When you say the word “Phantom” in the context of talking about a musical, most people tend to think first (and perhaps only) of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit show, The Phantom of the Opera. But it is another Phantom, also based on the same chilling story by Gaston Leroux that will haunt the Arizona Broadway Theatre stage from April 23 through May 30.

The writers of this Phantom, Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston, had just finished their musical Nine (winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1982) when they were approached by Geoffrey Holder to write a musical based on the Leroux novel. Holder had obtained the rights from the Leroux estate to have the novel created into a musical in America.

“There is a lot of history in the writing of this Phantom that many people don’t realize,” commented Mace Archer, the show’s director. “

The authors were skeptical of the project at first, and only after much thought did Yeston decide that with a slight change in the story, the Phantom could be a Quasimodo or Elephant Man type of character – one who’s sympathetic. In 1984, with much of the Phantom score completed, Yeston, Kopit and Holder were in the process of raising money for a Broadway production when Variety magazine published an article about a production of another musical version of The Phantom of the Opera being written in England by Lloyd Webber.

When his version became a smash hit in London, and it was announced that the Lloyd Webber piece would move to Broadway, Yeston’s Broadway investors backed out, and Phantom was shelved. After Kopit saw a performance of The Phantom of the Opera, he realized that the approach he and Yeston had taken was much different from Lloyd Webber’s, and that their version could still work on the musical stage. The Yeston/Kopit musical was finally produced by Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas, in 1991, and has gone on to be a regional theatre hit.

 

Phantom has been referred to as “the greatest musical hit never to be produced on Broadway.” The Faces Behind The Production Director Mace Archer returns to ABT to head up an award-winning production team that includes Kurtis W. Overby (music director/ choreographer), Kara Thomson (scenic designer), Tim Monson (lighting designer) and Martha J. Clarke (costume design). Mace’s prior work at ABT includes his stage direction of Jekyll & Hyde and Annie Get Your Gun and his work onstage as Marley in A Christmas Carol. ABT’s Executive Producer and Co- Founder Kiel Klaphake stars as Erik (“The Phantom”). Last season, Kiel appeared as Frank Butler in ABT’s production of Annie Get Your Gun. For two years, Kiel performed the role of Raoul in the original Hal Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera in Hamburg, Germany.

 

Stateside credits include Show Boat, La Bohème, The Merry Widow and The Yeoman of the Guard, among others. Also at ABT, he was the musical conductor for Brigadoon and stage director of Cabaret and Gypsy. Valley favorite Jeannie Shubitz returns to ABT to portray Christine. A native of Tucson, Jeannie recently returned to Arizona from New York City. Recent performances include Margaret in The Light in the Piazza at Phoenix Theatre, and Emily in A Christmas Carol and Peggy in The Taffetas at ABT, where she also appeared as Fiona in Brigadoon, Sarah in Guys and Dolls and Marian in The Music Man. Other credits include: Philia (Funny Thing... Forum), Evelyn Nesbit (Ragtime), Miss Dorothy Brown (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Mabel (Pirates of Penzance).
 
An Appetite for Quality Entertainment An important component of the ABT experience is the menu that Chef Allen Dowe creates to add to the atmosphere—and in this case the concentration is French cuisine. Guests are offered tableside dining in an intimate and elegant auditorium two hours prior to the performance. Appetizers and desserts are also available for purchase, and ABT has a full bar in its spacious lobby. ABT is conveniently located south of W. Bell Road off the Loop 101, east of the Peoria Sports Complex. Parking is free. For tickets call the Box Office at 623.776.8400 or visit www.azbroadwaytheatre. com

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