The 'Music of the Night' Plays
Again at the Kennedy Center
By Sr. Mary Ann Walsh
HERALD
Columnist
Song and spectacle entertain the
audience at the Kennedy Center Opera House where Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s most famous musical, "The Phantom of the
Opera," plays through Oct. 4.
From the first mini-explosion that
opens the show to the last scene’s candlelit boat ride, the operatic
musical is a modern theatre-goer’s delight...
..."Notes," the two
musical numbers comprised of a series of written messages from the
Phantom, is funny and handled so well that each time a piece of paper
is delivered, the entire audience smiles and thinks, "What
now?" Monsieur Andre (Ian
Jon Bourg)and Monsieur Firmin
(Donn Cook) are precisely synchronized as they quickly sing the
threatening messages and stage direction from the dyspeptic Phantom.
"Phantom" became a
classic the night it opened in London over a decade ago. Its
popularity may be growing stronger even now, going into the third
millennium, when interest in all that is eerie, such as the TV program
X-Files, is on the increase. For those who want their eerie
experiences wrapped in ethereal sound, "The Phantom of the
Opera" provides a delightful trip into another world.
Copyright ©1997
Arlington Catholic Herald, Inc. All rights reserved
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- The Phantom of the Opera
- variety.com
Oct. 17, 1997
Ron Bohmer (Phantom), Sandra Joseph (Christine), Lawrence Anderson
(Raoul), Patricia Hurd (Carlotta), Donn Cook (Monsieur
Firmin), Ian
Jon Bourg (Monsieur
André), Olga Talyn (Madam Giry), Mark Calkins (Ubaldo Piangi), Jennifer
Dawn Stillings (Meg), Glenn White (Monsieur Reyer), Chip Huddleston
(Buquet); Lawson Skala, Antonio Lopez, David Loring, Fredric S. Scheff, Robert Hovencamp, Dorene Falcetta,
Erick Buckley, Mary Jo McConnell, Paula LoVerne, Amy Jo Arrington, Sharon Wheatley, Joan
Eubank.
By JULIO MARTINEZ
...In a company of outstanding performances, mention must be made of Ian Jon Bourg
- and Donn Cook as
the comically inept opera entrepreneurs, Olga Talyn as the darkly mysterious ballet
mistress Madame Giry, and Jennifer Dawn Stillings as her sprightly
- dancing daughter,
Meg...
- February 20, 1998
The Herald
- 'A' For Effort Phantom players do the
best they can with Andrew Lloyd Webber's weakest work. ...Other high points in the cast
include the captivating Olga Talyn as Madame Giry and Ian Jon
Bourg as Monsieur André.
Consummate performers, these two give superior performances which have impressive
complexity and offer much needed comedic respite from the whole "opera ghost"
business...
- March 23, 1998
LAVISH 'PHANTOM' TRUE TO ITS SPIRIT
By Richard Christiansen
Tribune Chief Critic
- ... Donn Cook and
Ian Jon Bourg are the
Opera House's comic-relief owners, and Olga Talyn is the spooky ballet mistress in
cahoots with the Phantom...
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Theater Review
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'Phantom' offers drama, suspense
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Campus Times
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November 13, 1998
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by Araceli Esparza
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Editorial Director
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Several hundred "phans" of Andrew Lord Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera"
have crowded the seats of the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles during the
last 11 weeks to witness the fifth-longest running musical in history...
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Through "The Phantom of the Opera," Webber (also known for his work in "Cats" and "Evita") sets the scene at an opera house in which cast members are preparing for the play "Hannibal." During rehearsals, retiring house manager Monsieur
Lafévre, played by Robert Hildreth, introduces new managers
Monsieur's Firmin and André (Chip Huddleston and Ian Jon
Bourg) and shows them
around the stage.
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Phantom of the Opera
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By Amy Yarnall
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December 15, 1998
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The Phantom of The Opera echoed in and out of the great walls
of the Pantages Theatre in L.A. On the night of Friday, October 17th, it
sent hundreds of spectators into an amazement that filled their eyes and
ears. Crowds of people stood in line, waiting for the door man to lead them
to what would be a spectacular event...
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Ian Jon Bourg played the role of the Phantom.
Bourg, who gained his fame
by his work in contemporary musicals, gave such songs as
Angel of
Music, The Music of the Night and The Phantom of
the Opera , a rich quality that only a baritone voice could achieve.
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All of the passion that each performer possessed and their experience contributed
to the overall effect that I think Webber and Hart wanted the public to witness.
However, Bourg, Danvers, and Adams were not the only members that brought
this play to life. It was the set designers, props, and extras that helped
make Phantom remarkable.
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