Here’s probably something you don’t know about Rebecca Pitcher, who plays Christine in The Phantom of the Opera. She is, as FARIDUL ANWAR FARINORDIN finds out, a yoga instructor!
 

BROADWAY performers Brad Little and Rebecca Pitcher are reunited on stage at Esplanade Theatre in Singapore for the current touring production of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s multi award-winning musical The Phantom of the Opera.
Unlike the last time they were together, there’s something different about the Phantom’s favourite chorus girl character Christine this time around.

Pitcher, who plays Christine, is a yogi —and a certified Bikram yoga instructor at that.
Asked if there’s any difference in the way Pitcher interprets her character now compared to how it was back then, Little replied with a hearty laugh: "I guess she’s more flexible now."

"She tries — oh she tries to get me into one of her classes, and she’s still trying. But the Phantom doesn’t do yoga, especially Bikram yoga, which I also call the hot box yoga. I feel like I’m already doing hot box yoga on stage every night with the mask and make-up on."

Little was speaking to reporters at a Press conference in Singapore recently, a day before the gala premiere of the show (which fell on the sixth day of the performance after it opened on March 23).

Joining him were Pitcher, the show’s musical supervisor Guy Noble, Tim McFarlane, managing director of Sydney-based The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific (RUCAP) which produces the show (an arm under Webber-owned The Really Useful Group Limited or RUG) and the company’s associate choreographer Patricia Merrin.

Little, who achieved cult status in Asia (fan websites devoted to the Phantom are mushrooming) shortly after the regional tour started a few years ago, said he didn’t expect such a degree of enthusiasm.

"It’s one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. It’s a wonderful honour to perform the show for the audience, many of whom are watching it for the first time. It feels like I am part of history all over again. (The show first opened in 1986 with Michael Crawford playing the title role)."

Pitcher said she was "a little nervous" on the first night. "There are things different to what I was used to, especially the changes in choreography —I’d turn to one direction and suddenly see the other cast members going another direction. But it has been a lot of fun."

The run in Singapore is probably going to be her last in her role as Christine. "I have played her for 10 years and I thought this (tour) is a neat way to leave the show. I don’t know... I have had four closing nights and kept coming back!"
Excerpts of the show were performed to the media before the interview. During the performance of Prima Donna, cast members Pauline Du Plesis (Carlotta), Anders Sohlman (Andre) and John O’ May (Firmin) hold a note longer than before — raising a few eyebrows(especially mine).

Responding to this, Noble said the show is a "living, breathing" piece of art and therefore, some aspects of the show "undergo changes within certain perimeters of the production".

"It’s (the changes) actually a good thing. It shows that the show is alive. It’s like an opera that can stand little changes. Certain singers have certain abilities. Some Phantoms can hold the high note longer at the end of the phrase "where you long to be!" (in the song Music of the Night) and some don’t."

Except for the small things that each cast member brings, which is part of its organic process, the show has not changed much at all. He added that while some shows change with time, The Phantom never did —yes, even after the release of the 2004 film version directed and co-written by Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Batman Forever).

"It has been what it was since its first preview at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London in 1986," explained assistant director Rainer Fried, who worked with the show’s director Harold Price "way back when I first started working on the show in Hamburg."
What is great about the Singaporean run of the show, he said, is the return of the original lighting designer, three-time Tony Award-winner Andrew Bridge.

"He created some real magic for the show —with some lighting equipment upgraded."
Fried added that the company’s ensemble of international cast and orchestra members also contributed to the show’s creative input.

Apart from the two American leads, the ensemble includes actors from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Sweden.

According to McFarlane, who brought the show to Singapore 12 years ago, significant developments in the performance arts in Singapore and the region have contributed to the growing number of sophisticated theatre-goers.
"Over the years, with the building of new theatre facilities and visits by touring theatre companies, the audience has become more appreciative and knowledgeable of the craft. Back then, they didn’t pick up the small nuances and comic elements in some of the scenes. Now, they are all laughing."

Apart from The Phantom, past Webber’s productions produced by RUCAP in this region are Cats (which also opened in Malaysia in 2003), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Evita.

"There has been an explosion of interest in Western musical theatres in Asia generally," he said.
"We’re back touring Cats again. We opened a new production in Taiwan and it’s going to Korea shortly before going to China."

It’s rumoured that a new production of Bombay Dreams for Asia (which premiered in 2002 in London, with music by A.R Rahman and which starred Stephen Rahman Hughes) is in the pipeline. "We have other plans (for new touring productions in Asia) but we don’t want to announce it yet," McFarlane said.

The Phantom of the Opera at Esplanade Theatre in Singapore is presented by DBS Bank and produced by The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific in association with Lunchbox Theatrical Productions Limited and David Atkins Enterprises.
Tickets are priced between S$40 and S$180. They are available through Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg). Also available are student tickets and family packages.

