Sydney Harbour is playing host to a grand-scale musical production of Phantom of the Opera
It has been 40 years since Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Phantom of the Opera first debuted on the West End, and Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is bringing the spectacular larger-than-life stage production back to celebrate from 27 March to 3 May.
The audience can expect a unique theatrical experience under the stars, with the stage perched over the water. There will be a live orchestra, fireworks, views of the Opera House and pop-up restaurants and bars.
The show last came to the harbour for its premiere in 2022. This current production, directed by Simon Phillips, will feature Jake Lyle as the phantom, a mysterious masked man living beneath the Paris Opera House, who falls for young singer, Christine Daae, played by Amy Manford, and uses devious methods to nurture her talents. Jarrod Draper will take on the role of Raoul.
The score will feature favourites like The Music of the Night, All I Ask of You and
Masquerade.
Neutral Bay local and performer James MacAlpine will be part of the show’s ensemble. “Phantom of the Opera is one of the most epic musical theatre productions that have been created,” James says. “That’s one of the reasons why it was the longest running show on Broadway.”
James has performed in a number of productions, most recently as the understudy for Lumière and Gaston in the Australian and international touring cast of Beauty and the Beast.
“This harbour production is the biggest show that I’ve ever been involved in – there’s an ensemble of 40, and that’s not including the leads,” James says.
With the cast soon to start six-day per week rehearsals at the time of writing, James says preparing for an outdoor stage, particularly one the size of two basketball courts, will be a welcome challenge.
The show is an open-air, all-weather event, meaning the performers will potentially be singing in the rain. “We’re actually rehearsing out in Homebush because there is no space in the Sydney CBD which is big enough to replicate what the stage will be like,” James says.
“It’s a massive production, so it means so much to experience this.”
Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour Phantom of the Opera 27 March to 3 May Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point Sydney Harbour opera.org.au/harbour
