THE NOTEBOOK (6/19/14): Norm Lewis in “Phantom”; Farewell to “After Midnight”

Norm Lewis in “Phantom”

Yesterday afternoon, I swung by the Majestic Theater to catch a matinee performance of the long-running “The Phantom of the Opera”, which I’ve seen more times than I care to divulge. The main reason for the return visit was to catch Norm Lewis, the first African American to don the mask on Broadway. The performance was still very a much a work in progress. Norm’s voice is not an ideal fit for the role: his is a robust baritone, while the Phantom has been traditionally sung by a tenor. Part of the fun at this stage was seeing how Norm approached each note. I sensed him playing around with his falsetto voice for maximum effect. His acting was also a work in progress. Norm was best when he played the Phantom straight up without the camp factor of his predecessors (although the campiness worked brilliantly for Hugh Panaro). He’s almost there, and I suspect he’ll get there soon. His heart is definitely in the right place.

 

Farewell to “After Midnight”

Upon hearing that “After Midnight” was closing (surprisingly) at the end of the month, I bought a ticket to see it again one last time to bid farewell. Seeing this lively, adrenalin-fueled song-and-dance revue again last night re-enforced my impression that it was flat-out the most entertaining show of the 2013-2014 season. The show’s nonstop 90 minutes still fly by like a rocket ship, and the band remains the most sizzling on Broadway (courtesy of Jazz at Lincoln Center). The guest performer last night was Patti LaBelle, who was having a ball of a time to the audience’s adulation. This is one hot party that I’m sorry to see end.

Categories: Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply