The concert space of Barnum Hall will be transformed into the Paris Opera House for the next two weekends, as the ambitious students of Samohi Performing Arts will be taking on an all-time classic.
Masterpiece musical The Phantom of the Opera comes to Barnum Hall beginning Friday, with five subsequent showings from Samohi Theatre Productions showcasing theatrical, visual and audio aptitude under the first-time direction of Jeffe Huls. The director is no stranger to Samohi, however, this being his 19th year as choir director at the school, and Huls desired to make a splash with the world-acclaimed show.
"It’s always been in the back of my head as something to attempt … I felt I wanted something that would be a spectacle for the eyes, as well as the ears, and I wanted something that I felt the community would turn out to see," Huls said.
Based on the French novel Le Fantôme de I’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, Phantom won seven Tony Awards for Original Broadway Production in 1988, including Best Musical. The show, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics from Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, was the longest-running production in Broadway history, eclipsing 10,000 performances in 2012.
To account for such a legendary show, and his first time in the director’s seat, Huls said his workload has increased significantly, though not without its perks. He added that he enjoys being more involved in the visual aspects of production and being able to make decisions regarding set and overall feel of the show.
Aside from the hours, what Huls has contended with most has been Barnum Hall itself, learning "a lot" about stage placement through rehearsals.
"Our performance hall is a giant stage, and so learning how to use a full stage to keep interest for an audience [was] a big challenge as well," he said.
He hasn’t had to contend much with the student cast, as he stated that Samohi’s theater crew has responded well to his direction with efficient rehearsals, adding that they have "made big commitments to pull this together."
Major commitments were made by the one unique twist in the Phantom casting, that being two actors playing the lead role. Walden Sullivan will be playing the titular Phantom on Friday, Sunday and March 2, while Justin Xu will step into the spotlight on Saturday, as well as March 1 and March 3. Huls said both have "brought a degree of work ethic" to rehearsals that allowed both to explore the character, even if only one of them was currently working on stage.
"It wasn’t always necessary to have to play the 50/50 game, where someone gets to do this 50% of the time, and then we [do] it again for another person," Huls said. "They were both really working hard to preserve time in a rehearsal."
The director had to toe the line between having a uniform way to portray the Phantom and allowing the talented duo to have some freedom with the complex character. Huls noted that there won’t be a huge divergence between the two, but intent eyes may pick up "some subtle acting differences."
"We’ve had long discussions in rehearsals about the overall concept [of] what marks I needed them to hit on stage, the overall emotion of a particular number that they’re performing in," Huls said. "But then I’ve also allowed them some freedom to kind of explore that character, and bring a little bit of their own personal acting abilities to that character in any given moment.
Playing alongside The Phantom duo will be Brooke Aron in the role of female lead Christine Daaé. Working with Huls on the show are theater director Kate Barraza and music director Terry Sakow.
Start times on Friday, Saturday, March 1 and March 2 will be 7 p.m., with Sunday and March 3 showings beginning at 3 p.m. For more information on the show and to purchase tickets, visit samohitheatre.org.