very different, but every bit as opulent and every bit as lavish as you’d expect for an opera house.”
What the new design certainly does is take advantage of the latest in technical advances. “We’ve been lucky, because having had 27 years now since the original was conceived, technologies have moved on considerably,” Connor says. “So we’ve been fortunate enough to re-evaluate what we can do and what we can play with. So we’ve enhanced a lot of things for this fabulous new version.
“When you go and see the show, it’s hard to believe that it’s a touring production. Because it’s every bit as big as a Broadway show, if not bigger than most Broadway shows.”
Still, how could Connor not be daunted by the prospect of stepping into the substantial shoes of Phantom’s original director, the legendary Hal Prince? “Well, I think when you approach anything like this, everything you ever do is going to be compared. And that’s fine, that’s to be expected, really. I wouldn’t say I was daunted by it.
”When you do something, you just have to wear your heart on your sleeve and then totally believe in what you’re doing. Not trying to do a better version, because I don’t think that’s possible. I just think you have to be true to your vision and hopefully people will enjoy it.”
The key to the production for Connor was going back and reading the original 1911 novel by French journalist Gaston Leroux. “What I really loved about reading it again with fresh eyes, sort of taking all the magic away from it, I wanted to just look at it and get under the fingernails of these people,” he says. “It just really struck me that these two people,” The Phantom and his young protégée, Christine Daae, “are incredibly lost in their lives, and they find themselves in this unique environment.
“I wanted to move away from the fantastical and fantasy part of it and get perhaps a little grittier, to emphasize the darker side of it all,” adds Connor. “To understand who these people are and make them real.”
The big visual effect in the show is, of course, the chandelier, which the Phantom sends crashing to the stage at the end of the first act. But because of safety considerations, the illuminated mother ship sort of floated down to the stage in a manner that was less than menacing. Has that been improved upon in the new production?
“I can confirm that this chandelier is extremely frightening,” says Connor. “It’s very, very different from the original. It doesn’t go anywhere near the stage, but is more present in the auditorium. I wanted the audience to really feel that this thing was going to hurt them. Beyond that, I won’t spoil it.”
The director feels that his production will draw a new audience to this classic tale and classic piece of theater. “We are lucky with the return audiences, but it’s been wonderful for me to have younger audiences come and be blown away by something that is so iconic. It’s wonderful that theater has the ability to adapt, that it’s ever-evolving, and I’m pleased to be part of the evolution of ‘Phantom.””
After 11,151 performances on Broadway as of mid-November, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical has a huge fan base, most of whom are undoubtedly drawn to this new production.
“Because I think if you love it, ‘Phantom’ is something that is in your DNA and you’re bound to love it again,” says Connor. “It should interest you and intrigue you to see it done in a very different way. It’s very rare that shows of that size and that caliber come into town. It’s just wonderful to see a show that’s every bit as large as a Broadway show finding itself in Fort Lauderdale. I think that’s reason enough.”
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Broward Center of the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Opens tonight, runs through Nov. 30. Tickets: $30-$95. Call:(800) 764-0700.