I got there in the end. After my previous attempt at booking the iconic show 3 years ago was scuppered by lockdown, last weekend I finally got to see an accessible performance of Phantom Of The Opera at the recently-renamed His Majesty’s Theatre. I paid for my own ticket (hence this isn’t sponsored or gifted), and it was very much worth the wait and the money, as I knew it would be.
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Touch Tour
The theatre is pretty easy to find, as Haymarket is just a short walk along the road from the north side of Trafalgar Square. And I arrived at the venue 2½ hours before the performance, in order to take part in the touch tour. I always love doing touch tours, as they really help me to feel closer to the show, enabling me to understand, engage with and thus enjoy the production to the fullest extent possible.
So I was very much looking forward to it, especially as it’s been quite a long time – 10 months in fact – since I last went to a show with a touch tour (though it wouldn’t have been that long if it weren’t for the misinformation I had for Back To The Future recently). So this time I didn’t bother asking LW Theatres t0 confirm if the tour was happening, and just went by the time stated on the VocalEyes website instead, hoping that I didn’t have to pre-register for the tour in advance (which I have been caught out by occasionally before). And thankfully it was all fine.
Phantom is of course a very popular show, so it came as no surprise that there were quite a few other visually impaired people in attendance for the tour. There was one lady I knew as a fellow member of the VocalEyes User Panel, so I got to say a brief hello to her. And I later learned that disability awareness consultant and fellow blogger Sassy Wyatt, author of Blind Girl Adventures, was there too. We’ve never met before, and sadly our paths didn’t cross this time either, as we were in different groups for the tour and thus completely unaware of each other. But it’s fun to know that at least one other blogger was there, as that doesn’t happen as often as you might assume.
We didn’t get to go on stage for this particular touch tour, unfortunately, because they were busy setting up the show. It’s one of the most technically complex productions in the West End, and as such it takes them a good 3 hours to get everything set up and tested every day, unbeknownst to the audiences who witness the magic later. So I did get to see them having a bit of a sound check and trying out the flames at the front of the stage, while I was waiting in the stalls for the tour to start.
The tour itself took place in a small room at one side of the auditorium, which is why they split us into groups as there were just too many of us to fit in all at once. So I reckon there was about ten people in our group. And the tour was led by audio describers Di Langford and Jonathan Nash. I’ve met Di before, as I travelled with her on the Mail Rail during an audio described tour of the Postal Museum a few years ago, and she’s been a describer at other theatre shows I’ve been to. I don’t recall meeting Jonathan before, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s also been a descriptive voice in my ear at a show or two in the past. They’re both lovely people in any case.
So we were told a bit about the show, and introduced to various bits and pieces that we could get our hands on. In particular, we got to feel and examine a stunningly detailed and heavy costume worn by the Phantom, and a beautiful dress with a very tight wasp waist that Christine wears. Other items included a box with three skulls that’s presented at the auction, a numbered paddle used during the bidding, the white mask that the Phantom wears across the deformed side of his face, a big book that the Phantom presents with his written score, a few of the envelopes containing notes from the Phantom, an ornate goblet, a colourful fabric scarf, a faux fur scarf with raccoon-like tails, and some other small items.
What was really striking was the level of detail that even fully sighted audience members would never see during the show, from the finer embellishments on the costumes to the writing on pieces of paper. So although some of the props weren’t as heavy or made of the same materials as their appearance would imply – a typical but clever theatrical illusion that designers never get enough credit for – it was clearly still important for things to look as real and authentic as possible, in order for the actors to immerse themselves in the story and give their best possible performances.
So it was a great tour, and it was lovely to be able to recall the things we had looked at as the show progressed. You can see a little video by Holly Lavender and Sassy Wyatt showing the items we got to examine.
The Show
The story of Phantom Of The Opera doesn’t need much explanation, as most people have at least a basic awareness of it even if they’ve never seen it. And I knew what I was getting into, as I saw the 25th anniversary production online in April 2020, to make up for my cancelled booking at the time, along with the sequel Love Never Dies the following month, when they were posted on the Youtube channel The Shows Must Go On!
But at a simple level, the Phantom is a dark and mysterious character, who resides in the depths of the Paris Opera House. He becomes infatuated with a soprano called Christine, and trains her to sing as he desires, in a way that she’s unable to fully control or explain. She in turn is therefore conflicted by the spell the Phantom is putting her under, and her affections for childhood friend Raoul, who is the Opera House’s new patron. And it gets to a point where she has to choose one or the other.
Meanwhile, Christine’s colleagues on and off stage take exception to the Phantom’s interference. But their attempts to ignore him or rebel against his orders are met with dire consequences, as he doesn’t shy away from carrying out his threats.
Yet, as angry and evil as he may appear to be, the Phantom is also vulnerable. He wears a mask over half of his face for good reason, and Christine soon comes to discover why, developing a degree of empathy for him in the process. He’s a more complex and interesting character than just a horrible ghost or villain, having been ostracised from the world because of his appearance.
And the 2½ hour show was excellent. My understanding is that the Phantom and Christine weren’t played by their usual actors on this occasion (Jon Robyns & Holly-Anne Hull), but instead the roles were filled by their first covers James Gant and Anouk Van Laake. I can’t make comparisons of course, having never seen this production before, but as far as I’m concerned both James and Anouk were brilliant, in terms of both their acting and their powerful singing voices. And the same goes for the rest of the cast, they all brought the story to life wonderfully and interacted really well with one another.
