Posted March 17, 2016

By ZHIWEI XIA

Follow the melody sung by the character Christine about the Phantom being inside her mind: “That voice which calls to me and speaks my name, and do I dream again for now I find. The Phantom of the Opera is there. Inside my mind.”

“The Phantom of the Opera” stars Chris Mann and Katie Travis (Photo courtesy of the Arsht Center, photo by Matthew Murphy).

Now the “Phantom” is inside the Adrienne Arsht Center through Feb. 24 to March 6 at Miami.

As part of the new North American tour, the wonderful and powerful new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” has come to the Adrienne Arsht Center, produced by Cameron Mackintosh.

Image courtesy of the Arsht Center.

This new version of “Phantom” was directed by Laurence Conner, who was also the director of the 25th anniversary concert of “The Phantom of the Opera” at the Royal Albert Hall.

The show has a gorgeous and smart scene design, which was featured by Paul Brown. Audiences will also be impacted by that well-known and legendary chandelier, which has added a lot of spectacular special effects.

With the dedication of the Tony Award-winning original costume design, Maria Björnson, lighting designer, Tony Award winner Paule Constable, new choreographer by Scott Ambler, and the cast and orchestra of 52, all together can make the Phantom’s songs take flight. This is one of the largest and best productions on the tour.

“Phantom” is a triangular love story which was happened at Paris Opera House. The whole show is revolves around the love among the beautiful soprano Christine Daaé, her childhood friend, Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny and the dangerous disfigured genius, Phantom.

Despite the old-fashioned love theme and the competition among the many other different versions, this production still can attract the audiences and make them feel a sense of freshness by the charm of “Phantom.”

In this production, Phantom is played by Chris Mann, the former “Voice” performer who rose to fame as Christina Aguilera’s finalist on NBC’s “The Voice.”

The 33-year-old Mann, is a younger Phantom than the usual, but you won’t find this from his acting. He has an attractive voice full of power and dramatic tension to lure the audience to go into his isolated inward world. Audience members are enveloped by Phantom’s pain and charisma, no matter where they are sitting.

When Mann and Katie Travis, as Christine, sing the title song, the audiences will get goose bumps and be seduced into the world of Phantom, his lair. Audiences can feel the strong chemistry reaction between Travis and Storm Lineberger, as Raoul, when hearing them singing their love duet, “All I Ask of You.”

Listening to Katie Travis sing is a wonderful experience. She has a talented voice to cover the range of strong ballads and operatic trills. Her acting and the change of Christine’s characteristic has promoted the development of the whole show.

During the first scene in the lair of Phantom, she is an ingenue who is attracted by the talent of her music teacher. With Travis’s chanting of caution, the audiences will understand that rather than Christine being afraid of the Phantom, she is enamored by him during their first time face-to-face meeting.

When Travis sings “Wishing You were Somehow Here Again” in front of Christine’s father ‘s tomb, Christine becomes a more positive and independent character. This song can also be seen as a symbol that the innocence of Christine is gone.

Audience members are surprised when they see that the cylinder tower in the stage contains the office of the theater manager, Phantom’s lair, fabulous “Masquerade” ball, and the stairs to the lair. This tower helps the scenes transition smoothly.

Scene designer, Paul Brown, totally brings us back to the place when this story was happened. And the brilliant lighting design of Paule Constable uses light and shadow to deepen the depth of story and the scene. These two people have worked together very well to bring the story to the stage.

As the character Christine sings, “You have brought me, to that moment when words run dry. To that moment when speech disappears. Into silence, silence.” That is how she feels the power of Phantom. Come to the Adrienne Arsht Center and enjoy the power of silence and the charisma of the Angel of the Music.

• “The Phantom of the Opera”
• Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Lyricist: Charles Hart
• Director: Laurence Conner
• Producer: Cameron Mackintosh
• Starring: Chris Mann, Katie Travis, Storm Lineberger
• Location: Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.
• Running Period: 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday, through March 6.
• Run Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
• Intermissions: 1
• Parental Guide: 8+
• Cost: $39 to $225.
• Information: 305-949-6722 or www.arshtcenter.org.
• Rating: (5/5)