The time-travelling transformation of the theatre from shrouded dilapidation to burnished splendour during the Overture is technically more elaborate than previously and while purists may argue that the extension of the set into the auditorium compromises director Harold Prince's hallowed "black box" aesthetic, it is so exquisitely done that it feels churlish to complain. The audience still "ooh" and "aah" at the magical reveal of the "Masquerade" staircase at the top of act two, and the candlelit descent into the Phantom's lair remains mysterious and head-turningly seductive. The sumptuously beautiful costumes are still intact, as are the gorgeous swags that swoop and part to reveal yet another opulent, atmospheric setting (which now slide into place slickly and silently, by the way, unlike in the latter stages of the original run when the out-of-view racket on an off night could sound like a tube train collision). To lead with the positive, the re-vamped Phantom 'look' is essentially only a spruce and polish up of Maria Björnson's award-winning masterpiece of design. Would it sound as good? Will it still look as impressive? The short answers to those questions are, respectively, alas not completely, and HELL YES.
Phantom phans are a vociferous, impassioned bunch and there was much concerned online chatter when it became clear that "The Brilliant Original" (as the marketing blurb used to have it, and it's hard to disagree) was going to be returning post-pandemic with a depleted orchestra and a somewhat re-designed physical production. Killian Donnelly in The Phantom of the Opera
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