Review: ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ musical returns to Singapore

His chemistry with Christine, played by Grace Roberts, was electric, made all the more potent by her goosebump-inducing, pitch-perfect soprano. From Angel of Music to the titular duet The Phantom of the Opera, Roberts delivered a performance that was both technically impeccable and emotionally charged. She captured Christine’s conflicted affections with striking nuance, torn between the Phantom’s shadowy allure and Raoul’s steadfast devotion, perhaps even hinting at a subconscious yearning for the darker, more forbidden side of love.

Doe-eyed and luminous with innocence, Roberts plays Christine as a young woman suspended between awe and uncertainty. Her soprano radiates clarity and control, but there’s something deeper simmering beneath the surface that complicates her “purity”. The Phantom, her so-called “Angel of Music”, exerts a hypnotic pull, and as the story unfolds, we see Christine gradually reclaim her agency. When she tears off his mask, it is a moment of fear and fascination. In Roberts’ hands, Christine is no mere muse, but the moral centre of the story: a woman navigating the murky depths of love and power.

The rest of the cast brings texture and balance to the production. Raquel Suarez Groen is delightfully over-the-top as Carlotta, the resident prima donna whose ego is matched only by her vocal prowess. The opera house managers—Curt Olds as Monsieur André and James Borthwick as Monsieur Firmin—inject comedic relief with impeccable timing, offering a much-needed counterweight to the show’s darker themes. And then there’s Matt Leisy as Raoul, the noble suitor and emotional foil to the Phantom. With an extensive list of theatre and television credits to his name, Leisy brings warmth and quiet conviction to the role, anchoring the story in earnest, steadfast love.

As with many opening nights, a few technical hiccups were perhaps inevitable and, for the most part, forgivable. The chandelier scene, which had left me breathless during my first viewing, felt somewhat underwhelming this time due to a delayed ascent. Another moment of dissonance came during the boat scene, where the actors’ voices filled the theatre but the stage remained empty for an extended beat, causing confusion among the audience with the brief but jarring disconnect between sound and action.

Still, the staging remains remarkable and lavish. The Masquerade scene, set on the grand staircase of the Paris Opera House, bursts with life, thanks to glittering costumes and a sense of theatrical excess worthy of the Belle Époque. Equally unforgettable is the descent into the Phantom’s lair of a candlelit dreamscape thick with mist and shadow. Such moments remind us why Phantom is so beloved. Even when the machinery falters, the magic of the music and the myth still holds.

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