Written by Andrew

The Allen Theater in Cleveland has quite a lavish look. It is small which was good because I had seats high above. Being up high was hard to see facials, even with binoculars, but the outline of their body and physical features were seen.

Ted Keegan did a great job performing The Phantom. His voice is really nice and has power behind it. He is quite loud in such scenes as Angel of Music/The Mirror, which gave me goosebumps when he delivered his first line. His acting is real and his gestures were his own instead of the feeling I had last time when he sang the reprise of All I Ask of You, which seemed somewhat copied. When he was high above the stage in IL Muto, he always swirled his cape over him after he was finished with a line. I thought that was a nice touch. Also his laughs sound so wicked, it's quite amusing. I liked in The Point of No Return when he was rubbing his legs and being completely mesmerized by Christine's sensuality. In The Final Lair, he was harsh but not to the point where it had gone overboard or that it looked like he was about to kill Christine. When Christine kisses him, then splits it with a hug, he had the sweetest gesture of shock and pleasure. I think he is a well rounded actor and can do well in whatever role he does.

Rebecca Pitcher was wonderful as the last time I saw her as Christine. She starts off really timid then becomes stronger against the Phantom at the end. She made sure he heard what she had to say. Speaking of being heard, her lovely operatic voice was always clear and I heard every word she sang. After the line "Go now and leave me!," she still was deciding between Raoul and the Phantom and who to go to like the last time I saw her, which is good because it doesn't show the character one sided. When the Phantom says "Christine, I love you," it looked as if she whispered the words "I love you too." I made sure of showing my likeness towards her performance by giving her a standing ovation even if I was like the only in my section who did:)

Jim Weitzer did well as Raoul. He certainly has the Raoul look down so that's good. He has a really nice deep voice which always makes him sound mature. He was romantic and kissed Christine's hand throughout the show which was sweet. He potrayed Raoul as the arrogant, spoiled man as he is. My only complaint is I wish he gave the character more of an edge.

Julie Schmidt was wonderful as Carlotta. She truly is a Prima Donna. I liked some of her gestures such as her snubbing people who told her something she didn't want to hear. Her "these things do happen" speech was amusing but she did not scream "What do you know?!" line as last time I saw her. I point it out because a few people have heard her say this and this is kind of a famous line of hers. Her approach to the line this time was still effective and it made me laugh. She also has a great voice.

The managers, David Cryer and Bill Carmichael, were a great pair. The always delievered lines funny that should have been. The also had loud voice that were heard in group songs.

Jay Lusteck filled in for Piangi that night. He has a really nice deep operatic voice which was perfected for the role. He was funnier than some other actors in the role of Piangi I have seen.

Melissa Swender as Meg...one word, GREAT! Finally someone who sang the role perfectly. It was not too operatic or off key like some previous actresses I have seen in the role. Her lines were always cleared and heard. Her Meg seemed more mature than others but it worked out good.

Two other people I need to mention who did a good job in their roles were David DeWitt as Reyer and Larry Adams filling in for Buquet. David's Reyer was such a tyrant and he often spoked high pitched which was amusing to hear. He did a really nice job but Ted Keegan is still my favorite Reyer. I hate the character Buquet. He is dirty and annoying. Larry somehow made the character likable. He had a nice voice, was funny, and was demanding silence when he wanted to tell the Magical Lasso story.

The cast did a wonderful job and were highly energetic in such scenes as Masquerade. My only complaint was in Prima Donna. I know this is common so I did not factor it as a big deal, but some words were hard to hear and other actor's voices overpowered others. If you want to relax and have a good time at the theater, go see this cast.