Just over two years ago, the Phantom was last seen in New York, a fugitive from an enraged mob, exposed as a murderer, a sexual predator, and a villain with a notorious disregard for public safety, especially concerning large, falling chandeliers. Yet, as history often shows, few men stay out of the spotlight for long.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Phantom has returned. He’s relocated less than a mile uptown to a recently renovated mansion just south of Central Park, and he’s hosting lavish, formal parties almost every night of the week.
This new production, titled ‘Masquerade,’ is an immersive reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’ Conceived and directed by Diane Paulus, with her husband Randy Weiner as producer, it unfolds across multiple floors, including a basement and, weather permitting, a rooftop, with six performances nightly. It feels like a haunted house meets a fan-fiction fever dream, and occasionally, a decent workout. Much of the original’s musical grandeur is sacrificed for atmosphere, though some might argue that was always a hallmark of ‘Phantom.’
It’s a testament to Lloyd Webber’s adventurous spirit that he has, in recent years, greenlit radical transformations of his blockbuster musicals. Consider the wild, dance-infused ‘Cats’ revival that played Off Broadway in 2024, or Jamie Lloyd’s minimalist, screen-heavy Broadway take on ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ which garnered three Tony Awards. It’s truly astounding that he permitted his greatest hit to be reinterpreted as something akin to a spooky amusement park ride. (And not just permitted, but actively participated, even penning a few new lyrics alongside Paulus.) This ‘Masquerade’ is whimsical, frustrating, ethically complex, and undeniably electrifying. It also, for a brief moment, nearly did me in.
‘The Phantom of the Opera,’ a grand tale of passion and drama based on Gaston Leroux’s 1911 novel, debuted on Broadway in 1988. As Frank Rich observed in The New York Times, it was ‘as much a victory of dynamic stagecraft over musical kitsch as it is a triumph of merchandising above all else.’ And indeed, there was great success in that merchandising. By the time ‘Phantom’ concluded its run in 2023, it had accumulated nearly 14,000 performances—a staggering number of melodies and unforgettable nights.
For better or worse, ‘Masquerade’ is ‘Phantom’ reimagined. Many of the original songs are shortened, the narrative compressed, and new music integrated. The timeline borrows more from the rather unpopular 2004 film version, including the addition of a ballad, ‘Learn to Be Lonely,’ which played over the movie’s credits and arguably should have remained there. The chic, elegant merchandise is fresh, as are the newly added, often uninspired lyrics, such as ‘Enter my mind/Which I think you will find/May be one of a kind.’
Despite the changes, the core story and characters largely remain. Briefly, for many years, a ghost has tormented a Paris opera house. This ghost, a musical prodigy with a facial disfigurement, becomes obsessed with a young chorus girl, Christine Daaé. He lures her to his subterranean lair, where he becomes her vocal instructor. Later, he demands she be cast in a lead role, much to the alarm and annoyance of her suitor, Raoul, a vicomte. Predictably, chaos ensues.
While the Broadway production of ‘Phantom’ at the Majestic Theater could accommodate over 1,600 attendees per show, ‘Masquerade’ is a far more exclusive event, admitting only 60 guests per performance, totaling about 360 each night. An advance directive from the box office advises patrons to wear their finest black, white, or silver attire (and comfortable shoes, which explains why I paired a strapless gown with sneakers) and to bring masks, though decorative lace ones are provided.
At both performances I attended, the audience was buzzing with anticipation—in line, in the elevator, and in a beautifully appointed room where a solo violinist performed the overture. The remainder of the music is prerecorded, making ‘Masquerade’ a more intimate affair than the Broadway rendition (where an orchestra of 27 makes intimacy challenging), though also less acoustically powerful.
Then, the doors swing open to the Phantom’s ‘private masquerade.’ For the next two hours, audiences are rapidly moved through various locations within and around the opera house. Unlike the expansive, long-running immersive production ‘Sleep No More’ (of which Weiner was a producer for the American version, which recently closed), ‘Masquerade’ dictates a precise path, leaving little room for individual exploration.
Perhaps this structured approach is for the best. The sets, conceived by Scott Pask and designed by James Fluhr, range from elaborate to, at times, a bit kitschy, as with the plastic candle wax drippings. They also feature artwork by luminaries like Bob Dylan and Marina Abramovic, though I must admit that in the whirlwind of moving from room to room, I barely noticed.
This whirlwind is often exhilarating, though sometimes to a fault. During the second performance, a brief technical snag led to a chaotic crush at the top of an escalator, with panicked guests. Moments later, a door opened, and the panic subsided. Was this the Phantom’s mischievous handiwork? (I was later reassured the glitch had been resolved.)
Despite the occasional chaos, I can happily confess that there’s a thrill in being so close to the boat, in having Christine or Madame Giry take your hand, and in the breathless anticipation of what the next room will reveal.
More often than not, it reveals a man in a half-mask. ‘Masquerade,’ even more so than its predecessor, firmly establishes itself as the Phantom’s narrative. A greeter informs us that we are here to be guided through his ‘darkest dreams.’ We encounter a ballet staged within his workshop and an extended flashback delving into his past as a circus sideshow performer, a sequence meant to contextualize and perhaps even excuse his wrongdoings. It’s all quite seductive, assuming you’re comfortable overlooking the questionable actions of powerful men and sidelining the experience of a deceived woman.
Christine Daaé, a character who truly makes sense only if she is either drugged or impossibly naive, is even less defined here. It’s disappointing that Paulus, who brilliantly directed a Broadway revival of ‘1776’ with an all-female, transgender, and nonbinary cast, didn’t find more room to explore Christine’s agency or to outfit her in anything beyond a negligee. Where are her ambitions? Her desires?
Both Christines I saw delivered exceptional performances, especially the captivating and remarkably young Anna Zavelson, and the Phantoms were equally skilled. (I saw Kyle Scatliffe, a resonant baritone, opposite Eryn LeCroy; and Jeff Kready opposite Zavelson.) Yet, at times, the performances felt almost secondary. This is, at its core, a theater experience built on atmosphere and mood.
Ultimately, across its many layers and for the majority of the audience, ‘Masquerade’ succeeds. At the conclusion of the final scene, I witnessed people all around me openly weeping. Was it relief from our escalator ordeal? More likely, it was empathy for the Phantom’s tragic tale. My own eyes remained dry. I, for one, am weary of being compelled to understand why ‘bad men’ do bad things. The Phantom already possesses all the most memorable melodies. Does he truly require our sympathy as well? Regardless, the music of the night continues to play on.