Dan Bavister reviews the Bailey Theatre Company summer 2023 production.
5 Stars
This year’s take on ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ by the Bailey Theatre Company is certainly one thing, above all else: a terrific success. Masterfully directed by Peter Houston, with Catherine Wilcox producing, the performance was in safe hands from the start, and they did not disappoint. In addition, there was a show-stealing input from Jonjo Palmer, the Musical Director, whose sophisticated rendition of the iconic score, expertly presented by a 22-piece orchestra, made Leech Hall ring with music, ensuring the performance was rich with character and beauty throughout.
A full house for opening night foretold the stunning spectacle that was to come. Leech Hall bedecked in elegant lighting, the orchestra ready at their instruments, the scene was set for the curtains’ opening. A cameo from the outgoing College Principal, Professor David Wilkinson, playing the auctioneer in the opening scene, kickstarted the show, his performance given greater significance for the Johnians among the audience, as he concludes his last term as Principal of St John’s after 17 years in the role. Then followed a captivating performance from Thomas Rainford, who expertly captured the tortured brilliance of the eponymous Phantom, paired with a charismatic and sensitive execution from Megan Shorey as Christine. The chemistry evident between the leading pair, the support cast was of equal quality, each role adding value and dynamism to the overall success of the production.
A particularly innovative feature of the show was the use of the windows at the back of Leech Hall to show the Phantom perched on the College roof, with the singing projected into the audience via an ingenious use of microphones. Evidently, this was a production tailored to the specific architectural composition of Leech Hall, and all the stronger for it. Elsewhere, the lighting was subtle and perfectly timed, as were the accompanying sound effects, delivered by the skilled and diligent Tech team. The costumes were lavish, enhancing the characterisation provided by the accomplished actors and actresses, with the singing – and dance routines – noticeably well-rehearsed. The centrepiece, however, had to be the music, with the orchestra in perfect harmony with the singing, which ran through the performance from before the curtains opened until after they had closed, enriching every aspect.
Clearly, the theatre provision at St John’s College remains among the very best in Durham, with strength evident in the technical, theatrical and musical aspects of this production. The audience on Opening Night were enraptured by this rendition of the totemic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical – so rarely performed in Durham, due to the immense logistical difficulties involved – with the Bailey Theatre Company in this production nonetheless laying down the mantle for the heights to which other Student Theatre companies in Durham should aspire. With the audience eager to applaud throughout, when the actors, having completed their performance, returned on stage to bow at the end, there was a standing ovation and rapturous applause. A sense of tremendous satisfaction and joy was palpable among the crowd gathered in Leech Hall, with Johnians and outside guests alike visibly impressed with Bailey Theatre Company’s latest production, and rightly so.
John's Chronicle 