(Production photo from MASQUERADE. Photo credit Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

by Tim Leininger

NEW YORK — Travel through the Paris Palais Garnier, or the Paris Opéra House or L’Opéra Populaire if you prefer, as a guest during their smashing masquerade ball featuring a retelling of the horrific events of the mysterious opera ghost in a new, immersive reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. Rechristened Masquerade, the musical is located at 218 W. 57^th St., features the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and book by Stilgoe and Lloyd Webber, and is directed by Diane Paulus.

            Masquerade is a thrilling way to experience Phantom of the Opera, but it may not be for everyone. It’s cramped at times, and you’re close enough to the performers that you’re more likely to be showered by them than seeing Just in Time when Jonathan Groff was in the cast. So, germaphobes and people who suffer from claustrophobia will likely not take much pleasure in this environment. There is also a lot of walking up and down stairs, so if mobility is a concern, I encourage you to use the elevators that are available.

            Otherwise, Masquerade is a unique theatrical experience in the spirit of other immersive theater events that have come through New York like Sleep No More and Then She Fell. Masquerade isn’t as free roaming, as the musical narrative must be maintained. The premise is that we the audience are attending a masquerade ball at the L’Opéra Populaire. Madame Giry, played by Claire Leyden at the performance I attended, is our host as she escorts us into the opera house with the assistance of an excellent violin soloist (Sami Merdinian at my performance). After a brief introduction we go into the ball, opening the show with the song “Masquerade,” which was the Act II opener of the musical originally.

Treating Masquerade as a retelling of the events of the Phantom (Nicholas Edwards at my performance) and his pursuit of Christine Daaé, (Eryn LeCroy at my performance), allows the concept of this reimagining to work. We are swept away as the story becomes more immersive, until we are reliving the events, seeing Christine rise to acclaim at the opera to her abduction by the Phantom, the fateful performance of Il Muto, the horrific events of Don Juan Triumphant, and the final confrontation between the Phantom, Christine, and her lover Raoul (Gregory Lee Rodriguez at my performance). There are additional scenes not in the original production of Phantom of the Opera, following the Phantom as a freak in the carnival circuit when he was a child. These scenes add an additional layer of development to the character of the Phantom, which are entertaining if a bit unnecessary, as I have always preferred the Phantom to be as much of a mystery as possible.

(Production Photo from MASQUERADE. Photo Credit Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Regardless, the immersive nature of Masquerade allows for some engaging individual interactions with the cast. For example, at one point, the audience is split into smaller groups and my group was led into Christine’s dressing room where she is preparing for Don Juan Triumphant. At one point she passed her dress for the opera to me to hold for her as she prepared for the performance. Firmin and Andre (Alex Ross and Schyler Vargas respectively at the performance I was in attendance), the two new opera owners, come in at one point and lead a bit of improvisation with the audience about the validity and quality of the new opera penned by the Phantom.

Being this close to the cast improves upon Phantom of the Opera in one significant way. When watching the musical in its traditional format, in a large theater, unless you have a superb actor playing the Phantom, it’s near impossible to catch the nuance of his performance, because of how much the mask and makeup disguises what the actor is doing. That is not a problem here. At one point, he was standing right over me from behind where I was able to get a great vantage of his performance, and most any other place in the performance spaces throughout the building allows for a close observation of the actor and the choices he makes.

(Production Photo from MASQUERADE. Photo Credit Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

Masquerade does have a fairly strict dress code. People are expected to dress the part for a black tie event and, if possible, bring your own mask. The theater does provide masks, but they aren’t entirely comfortable, and I suggest taking the time to find your own that fits you physically as well as your personality. The more you play your role in the show, the more you’ll enjoy it.

Masquerade is performed in a sort of round. As one group of audiences enter, another is being prepared for the show to happen again with some different casting. This is beneficial to fit six performances in a night with six different actors credited for the major roles that stay with their assigned audience, while some of the smaller roles are able to bounce from one performance to another. It’s an impressive bit of timing and juggling of casts, and as far I could see, it works almost seamlessly with ushers moving the audience as quickly as possible from scene to scene, including an outdoor passage on the roof of the theater.

(Production Photo from MASQUERADE. Photo Credit Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

There have been changes in productions of The Phantom of the Opera, including the touring production from about 10-12 years ago with the hideous cylindrical set piece. Some changes work, some don’t. Masquerade, though, is a superbly intimate, immersive production that allows for details to be shown to the audience that a more traditional production will never allow. It has its limitations with its claustrophobic environment, but if you ever wanted to get up close and personal with the Phantom, Christine, and the rest of the or L’Opéra Populaire, this is a show you don’t want to miss.

TICKETS: https://masqueradenyc.com/

PRODUCTION: Based on the original musical The Phantom of the Opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Directed by Diane Paulus.

CAST

Matthew Curiano as André

Chris Ryan, Charles Osborne as Barker

Maxfield Haynes, Kody Jauron, Kevin Zambrano as Boy in the Cage

Jacob Lacopo, Cooper Stanton as Buquet

Nicole Ferguson, Satomi Hofmann, Tia Karaplis as Carlotta

Anna Monoxide as Blockhead

Laura Lee Anderson as Carny

Haile Ferrier, Eryn Lecroy, Addie Morales, Francesca Mehrotra, Riley Noland, Kaley Ann Voorhees as Christine

Ensemble: Gabriella Enriquez, Nkrumah Gatling, Maxfield Haynes, Kody Jauron, Nathan Keen, Jacob Lacopo, Georgia Mendes, Charles Osborne, Chris Ryan, Jeremy Stolle, Olivia Tarchick, Cooper Stanton, Kevin Zambrano

Alex Ross as Firmin

Nicole Ferguson, Satomi Hofmann, Tia Karaplis, Liz Pearce as Giry

Joseph Kerr as Master of Pyromancy

Haile Ferrier, Eryn LeCroy, Francesca Mehrotra, Georgia Mendes, Addie Morales, Riley Noland, Kaley Ann Voorhees as Meg

Quentin Earl Darrington, Telly Leung, Kyle Scatliffe, Clay Singer, Ryan Vona, Nik Walker as Phantom

Sean Seamus Thompson as Piangi

Nicholas Edwards, Francisco Javier Gonzalez, Dan Hoy as Raoul

Thierry de Lucas Nevees, Bryan Hernandez-Luch, Sami Merdinian, Ben Russell, Nikita Yermak as Violinist