I had managed to grab a seat in the centre of the front row by booking early, so as well as a perfect view of the stage I was also right by the orchestra pit, and could therefore see the conductor doing his job sometimes (and not in an obtrusive way, as he was dressed in a black shirt and so didn’t stand out). It wasn’t a huge orchestra, but they were still powerful and sounded fantastic.
And they weren’t too loud either, despite being so close. Indeed, the sound mixing was perfect, as was the diction of the singers. Sometimes in musicals it can be hard to make out some of the lyrics in the songs, especially if the music’s very loud. But in this production everything was very clear and well balanced, and I could understand pretty much all of the words. And that’s no mean feat to achieve I’m sure. But the lyrics in this show often help to move the plot forward, so it’s vital that the audience can comprehend them. And the songs are all wonderful of course, with the title song and Music Of The Night being particular highlights as you’d expect.
I should also point out that the photos of the orchestra in action below were taken after the show had finished, as they continued to play as people were leaving, and I never use my camera while a play is being performed. That shouldn’t need saying, but I know etiquette in theatres is a hot topic at the moment, and I’m pleased to say that nobody tried to sing along at this show either.
The staging itself was also incredible, with lots of moving parts that slipped in and out of place with absolute precision, and atmospheric lighting that enhanced it all further. The Phantom’s underground lair was particularly cool, for example, with the candles rising up out of the floor and the boat moving down the lake.
The website also warns people that the production “contains scenes that some people may find distressing and includes the use of: gunshots, flashing lighting effects, theatrical smoke effects, and pyrotechnics.” But the show isn’t as scary as that perhaps implies. Yes, there is death, and some little fireworks. But in terms of “gunshots”, for instance, there are no really loud bangs as the word implies. Rather, the guns emit a fairly loud pop and a bit of flame comes out of them – which will still unnerve some people, I know, but it’s not as loud or scary as a real gunshot. That said, being sat in the front row meant I was very close to one of the guns at one point, so it still made me jump! There’s also a wall of flame at the front of the stage that the Phantom briefly conjures up at one point, and you can certainly feel the heat from that (safely, obviously)!
And then last but by no means least, in terms of things to say about the show, there’s the chandelier of course, arguably the biggest star of the whole production. This awe-inspiring work of art, complete with animatronic capabilities and pyrotechnics, really does make its presence felt, especially at the start and end of the first half. If you know the show, then you’ll know what it does just before the interval – and while it didn’t happen quite as fast as I perhaps expected it to, because it probably has been reined in a little bit for health and safety reasons, it still happened pretty rapidly nonetheless, and was a really effective and impressive spectacle. Like everything else in the production, the amount of effort that must have been involved in getting it set up is hard to imagine.
Accessibility
As well as the touch tour I’ve already mentioned, the audio description delivered by Jonathan Nash and Di Langford was also excellent as always. There was the traditional 15-minute introduction before the show started (which is also available in pre-recorded and written form on the VocalEyes website), giving an overview of the sets, characters, costumes, etc. And then during the show they gave lots of relevant information to ensure I didn’t miss anything important. There were occasional little glitches in the radio transmission to the headset, cutting out the odd word or two, but on the whole such occurrences were fairly rare, so I didn’t miss anything important or get irritated by it.
I also want to give a shout out to a lovely member of staff from the theatre called Jasmine, who was really friendly and made me feel very well cared for throughout the afternoon. Nothing was too much trouble for her, and she made the whole experience so effortless and comfortable.
She had led me into the auditorium for the touch tour, and then did the same again when I returned for the show itself, bringing me into the theatre via a side door so we could avoid the crowded lobby. Once she had shown me to my seat, she then went off to get me a headset for the audio description, and checked that I knew how it worked.
Then later, during the interval, she came over to make sure everything was ok, and showed me the way to the disabled toilet near the back of the auditorium when I asked to use the facilities. I fully expected her to go off and help other people at that point while I waited, and then come back for me after I’d finished doing my business, as I know how busy she must have been. But she actually waited with me, which was very nice of her.
So I was able to chat to her – along with an equally bubbly and friendly colleague who was waiting for the person already using the bathroom in front of us – about my love of audio described theatre. I always take the opportunity to sing the praises of accessible shows to staff if I can, because the more feedback they hear first hand about them, the more they’ll feel inclined to keep doing them. I think the number of visually impaired people who turned up was also a big clue to be fair, but it’s nice to be able to explain why to them as well, and to reassure them that all their efforts are worthwhile.
They also indicated that, as well as the audio described and captioned performances they already do, they’re looking at putting on a relaxed performance of Phantom as well, which would be awesome for those who need it. They were very aware of the relaxed performance of Back To The Future that took place recently, which was a great success, so that’s encouraged them further. It’ll be well worth keeping an eye on the show’s access page or contacting the access team directly to see when such a performance takes place. The next audio described performance is already listed for September 13th.
Anyway, once we’d had our chat and I’d got myself comfortable again, Jasmine took me back to my seat, and wished me well in case I didn’t see her again at the end of the show. And indeed that was the last I saw of her, but it was easy to follow everyone out of the nearby exit once the show had concluded, so I didn’t need her help at that point. And if I had needed help, I could easily have flagged down a member of staff, as they were all very friendly. They either really enjoy their jobs and take great pride in it, or they’re as good at acting as the people on stage, and the former feels much more likely to me!
Conclusion
All in all, therefore, I had a wonderful experience. I’m delighted I got to see this legendary show in person for the first time, and it won’t be the last I’m sure. Without the touch tour and audio description, I would have missed out on an awful lot, so thank you to VocalEyes for organising that. And thank you to Jasmine and all of the other front of house staff for making myself and others feel so welcome.
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