The show is one of the events listed under "A Luxe Affair: Sheer Splendour In Singapore", a newly-created banner under the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). "A Luxe Affair" is part of STB's series of marketing and promotional campaign to double the number of visitors to the country from 8.5 million to 17 million by the year 2015. Details are available at www.visitsingapore.com/aluxeaffair

With its outstanding cast, goosebump-causing music, brilliant set and mega-lavish costumes, this long-running Broadway musical has hypnotized millions around the world over the last 21 years.
Once again, it has arrived in Singapore after a 12-year absence, blowing away the audience from head to toe, bringing the man in the mask back to his faithful fans.

Carrying my beating heart filled with anticipation and thrill, I entered the sophisticated Singapore Esplanade Theater on Wednesday, April 28. The venue has hosted famous Broadway musicals such as Mamma Mia, The Sound of Music, West Side Story and many more.

Actually to be there to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterpiece, I had to pinch myself. Based on Gaston Leroux's novel of the same name, The Phantom of the Opera is a heart-shattering story of love, revenge and devotion.
It tells the story of a mysterious phantom who lives far beneath the Paris Opera House and falls in love with a young beautiful singer, Christine; he devotes his time and energy to breeding a new opera star.

Conflict gets intense with the presence of Raoul, Christine's other love interest. The Phantom continues with his ambition toward Christine and, simultaneously, brings terror to residents of the Opera House.

The entire cast deserves a big hand. Brad Little and Rebecca Pitcher deliver an impeccably sweeping performance as Phantom and Christine, injecting the theater with overwhelming emotion as they show amazing consistency in energy and undying chemistry.
Pitcher steals the heart of the audience from the first time she treats us to her rich, enthralling vocals in Think of Me.
Or when she sings her heart out with Raoul on the opera house's rooftop in All I Ask of You, one of the musical's phenomenal hits.
Having taken the role of the Phantom in more than 2,000 performances around the world, Brad Little is a highly praised actor with a powerful presence on stage and a voice that will take your breath away.

He has the remarkable ability to breathe the Phantom's soul into every scene in which he appears. Whether he is physically there or only in the form of vocals that reached every corner of Esplanade -- he creates such a deep intensity that it sweeps you off your feet.
It was not easy, either, to forget the equally ravishing Carlotta, played by Pauline du Plessis. Especially when she radiated charm in the amusing Prima Donna scene.

Speaking of the scenes, one of the most memorable was the mind-blowing moment when the Phantom abducts Christine to where he lives far beneath the opera house.

I mean, who would not be mesmerized by those candles that emerge from the surface, layered with luminous, gleaming, bluish lighting adorned with a smoke effect that create a mysterious aura as the boat he rows glides along that "underground canal" so smoothly?
Or how the chandelier could swing dramatically before it finally lands on the stage with its dying blink? Wasn't it such an amusing little twist as well, remembering how the Phantom suddenly shows himself in spots you never thought before? Hats off to the creative team.
The audience will never forget how the Phantom unexpectedly appears to sing an emotionally charged reprise of All I Ask of You to Christine.

The impressive production design reminds me of the chandelier, which is obviously the most talk-about "icon" from Phantom of the Opera apart from the his famous mask.

What next? I would say the gorgeous-looking costumes with rich countless details that shine so glamorously. The spellbinding wardrobe designs are most apparent in the "Masquerade" scene.

Call me a sentimental soul, but it sent shivers down my spine when the Phantom sobbed on the floor while expressing his love, Christine's white bridal veil clutched tightly in his hand.

As a legendary Broadway musical show, The Phantom has won various accolades including 1998 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Leading Actor/Actress, Director, Set Design, Costume and Lighting.

With a cast of 135, including crew and orchestra from various parts of the world, this Singapore season of The Phantom is produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and David Atkins Enterprises collaborating with The Really Useful Company Singapore.
The producers have brought a series of awesome musicals to Singapore over recent years including Cats, Miss Saigon and Chicago, to name a few.

Assistant director Rainer Fried, musical supervisor Guy Noble and associate choreographer Patricia Merrin are some of the key team members who are internationally renowned in the arts and entertainment industry.
Tickets are being snapped up faster than expected, say the management.

Don't want to miss the thrilling experience? Lucky you: Due to the overwhelming public response, the show's run has been extended through May 13.

It's time to see one of the world's greatest theatrical performances for yourself. Otherwise, you haven't lived.

The Phantom of the Opera is showing at Esplanade Theater through May 13. Tickets are available through www.sistic.com.sg or hotline: (65) 6348 5555 or Smailing Tour & Travel, Jakarta, Smailing Tour Building, Jl Majapahit 28, Jakarta 10160

JASON CHEAH flew down to Singapore last week to watch the gala performance of the musical of musicals, The Phantom of the Opera.

