Rocky Point takes on The Phantom of the Opera

Rocky Point High School brought its yearly production to the stage Thursday night, and brought the audience to their feet when the last notes and images of The Phantom of the Opera concluded.

This was the first time rights to Phantom had been available to schools and music teacher Mary Donovan, who selects and directs the school's yearly productions decided her students would take on the challenge.

"I found out last spring rights would be available in September," Donovan said. "After doing Les Miserables last year I wanted to try another 'modern' play that the kids would know. I mean 'modern' by something that's on Broadway in their lifetimes.

"It's an exhausting show to do, a 'sing-through' show with little spoken dialogue, even harder than Les Miserables. In Phantom there are operas within the opera, so its difficult to follow at first."

Rehearsals began in January. Donovan said the play started to pull together during the Presidents' Week break.

"You have to push the kids through their comfort zone, break past it, to that point where the whole play pulls together for them," she said. "They make sense of it and reach beyond what they thought they could do."

The Phantom of the Opera is the longest running show in Broadway history. In 1986 Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, The Phantom of the Opera opened on London's west end. Subsequently there have been productions in many of the world's major cities.

Phantom is a surreal love story between Christine of the Paris Opera House, the ghostly disfigured genuis--the Phantom--who teaches her "a little bit of heaven's music," and Raoul, who loves Christine and tries to combat this spectral presence in her art.

Rocky Point student Ruslan Ardashev took on the difficult Phantom role and conveyed a tortured isolation and yearning. Alexandra Schmitt as Christine had a voice that matched the beauty of Weber's score.

Zack Krase as Raoul, who had loved Christine years ago and who finds this reunion with her fraught with the presence of the Phantom, portrayed the distress and confusion of a lover who won't believe his heart cannot have an easier path.

Megan Viglione was the diva Carlotta; and she indeed had the voice of a diva, as well as the attitude.

Anne Schlinder as Madame Giry was perfect for her part: she had the burden of knowing the secrets of the Phantom--which the new opera house owners, Andrew Vaccaro as Monsieur Firmin and Daniel Wood as Monsieur Andre, dealt with their troubles in an almost comedic manner, adding a nice contrast to the sombre atmosphere of Phantom.

In all, there were more than 80 students involved in the production from the cast to the stage crew to the orchestra pit (conducted by Music Chairperson Amy Schecher). The makeup crew consisted of Fabian Gueverra, Sendy Hernandez, Brittany Salvatore, and Krystal Ney.

A sign in the school's hallway seemed especially apt for the events of the evening. It read: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle."

The Phantom of the Opera will Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5, 7:30 p.m., in the high school auditorium.