By Richard Schultz, June 2015 Issue.
The Phantom of the Opera
ASU Gammage
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic antagonist and tragic love interest returns for what promises to be a fresh mounting of this Broadway blockbuster. Following an acclaimed – and sold-out – tour of the United Kingdom, Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of this phenomenal musical success stops in Tempe as a part of a brand-new North American Tour.
Based on the 1910 horror novel by Gaston Leroux, which has been adapted into countless films, The Phantom of the Opera follows a deformed composer who haunts the grand Paris Opera House. Sheltered from the outside world in an underground cavern, the lonely, romantic man tutors and composes operas for Christine, a gorgeous young soprano star-to-be.
As Christine’s star rises and a handsome suitor from her past enters the picture, the Phantom grows mad, terrorizing the opera house owners and company with his murderous ways. Still, Christine finds herself drawn to the mystery man.
This touring production features a new production design and is staged by director Laurence Connor. The show includes many special effects, including the legendary chandelier accompanied by the beloved score with songs like “Music of the Night,” “All I Ask Of You,” and “Masquerade,” performed by a cast and orchestra of 52.
The cast is led by Chris Mann (pictured) as the Phantom. Mann rose to fame as Christina Aguilera’s finalist on NBC’s “The Voice.” Since then, his debut album, Roads, hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart and he’s starred in his own PBS television special, “A Mann For All Seasons.”
Katie Travis portrays Christine, the opera protégée, with Storm Lineberger as Rauol, Christine’s young suitor.
The Phantom of the Opera
May 27-June 7
ASU Gammage
1200 S. Forest Ave., Tempe
Tickets: $20-$175; 480-965-3434
One Man, Two Guvnors
Phoenix Theater
Hailed as “one of the most hilarious shows” in British theatre history, Richard Bean’s zany comedy One Man, Two Guvnors boasts seven 2012 Tony Award nominations.
Ron May, director of Buyer and Cellar, graces the Phoenix Theatre stage for the first time as Francis Henshall, who takes the dubious position as guardian of Roscoe Crabbe, a small-time East End hoodlum. When Francis takes a second job minding Stanley Stubbers, another fishy criminal hiding from the police, he employs elaborate shenanigans to keep his two guvnors apart.
Directed by resident dramaturge Pasha Yamotahari, this comedy romp is peppered with athletic pratfalls, playful choreography and punctuated by a jovial score.
“This is a gathering of the best comedic actors in the Valley spending two hours of fun showcasing the very best in comedy through physical farce, dialogue gymnastics and hilarious song and dance,” Yamotahari said.
One Man, Two Guvnors
Through June 14
Phoenix Theatre
100 E. McDowell Road., Phoenix
Tickets: $30-$80; 602-254-2151
A Chorus Line
Mesa Encore Theatre
A Chorus Line was not just another hit show. It spoke to, and for, a generation. For those who loved it, the theater was forever changed, and lives forever enriched by this “singular sensation.”
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama, and celebrating its 40th anniversary, this legendary musical tells the story of the unsung heroes of the Broadway musical – the dedicated, talented and overworked chorus dancers.
This nine-time Tony-Award winning musical and dance spectacular brings to life the dream, the thrill and the hope of the Broadway audition. Memorable musical numbers by the late Marvin Hamlisch include “What I Did for Love,” “I Hope I Get It” and the show-stopping “One.”
The audience experiences the final grueling audition run by the director, Zach, for a new Broadway musical. At the beginning of the show, Zach, a driven, compulsive worker, has assembled 30 semifinalists and is putting them through a vigorous series of dance combinations, including ballet and jazz.
Soon, he narrows this group down to the final 16 – eight boys and eight girls – and will eventually cut this number in half. Instead of having them read a short audition scene, Zach wants to elicit a personal history from each one: how they got into “show business,” why they became dancers, and what their hopes, fantasies and aspirations are. As he calls upon them individually, they react in every possible way, from bravado to reticence.
Fountain Hills Theater’s artistic director Peter J. Hill directs a talented cast including Audrey Sullivan as Cassie, Jacqueline Notorio as Sheila, Megan Rose as Diana and Jean-Paoul Clemente as Zach.
A Chorus Line
May 22-June 7
Mesa Encore Theatre, Mesa Arts Center
1 E. Main St., Mesa
Tickets: $29; 480-644-6500
Theatre Artists Studio
Memory and fantasy intrude in Tina Howe’s drama, Painting Churches, of a family in which the parents are in decline from their artistically productive years and the daughter, Mags, is moving up. Her feelings for them are part love and part resentment toward what she sees as their self-centered interference with her own artistic development and triumphs.
Gardner and Fanny Church are preparing to move out of their Beacon Hill house to their summer cottage on Cape Cod. Gardner, a once-famous poet, now is retired. He slips in and out of senility as his wife Fanny valiantly tries to keep them both afloat. They have asked Mags to come home and help them move. She agrees, for she hopes as well to finally paint their portrait. She is now on the verge of artistic celebrity herself and hopes, by painting her parents, to come to terms with them and they with her.
This theatrical family portrait, directed by Dolores Goldsmith, features Patti Davis Suarez, Dee Rich and Tony Hodges.
Painting Churches
May 22-June 7
Theatre Artists Studio
4848 E. Cactus Road, #406, Scottsdale
Tickets: $20; 602-765-0120
