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Review: Phantom Of The Opera (Opera Australia)

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Venue: Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (Sydney NSW), Mar 27 – May 3, 2026
Book: Richard Stilgoe, Andrew Lloyd Webber (based on the novel by Gaston Leroux)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics: Charles Hart
Director: Simon Phillips
Cast: Melody Beck, Daniel Belle, Brent Hill, Debora Krizak, Michael Lampard, Amy Manford, Jayme Jo Massoud, Giuseppe Grech, Martin Crewes, Darcy Carroll, Andrew Dunne, Jarrod Draper, Jake Lyle, Lachlan O’Brien, Daniel Tambasco, Raphael Wong
Images by Hamilton Lund

Theatre review
It is Christine who possesses the talent, yet in The Phantom of the Opera, her destiny remains perpetually subject to the machinations of theatre owners, a vicomte, and a spectre. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation turns forty this year, and while its signature numbers still soar with a kind of transcendental bombast, the narrative itself has only grown more intractable with time—more difficult to admire, and certainly more difficult to love.

Director Simon Phillips offers a stylistic refresh that leans into the show’s signature kitsch, yet does little to render the story palatable for contemporary audiences. Set and costume designer Gabriela Tylesova injects vibrancy and grandiosity into the staging, while Nick Schlieper’s lighting conjures a melodrama commensurate with the heightened emotional register of the score. Guy Simpson’s musical supervision supplies the requisite intensity, capturing the ear with its unrelenting theatrical force. Less successful are the few video projections, which lapse into a digital garishness that even the production’s embrace of deliberate artifice cannot excuse.

As Christine, Amy Manford strikes a suitably delicate figure, commendable for conjuring flickers of strength within a character painfully starved of autonomy. Jake Lyle brings a convincingly tormented quality to the Phantom, while Jarrod Draper cuts an unmistakably dashing figure as Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny.

In the world of The Phantom of the Opera, misery proves the true universal—a fitting consequence, perhaps, of the patriarchal hegemonies that structure its every interaction. Whether one is behind the scenes pulling strings or centre stage in the spotlight, satisfaction remains elusive. The struggle for power yields only its accumulation by a few, yet the broader exercise of domination and subjugation yields nothing, in the end, but agony.

www.opera.org.au

Review: Guys & Dolls (Opera Australia)

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Venue: Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (Sydney NSW), Mar 21 – Apr 20, 2025
Book: Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows (based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon)
Music & Lyrics: Frank Loesser
Director: Shaun Rennie
Cast: Annie Aitken, Jason Arrow, Thomas Campbell, Doron Chester, Bobby Fox, Joel Granger, Naomi Livingston, Tony McGill, Kieran McGrath, Cody Simpson, Angelina Thomson, John Xintavelonis
Images by Neil Bennett

Theatre review
Never mind that the men are not deserving of these women. What matters in Guys & Dolls, is that the women get their hearts’ desire. The 1950 rom-com musical is completely about light entertainment, at a time when the USA was dominated by political conservatism. Gambling is portrayed as a serious crime, and all the girls want is to get married.

Director Shaun Rennie however, injects a modernity in the way we perceive Adelaide and Sarah, the “dolls” of the piece. Their agency becomes a key feature in the story, and what should have been something way past its use-by date, seems palatable again. These women appear to be creations of their own making, never sheepish about the careers and the men they enjoy, even if the latter are more than a little questionable.

Ideologies aside, it really is all about the spectacle in a production choreographed by Kelley Abbey, who melds old with new for an utterly delightful, and sometimes surprising, showcase of classic musical theatre. A sensational ensemble delivers with marvellous precision, in a staging memorable for its sharp exuberance. Music direction by Guy Simpson is ceaselessly uplifting, across a delectable range of styles that never fail to captivate.

Scenic design by Brian Thomson relies heavily on a giant New York City taxicab, that transforms elegantly to provide a series of requisite backdrops. Additional set pieces are outlandishly craned in, somewhat comically, but certainly impressive with its sheer ambition. Jennifer Irwin’s costumes are an unequivocal highlight, bringing colour and texture to a challenging outdoor location, while making every character look distinct and attractive. Lights by Bruno Poet keep energy sustained, for almost three hours of merry nostalgia.

Performer Angelina Thomson stuns as cabaret artist Miss Adelaide, with her incredible spirit and authentic charm having us enthralled at every appearance. Sarah is played by the pitch-perfect Annie Aitken, who introduces sass alongside sweetness for her clever rendering of a likeable Christian mission worker. Cody Simpson and Bobby Fox are the two rogues Sky and Nathan, both dashing men with big presences who convince us of the women’s devotion. Also noteworthy is Jason Arrow who as Nicely brings the house down with his electric rendition of “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”.

It is easy to criticise all the choices made by Adelaide and Sarah, even when it is clear that circumstances dictate so much of how a woman thinks and behaves. In worlds determined to make things difficult for women, it is only right that we get behind her own decisions and celebrate her endeavours. If her aspirations prove to be flawed after they are attained, we can get cheer her on again when she does better, next time round.

www.opera.org.au