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Show Bl Movies B4 The Daily Herald Sunday, April 14, 1996 HI Phantom! Facts Chandelier 1,000 lbs Act two .... .2.5 tons- staircase Operas in the shew . . . .XI Automated candelabra V Height of 10 ttzl chandelier Tallest candelabra . .14 ftj ; Life-siz-ed 0 mannequins Performers . in Orchestra members . . 1 Ell Total candles in show 21(Q Candles rise from deck to form underground 14fT lake Costumes . 230 Beads on chandelier . . . .35,0O0Ct Fog and smoke machines Dry ice used 550 Ibaca per show Tons of dry ice used 33 114 per year Large Victorian style drapes J Yards of fabric in Y :& drapes Control consoles Scene shifts during show V.--;- -. Elephant .2,70C4 11 22 ,... Photos by Joar Marcus of lie O'Leary is passionate about his title role By TIFFANY STEWART LANCE Daily Herald Arts Editor Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opt ra is certainly making the Capitol Theatre a hubbub of activity. It plays eight times a week; nightly Tuesday through Sunday with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Five of the eight shows fall in one 50-hoperiod on the weekend. That schedule can be demanding, said Thomas James O'Leary, w ho stars as the Phantom. "There are sometimes whete I'm totally exhausted." he said. "It is a job. I do eight shows a week, week after week, for almost a year now. Salt Lake City will be my seventh opening in nine months, so even though it's a huge deal for Salt Lake City it's a big deal for me but it's something I've done over and over and over, so my job is to keep it as fresh as possible." And fresh is where he keeps it. O'Leary is passionate about this role. He says that the key to bringing himself to life on the stage is mak BYU I ' ing sure he connects with the actress who plays Christine. "Lots of times. even if I'm tired, w hen I get out there and see her eyes I just connect w ith her and say my performance is in Christine's eyes. When I connect with her eyes it sort of fills me up and 1 1 There's never a dull moment in the theater." said Susan Facer, the alternate for Christine, in production of The Phantom of the Oyera, currently playing in Salt Lake City. Facer, who made her national tour debut w ith Phannm, graduated from Brigham Young University with her bachelor's degree in vocal performancepedagogy. She has been w ith the touring company for one and a half years doing two shows a week and any additional show s she gets called to do. Because she is an alternate. Facer said she doesn't get a tech rehearsal, so her first show is all about getting used to a new stage. "I have my find performance on (a Saturday and that's the first time I've been up there on that stage.'' she said. "So for me it's not really a matter of being nervous because it's a new city or anything four shows and then a couple of weeks later he did another show where he was observed by one of director Harold Prince's assistants. Prince came to O'Leary the next day and asked him to take over the role on tour. "I was thnllcd' It was great!" he said. "I didn't even get to understudy it the first two times (he auditioned. So I finally cave up on the whole idea. I thought, 'well I guess I'm not going to ever do it. so I won't think about it any- y. think one of my favorite things is that in playing this role as an actor I get to go on a that hopefully the audience goes journey on with me. . Thomas James O'Leary, "I we go places. "l"hen it takes off. Then the journey begins and it's a real kind of experience, that's really happening jhen and there in the moment, moment to moment, that the audience is getting to w itness." who has been O'Leary. involved in this production for three years in one way or another. said that there are about the role that he many things s. enjoy "I think one of my favorite things is that in playing this role as an actor I get to go on a journey that hopefully the audience goes on with me where everything that I'm experiencing in the role is something that the character is experiencing for the first time. "It is the first time that I've revealed anything. It's the first time I've brought am one down to in did. That's when they had me start g (the Phantom on then the rehearals and Broadway all went really well. And that's w hen they said they wanted to put me on. and I didn't know at the time, but I guess what was going on is thev were w amine to see how under-studyin- 1 did." playing Christine although she hadn't really planned on doing it. "When I got this role I wasn't actually looking. I wasn't seeking Although Facer was trained on "the opera side of things" she said she has always loved musical theater and plans to continue doing roles in it. Almost ironically her character in 77ie Phantom of the Opera, Christine, is an opera outside of herself and play a part or a role." she said. "So I think that that is kind of fun to be able to not only step outside myself, but in the show I get to step outside of Christine and be in some operas." In the future Facer said she'd like to do Showboat or kismet, two musicals that she thinks are right for her. But she also would like to do some roles that would stretch her. "I've always wanted to be successful with my voice," she said. "It was never a decision I made to it was just pursue my career something thai. I went to collecc. I got this role I wasn't actually looking, I wasn't seeking it out or anything. It kind of just came along. . Susan Facer, actress out or anything," she said. "It kind of just came along because I was going to he doing opera competitions and doing other things. But when it came my way I guess it was kind of an unexpected surprise. It w as kind of a detour in the career path I was going down.' ,. as (SwPHWTOM. Pagf Bit Last April he was asked to do I it The Company performs 'Hannibal" in a scene. It is one of three operas portrayed within the musical. It is the first opera in which Christine gets to demonstrate her singing skills. 'Phantom' is a career detour like that. For me it's feeling it all out and the staging." Facer says she really enjoys "When r n(w more." O'Leary actor graduate's role By TIFFANY STEWART LANCE Daily Herald Arts Editor began first as Monsieur Reyer and then as Monsieur Andre on Broad-waHe auditioned to understudy the Phantom three times before he got the part. "That time it just all son of came together." he said "I felt good about it. the loved what I tCxkJ w.Torked hant'Yve singer in the musical. "As far as my favorite part of the show. I guess whenever I go on stage I get to step out side of mysel!" and become Christine instead of being Susan Facer. Well, there are a couple of times in the show where Christine gets to step been working on my voice since I was in high school, so there was never a question in my mind as to whether I would pursue it or not. 'To mc it was just a given. es this is something I want to do and this is something I'm willing to (See ALTKRNATE, Page B2) . Susan Facer m Christine in a scene from "The Phantom of the Optra." Facer is a BYU graduate and Is the alternate tor Christine. , . A |