Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” opened Feb. 14 to a packed McCrary Theatre in the Center for the Arts, making it the one of the largest debut crowds for a theatrical event in Elon University history with tens of thousands of dollars raised for the Performing Arts Scholarship Fund.
All seven shows scheduled between the premiere and Feb. 19 have been sold out for weeks, and the department raised just shy of $50,000 in scholarship money through its opening night advanced ticket sales. Top donors who purchased tickets for opening night – the only show where Phoenix cards and Family IDs were not valid – had the opportunity to take a backstage tour before curtain call.
From the costume shop to the stage sets, close to three dozen university supporters marveled at the seven months of work that went into the show.
“I’ve been hearing about this for months,” said Joanne Weed, whose daughter, Elon freshman music theatre major Barrett Weed, said of the tour. “This is very, very impressive, just the number of hours that have gone into tonight.”
Elon was selected by R&H Theatricals, a division of The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, as one of six pilot productions in anticipation of the show’s eventual release into the community, regional and school theatrical market.
Working from the same script and score that is currently being performed every night on Broadway, in London’s West End, and on U.S. National Tour, the production at Elon will provide R&H Theatricals with the roadmap for future local stagings of the musical.
“We’ve worked exceptionally hard, and when you see a production like this, it is ultimately the product of 100 people or more,” said Catherine McNeela, the show’s director and a professor of performing arts, who said that the show provides, “heart, in a word, and a connection with people on stage. I think you really get to care about these characters.”
Based on the novel “Le Fantôme de l’Opéra” by Gaston Leroux, “The Phantom of the Opera” features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe. The musical’s world premiere occurred at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London, in October of 1986, where it is still playing. It subsequently opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theater in January 1988, where it is also still playing, making it the longest running show in Broadway history.
“The Phantom of the Opera” has been produced in hundreds of cities in more than 20 countries around the world, and seen by an estimated worldwide audience of 80 million people to date. It has received more than 50 major theatre awards, among them seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. In 2004 it was made into a major feature film directed by Joel Schumacher.
“This is the largest scale production we’ve ever done,” said Fred Rubeck, chair of the performing arts department at Elon. “This is an incredible opportunity for us to have been selected.”
In addition to McNeela, the show contains musical direction by associate professor Ken Lee, choreography by assistant professor Lynne Formato, sets by associate professor Dale Becherer, lighting design by assistant professor Bill Webb and costumes by assistant professor Jack Smith.