Phantom - Arizona Broadway Theatre

ABOUT PHANTOM

Phantom is a chilling story based on Gaston Leroux’s immortal tale of a desperate young man born and raised in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House. In this work, the Phantom has a name and is much more human than in the Lloyd Webber piece. With a book by Arthur Kopit and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, this Phantom has been a regional theatre hit over the past 17 years.

Yeston and Kopit had just finished the musical Nine, winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1982, when they were approached by Geoffrey Holder to write a musical based on the Leroux novel. Holder had obtained the rights from the Leroux estate to have the novel created into a musical in America. Skeptical of the project at first, and after much thought, Yeston decided that with a slight change in the story, “The Phantom” could be a Quasimodo or Elephant Man type of character – one who’s sympathetic.

In 1984, with much of the Phantom score completed, Yeston, Kopit and Holder were in the process of raising money for a Broadway production when Variety Magazine published an article about a production of another musical version of The Phantom of the Opera that was being written in England by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Since Yeston and Kopit’s Phantom was intended to play on Broadway, they didn’t feel that there was any threat to their upcoming production. However, when The Phantom of the Opera became a smash hit in London, and it was announced that the Lloyd Webber piece would move to Broadway, Yeston's Broadway investors backed out, and Phantom was shelved.

After Kopit saw a performance of The Phantom of the Opera, he realized that the approach he and Yeston had taken was much different from Lloyd Webber’s, and that their version could still work on the musical stage. The Yeston/Kopit musical was finally produced by Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas, in 1991. Phantom has been referred to as “the greatest musical hit never to be produced on Broadway.”

ABOUT THE CAST

ABT’s Executive Producer and Co-Founder Kiel Klaphake returns to the ABT stage to star as Erik (“The Phantom”). Last season, Kiel appeared as Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun. For two years, Kiel performed the role of Raoul in the original Hal Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera in Hamburg, Germany. Stateside credits include Show Boat, La Bohème, The Merry Widow and The Yeoman of the Guard, among others. Also at ABT he has been the musical conductor for Brigadoon and stage director of Cabaret and Gypsy.

Valley favorite Jeannie Shubitz returns to ABT to portray Christine. A native of Tucson, Jeannie recently returned to Arizona from New York City. Recent performances include Margaret in The Light in the Piazza at Phoenix Theatre, and Emily in A Christmas Carol and Peggy in The Taffetas at ABT, where she also appeared as Fiona in Brigadoon, Sarah in Guys and Dolls and Marian in The Music Man. Other credits include: Philia (Funny Thing...Forum), Evelyn Nesbit (Ragtime), Miss Dorothy Brown (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Mabel (Pirates of Penzance).

ABT’s luxurious auditorium comfortably accommodates 400 guests with unobstructed views from every seat. The VIP balcony seats an additional 44 with tables for two and four. A gracious wait staff serve gourmet selections 90 minutes prior to each show. ABT is conveniently located south of W. Bell Road off the Loop 101, east of the Peoria Sports Complex. Parking is free. For tickets and additional information, call the Box Office at 623.776.8400.

Arizona Broadway Theatre’s fifth season is proudly sponsored by Dex.

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