BYU's Phantom of the Opera

BYU recently put on The Phantom of the Opera and I was lucky enough to get a ticket before it sold out. I had never seen The Phantom live before, so it was a really amazing experience and the production was put together really well. My favorite scene was the opening scene when they uncovered the chandelier with the organ playing the phantom theme. They rigged the chandelier so that it slowly rose from the ground and came to hang directly over the audience in the center of the de Jong hall. As the chandelier made it’s way to the ceiling, the cloth covering the theater on stage fell off piece by piece in the foggy, flashing light, creating a really cool effect of rippling cloth in the air.

It’s amazing to see how producers can affect the audience by using scenes like this. It was exciting to be a part of the audience as this scene took place and I don’t think I could have left the theater hall at that moment if I had to. I think it was just the combination of the music that we all know so well, the visual affect of the rippling cloth and the beautiful theater behind it, the adrenaline of going to the show, and, of course, the excitement at knowing what is coming next. It was basically just an amazing experience.