Fog, shadows and a forbidden face lurked in front of the audience this past Friday through Sunday. A masked face and looming music left spectators hanging on to the edge of their seats. For the first time in EHS history, The Phantom of the Opera appeared on stage.
After months of daily rehearsal, behind the scenes work, pyrotechnic preparation and creativity in the costume shop, it was show time.
The lead role of Phantom was played by senior Nathan Ash. As soon as Ash found out at last year’s thespian banquet that they would be performing Phantom, he rushed home to download the soundtrack and memorized it for the next nine months.
“I’ve never played a character as dynamic as Phantom. He has such a large spectrum of emotions and it’s just one big roller coaster,” Ash said. “It’s the most exciting part I’ve ever played.”
Another senior, Sarah Edmonds, played the role of Christine, a young ambitious opera singer. After the Phantom kidnaps Christine, he discovers that he is in love with her but she is in love with a prestigious gentleman named Rauol, junior Ryan Serfas.
“My favorite aspects of Phantom have to be the creepy yet incredible music throughout the show, the twisted love story between Christine, Phantom and Raoul and for sure the incredible set and pit orchestra that made the show incredibly special,” Serfas said.
EHS’s The Phantom of the Opera performance proved that there are many components to a successful show—more than just the actors and actresses. The tech along with costume designers, publicity, pit orchestra and a pyrotechnics professional made it a show worth watching.
Senior Rylie Frohock designed the opening scene costumes for the ballerinas, who appeared frequently in the show. “I wanted to see if I could come up with a unique design that kept some of the elements of the 25 anniversary’s ballet costumes, but add my own little twist,” Frohock said.
Along with costume design, Frohock was also a ballerina on stage. “It was difficult at first,” she said, “…like a lot of other ballets, though, it just took some time to get in sync.”
Tech worked hours on end to prepare for the difficult obstacles that Phantom presented. “A lot of work went into this show from a technical standpoint. It required everyone to be on their cue at the right second,” senior Miles Wright said. “My favorite part of being in this production is that I helped tell the tale of the greatest love story ever told on the stage.”
The Phantom of the Opera has caused an uproar of approval throughout the student body and spectators. “It appears to be a unanimous agreement from all of our audiences that The Phantom of the Opera has just gone down into the record at EHS as the best and most spectacular show we’ve presented since Les Miserables,” Wright said.
After three shows, including Friday and Saturday night and a Sunday matinee, the cast and crew felt they had done their job well. “We got better every show, with our peak occuring on Sunday,” Serfas said. “We had three sold out audiences which I believe we delivered great shows to, and I know that I am walking away from the show proud of our work.”
