BYU to present ‘The Phantom of the Opera’

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Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” will be performed at Brigham Young University from Jan. 16 to Feb. 2.

The production will take place in the de Jong Concert Hall in the Harris Fine Arts Center. Ticket prices range from $15 to $25 depending on the time of the performance.

The musical tells the tale of a mysterious opera-haunting phantom who grows infatuated with a beautiful singer, and the chaos he creates in pursuing her. The musical stars Preston Yates as the Phantom, DeLany Westfall as Christine Daae and Tim Cooper as Raoul.

“The Phantom of the Opera” had never been performed at a college or university until this last year due to licensing issues. BYU will be one of the first universities in the nation to produce the musical.

The production is huge in scope, with cooperation from the Music Dance Theatre Program, the Theatre and Media Arts Department, the School of Music, the Department of Dance, BYU Design and Production and more.

Preston Yates as the Phantom and DeLany Westfall as Christine Daae.

“‘Phantom of the Opera’ has what I call a lot of ‘moving parts,'” director Tim Threlfall said, “And just like an engine, the more moving parts, the more potential that one part will fail, which can shut down the entire apparatus. When it all works, it will be fabulous, but it takes a lot to bring all of these elements together. The ‘reward’ is when all the elements work together to tell an amazing story.”

Due to the complexity of the performance, each aspect of the opera must be well-executed.

“Our ‘Phantom of the Opera’ really has to function on five different levels,” Threlfall said. “These levels are what we have chosen to guide us as we tell the story.”

According to Threlfall, the opera is a “chick-flick musical” and a love story first and foremost. Secondly, it is a Gothic ghost story and a melodrama. Thirdly, it is a period musical set in 1880s Paris and, fourthly, it is a grand opera.

These four levels all lead up to the primary message of the piece.

“And probably most important, it is a ‘spiritual journey musical’ as we see all three of the main characters grow and learn difficult and challenging lessons during the course of the story,” Threlfall said. “Some have happy endings, some do not, but everyone learns something.”

The sheer size of the musical has proven challenging yet rewarding for the people involved. For example, costume designer Deanne DeWitt had to take a ballet tutu workshop to prepare for the production.

The music itself has also proven challenging.

“Most everyone is familiar with the main themes which seem quite straightforward, but much of the rest of the piece is rhythmically, melodically and harmonically challenging,” music director Gayle Lockwood said. “The rewarding part is watching the students grow to own the music and for the whole piece to take shape.”

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