Cudia and Barisich Play Rivals in Phantom Tour Starting Nov. 26

By Kenneth Jones
October 1, 2008

John Cudia and Kyle Barisich will be joining the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, as the Phantom and Raoul, respectively, beginning with the San Francisco engagement Nov. 26, 2008-Jan. 4, 2009.

Both actors are veterans of the production, directed by Harold Prince. Cudia had an early summer stint as the Phantom on Broadway, at the Majestic. Their characters vie for the affections of an impressionable soprano, Christine (played by Trista Moldovan), who is easily seduced by masked men lurking behind the walls of the Paris Opera House.

Performances will play the Orpheum Theatre. San Francisco's relationship with Phantom began in November 1993 when the first national tour opened and played a record-breaking, five-year (266-week) premiere engagement at the Curran Theatre through December 1998.

The 36-member company also includes Kim Stengel as Carlotta Giudicelli, D.C. Anderson as Monsieur André, Bruce Winant as Monsieur Firmin, Anne Kanengeiser as Madame Giry, John Whitney as Ubaldo Piangi and Jessi Ehrlich as Meg. At certain performances, Kelly Jeanne Grant plays the role of Christine.

The Phantom of the Opera is based on the novel by Gaston Leroux and has music by Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

For tickets to the San Francisco engagement, visit shnsf.com, call Ticketmaster at (415) 512-7770 or visit the Orpheum Theatre box office (1192 Market at 8th St.).