NewsPHOTO EXCLUSIVE: The Phantom Haunts Philly; Behind the Chandelier at the Newly-Revised Phantom of the Opera TourA new national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera launched Nov. 27, 2013, in Providence, RI, and has been making its way across the U.S. Cast member Nick Cartell shares these exclusive shots from a recent stop in the City of Brotherly Love.
By
Matthew Blank
May 21, 2014
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PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: The Phantom Haunts Philly; Behind the Chandelier at the Newly-Revised Phantom of the Opera Tour
PHOTO EXCLUSIVE: The Phantom Haunts Philly; Behind the Chandelier at the Newly-Revised Phantom of the Opera Tour
A new national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera launched Nov. 27, 2013, in Providence, RI, and has been making its way across the U.S. Cast member Nick Cartell shares these exclusive shots from a recent stop in the City of Brotherly Love.
37 PHOTOS
Welcome to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love! Home to The Liberty Bell…
Nick Cartell
Independence Hall…
Nick Cartell
Cheese Steaks…
Nick Cartell
… and for the past month, Cameron Mackintosh’s Spectacular New Production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera!
Nick Cartell
Come with me as I take you backstage at the Academy of Music here in Philly for a behind-the-scenes look at our incredible show!
The Academy of Music, also known as the Grand Old Lady of Broad Street, is the oldest opera house in America and has seen countless great performances.
Nick Cartell
The stage door entrance with gas lamps burning day and night.
Nick Cartell
The glorious interior. It reminds us all of the Paris Opera House, the setting for (the strange affair of) The Phantom of the Opera.
Nick Cartell
The view from the one of the 4 balconies. Here is our stage and LOT 666, the Chandelier!
Nick Cartell
In every city, the layout of each theatre is different, so signage is important.
Nick Cartell
Our call board, with updates about schedule, travel information and the always important sign-in sheet!
Nick Cartell
Edward Staudenmayer signs in early for this evening’s performance.
Nick Cartell
Our backstage changing areas, also lovingly referred to as Wardrobe Village. With so many quick changes during the show, this is where most of our costumes live.
Nick Cartell
Jamie Johns, our Associate Music Director, leads the cast through a daily vocal warmup.
Nick Cartell
For a show like this, we always make sure that our voices are in tip-top shape before stepping out on stage. It’s also a chance for our fantastic Corps de Ballet to warm up for the show.
Nick Cartell
And as with every Friday Night, Edward Juvier has the bucket ready for Dollar Friday! It’s a fun game we love to play to get us ready for the weekend.
Nick Cartell
Backstage, the calm before the storm. Costumes are set in the men’s changing area.
Nick Cartell
Austin Rodriguez, our Prop Master, busy preparing the props to be used on stage that night.
Nick Cartell
A shot of the dressing room table used in the Il Muto opera scene.
Nick Cartell
Our wig stations backstage, AKA the coolest place on deck. Here Hailei Call, our Wig Supervisor, makes sure that everything is set and ready for a Friday night show!
Nick Cartell
Feathers and pins ready for Act 2
Nick Cartell
And my soldier wig for the top of the show. I get to rock this beard 8 times a week!
Nick Cartell
Here we go!
Nick Cartell
Celia Hottenstein gets her wig and tiara placed just right at the 5-minutes-to-places call.
Nick Cartell
Mark Emerson puts on his side burns and mustache to help him transform into our illustrious Auctioneer.
Nick Cartell
Monsieur LeFèvre, Jay Lusteck, makes sure that his mustache has just the right amount of curl.
Nick Cartell
PLACES PLEASE! Ready for top of show.
Nick Cartell
Our three fops for the Il Muto scene. Edward Juvier, the Jeweler…
Nick Cartell
Amy Justman the Confidante…
Nick Cartell
...and Merritt David Janes as the Hairdresser!
Nick Cartell
Chilling before the end of Act 1.
Nick Cartell
One of many moments where we are providing backstage vocals. These moments are not pre-recorded, folks. Live every night!
Nick Cartell
A shot of just a couple of our more than 400 props used in the show.
Nick Cartell
A couple pictures of our set…
Nick Cartell
...which is huge and awe-inspiring. Again, spectacular and new.
Nick Cartell
Thanks for coming with me backstage! Gotta run… Hannibal comes! I told you, I ROCK that beard.
Nick Cartell
And a parting shot of our glorious Chandelier. It’s incredible watching this rise (and fall) every night and I hope you will come and visit us as we tour across the country!
Laurence Connor, who also directed the returns of Miss Saigon and Les Misérables, stages this new production of Phantom that was first seen in March 2012 in Plymouth, England, and has been popular on a U.K. tour. The tour retains the late Maria Björnson's original, Tony Award-winning costume design.
The tour is led by Cooper Grodin (Into the Woods, The Golden Land, Les Misérables) as the Phantom and newcomer Julia Udine as Christine. The company also features Ben Jacoby as Raoul, Jacquelynne Fontaine as Carlotta Giudicelli, Linda Balgord as Madame Giry, Frank Viveros as Ubaldo Piangi, Hannah Florence as Meg Giry, Brad Oscar as Monsieur Firmin and Edward Staudenmayer as Monsieur André.
Completing the company are Adam Bashian, Nick Cartell, Dan Debenport, Amy Decker, Mark Emerson, Michael Thomas Holmes, Celia Hottenstein, Christopher Howard, Merritt David Janes, Amy Justman, Edward Juvier, Dustin Layton, Luke Lazzaro, Jay Lusteck, Katie McCreary, Grace Morgan, Christy Morton, Quinto Ott, Eric Ruiz and Marguerite Willbanks. The Corps de Ballet includes Morgan Cowling, Anjelica Bette Fellini, Ramona Kelley, Abigail Mentzer, Lily Rose Peck, Tara Sweeney and Micki Weiner.
This new Phantom has choreography by Scott Ambler, set design by Paul Brown, lighting design by Paule Constable, sound design by Mick Potter and musical supervision by John Rigby.
"It's wonderful to have a new production of Phantom touring America in the same year that the show celebrates 25 years on Broadway. Director Laurence Connor has done an amazing job and this production has received huge critical acclaim in the UK," Lloyd Webber said in a statement.
The current tour itinerary for Phantom follows:
Greenville, SC, The Peace Center (May 14-25) Schenectady, NY, Proctors (May 28-June 8) Appleton, WI, Fox Cities PAC (June 11-22) Boston, MA, Boston Opera House (June 26-July 20) Milwaukee, WI Uihlein Hall (July 23-Aug. 3) Des Moines, IA Civic Center (Sept. 10-21) The Phantom of the Opera has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and book by Richard Stilgoe and Lloyd Webber, based on the Gaston Leroux novel about a deformed musical genius who lives in the bowels of the Paris Opera House and tutors a young soprano.
Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Lloyd Webber.
Since its debut, The Phantom of the Opera has grossed more than $890 million on Broadway. The musical's worldwide gross is estimated at over $5.6 billion.
