Complex 'Phantom' shows a human heart

RALEIGH -- If Memorial Auditorium were inhabited by its own mercurial phantom of the opera, Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s musical “Phantom” would surely soothe him.

As for the more famous Andrew Lloyd Webber version of the story? He’d shut it down.

Yeston and Kopit’s little-known adaptation of the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel about a disfigured man who lives beneath the Paris Opera House has been dubbed “the other ‘Phantom.’ ”

It’s also the better “Phantom.”

But few have had the chance to judge for themselves, as it has never had a shot at Broadway, where the Webber version has reigned since 1988. Instead, this alluring show has been relegated to tours and regional productions, such as N.C. Theatre’s current run at Memorial.

If the massive plummeting chandelier and other high-tech effects are what you like best about the Webber hit, read no further. This “Phantom” is visually more bare-bones, though it delineates its many locations clearly.

In all other ways, “Phantom” trumps its competition — from its complex and delightful score to its well-drawn characters and, above all, its depiction of the Phantom and what made him so solitary and easily enraged.

Casey Hushion’s sensitive direction bodes well for N.C. Theatre’s future, as she is to take over as artistic director. She brings great heart to “Phantom,” as she has done with past N.C. Theatre productions.

This tale shares some plot points with the Broadway version, but it is less gloomy and dysfunctional. The Phantom’s relationship with his vocal protégée Christine (Rebecca Pitcher) is based on genuine affection, not domination — though his yearning for his mother complicates his emotions. Its choral numbers are buoyant and complex, and they keep the plot rolling along. Its villains are comical. And amid the moody havoc, a tenderness prevails.

That’s not to say that the script is flawless. The Phantom’s origin and motivations are revealed largely in a clumsy Act II exposition dump, when the opera’s former manager and the Phantom’s protector, Carriere (Neal Benari), abandons his urgent attempt to rescue Christine from the catacombs and instead pauses to tell her a story. Christine's reaction to the Phantom's unmasked face is also abrupt, and it drew unintended laughs Tuesday.

But those are minor quibbles compared with the show’s attributes, which N.C. Theatre underscores well with its top-notch cast.

The title role is a particular challenge. He is not easy to shape as a sympathetic protagonist. He murders an innocent man in his first scene. But actor Michael Minarik portrays the Phantom with such vulnerability and humor that it is easy to forgive his sins, and the audience Tuesday even laughed when he killed an odious foe.

Minarik’s Phantom speaks volumes with his body, most achingly when Christine touches him tenderly for the first time and begs him to remove his mask. Throughout the show, his demeanor with Christine has an adolescent sense of innocence, awkwardness and discovery that makes his plight as an outcast feel universal.

His lyrics were occasionally buried by the orchestra — or possibly by the mask and microphone placement — but his mood and emotions were always clear by the way he moved and the timbre of his voice.

Pitcher has a lovely, enormously wide-ranging soprano. And she played Christine with assurance and sweetness. Her benefactor and love interest, Philippe (Tony-winner Jarrod Emick), has a natural affability that makes us root for him to win Christine’s love even as we are also rooting for the Phantom.

The evil Alaine Cholet and Carlotta are marvelously portrayed by Tom Souhrada and Ellen Harvey. And Harvey’s “This Place Is Mine” is a riotous showstopper. Benari has a gentle and compassionate demeanor as Carriere, though some of his interactions felt stilted Tuesday.

The smaller roles were less impressive on the acting front. But vocally, they fared beautifully. And this is, above all, a show that pays tribute to the transformative power of fine music.

That’s a tribute that Webber’s Broadway “Phantom” failed to make.