Music for the soul

THE MANHATTAN Ballroom in Berjaya Times Square Hotel Kuala Lumpur came alive with the sound of music last Wednesday night as Michael Cormick and Claire Lyon performed at the royal charity gala of An Evening with the Phantom – Songs from the Musicals.
The one-night-only performance, produced by Milestone Production, was held in aid of the Tuanku Ja'afar Educational Trust (TJET), which was formed 25 years ago with the aim of providing educational support to those in the lower income bracket.
The event was graced by Negeri Sembilan's Tunku Ampuan Tuanku Najihah Tunku Besar Burhanuddin.
Australian singer-actor Cormick has performed as the Phantom and fellow countrywoman singer-actress Lyon as female lead Christine Daae in various productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic musical in their singing career.
This time round, they not only performed songs from The Phantom of the Opera, such as the titular track, and the hauntingly beautiful The Music of the Night (which gave me goosebumps), but also greatest hits from other well-known musicals such as Rodgers and Hammerstein's Sound of Music (Edelweiss) and Lloyd Webber's West Side Story (I Feel Pretty), just to name a few.
Between songs, the two also shared some insightful stories about their experiences performing on stage.
Their 75-minute performance was led by award-winning musical director Bernard Walz.
While Cormick and Lyon could not be faulted on their performances, the same could not be said about the handling of the event and the production.
The doors were opened half an hour late. Hundreds of guests had to stand in wait agitated by the delay, uncertain if the show was ever going to take place.
Once the doors opened, each ticket had to be checked, further delaying the whole proceeding.
A hotel ballroom is not really suitable for a musical of this calibre. Banquet chair seats were packed, so packed that personal space became a distant memory, and the poor sound engineering resulted in sharp stinging high notes, and a muddled string ensemble.
The biggest offender has to be the lighting engineer, as well as whoever was responsible for the background graphics that plagued the whole performance.
A giant screen made up the backdrop of the show. What was displayed on it, however, was distractingly amateurish and jarring compared to the excellent performance.
Those who kept their eyes on the performance on stage were occasionally blinded by the spotlight pointed directly into their eyes, as the automated lights above the stage swept the audience seemingly at random.
Another point of contention was the marketing of the show.
An Evening with the Phantom was marketed as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the longest-running Broadway musical, The Phantom of the Opera. Imagery from that specific production was used to sell the tickets.
However, the actual show was in fact a medley of songs from not only The Phantom, but various other musicals,which caught a few patrons off guard.
However, despite the inadequate management, painful sound system, uncomfortable seats, and the threat of being blinded, the performers and songs more than made up for it.
In the end, it was an enjoyable show, and I was entertained. Perhaps more care should be taken when hosting such shows next time.