As of this year, there have been, apparently, 40 film adaptations of Gaston Leroux’s Le Fantôme de l’Opéra (The Phantom of the Opera). Forty, including shorts, cartoons, TV films and variants, stretching back to the famous silent movie in 1925 and then further back to 1916, when a German version was released.

So the story of a chorus girl being something of a protege of that “Angel of Music” – that disfigured phantom with the mask who lives in the bowels of the Paris Opera House – isn’t exactly new.

Yet, there really has only been one stage/musical version of real significance. And this musical of musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber was inspired by the original novel itself.

It has been some 12 years since the musical was last staged in this region (at Kallang Theatre, Singapore), and Singaporeans must think themselves lucky to have snagged this current run at the Esplanade Theatre as well.

A gigantic set, reputedly larger than the London West End setting, was the backdrop for stars Brad Little and Rebecca Pitcher, for whom this was a reunion in more ways than one.

Both have played the roles thousands of times, and the bulk of those together.

Of course, for the audience – new and old; those who have yet to watch the live stage version or are already familiar with the most recent movie version of the musical starring Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum and Minnie Drive – the music comes to the fore.

While Pitcher’s more classical approach may not have been the favourite of recent critiques, she still managed to balance the purity of tone needed for the part of Christine with her lyric coloratura soprano stylings. Her highlights were the Phantom of the Opera and All I Ask of You.

Singing the part of Raoul, Viscomte de Chagny, for the gala performance on March 28, was David Somerville (listed in the programme as understudy) and not John Bowles, as listed in the souvenir programme.

While it seemed that initially Somerville took a little time to warm up (perhaps a little more intimacy was needed in his rendition of All I Ask of You, which he sang with Pitcher), by Act II, Somerville was certainly well into the proceedings, sounding more confident.

Of course, the show is still about the Phantom and in Brad Little, the Phantom was personified. The strong renditions of Music of the Night and The Phantom of the Opera were perhaps the highlight of the musical, as was his portrayal of the overpowering yet tortured Phantom.

Balancing the horror with the comic, the roles of Carlotta and Monsieurs Firmin and Ander, and Ubaldo Piangi were ably handled by Carlotta Guidicelli, John O’May, Anders Sohlman and David Rogers Smith – their banter eliciting some well-needed laughter from the audience.

There have been many a performance of the Phantom worldwide and it would be hard to really start comparing. Perhaps for some, classical renditions don’t mix with musical theatre stylings, but the Phantom of the Opera certainly balances the two.

nd just think of all those now-almost-home-karaoke standards like Think of Me, Angel of Music, Music of the Night, The Phantom of the Opera, Prima Donna, All I Ask of You, Masquerade and more, and you’ll get immersed in it all.

As for sheer spectacle – all you need to watch for are the “chandelier” scene and the boat scene. With 130 cast, crew and orchestral members, spectacular sets and more than 230 costumes, The Phantom of the Opera does not disappoint.

The Phantom of the Opera runs at the Esplanade Theatre in Singapore until May 13. Tickets are priced from S$40 to S$160. Browse www.sistic.com or call 02-6348 5555 or the Sentral Station outlet in Kuala Lumpur (03-22732200).

The Phantom of the Opera is produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and David Atkins Enterprises in association with The Really Useful Company Singapore.

To breathe life into one of the theatrical world's most tortured characters, it helps to have battled a few demons of your own.

In the case of Brad Little, who plays the title character in the Singapore production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, which starts tomorrow at the Esplanade, the "demons" came in the form of school bullies.

"In junior high, I used to get beaten up in school all the time because I was dyslexic. I know what it's like to be shunned by society," he said with a laugh in an interview on Tuesday. "So when I first watched it, it hurt to see the Phantom treated that way."

Based on the French novel of the same name by Gerard Leroux, Phantom of the Opera is Broadway's longest-running show.

It tells of a physically deformed genius who terrorises the visitors to a Paris opera house while nursing an obsession with a top soprano named Christine.

What is it that has made the musical — and the character of the phantom — such a draw for so many people over the years?

In Little's view, it's the fact that everyone has blemishes of one kind or another that they'd prefer to keep under wraps.

"That's what touched me when I first saw Phantom of the Opera: The individual pain of one's hidden deformities," he said.

While it would be stretch to call dyslexia a deformity, the reading disorder is something the actor has had to cope with even as an adult.

Owing to the difficulty he has processing written words, Little originally recorded the script for Phantom and memorised his role line by line.

That's not the only hurdle he has had to overcome.

"I didn't go to college," Little said with obvious pride. "In this industry, a degree doesn't mean a thing. They like you because you're good at what you do, not because you went to Yale. You can't learn to be an actor, you're just born to be one or not."