Phantom of The Opera

Myself and three friends booked tickets to see Phantom for the 5th of January 2010, and should have taken the adverse weather as the first sign that we should have stayed at home.

Firstly, I should say that our seats were perfect. We were front row of the Dress circle and the view could simply not have been better. On taking our seats we could not help but notice how impressive the set looked even pre-show. Unfortunately, the problems only started after the show had begun.

After showing initial promise with some very impressive effects, it soon became apparent that the cast was not able to keep up with the set. They were outdone by every other department working on the show. It is, in a word, spectacular, by which I mean that it is all spectacle. Wardrobe, lighting, the set and the orchestra were all very appealing but the cast and direction completely floundered.

The staging was clumsy with actors spending much of the show wandering the stage looking as if they couldn't find a mark and even when they did their delivery was sub-standard. I know this is musical theatre and that perhaps it requires more suspension of disbelief than other theatre, but in this case the only thing that could have suspended my disbelief was if you sentenced it to life. Phantom and Christine were unconvincing and overworked, while Raoul fell into the usual trap of being a charisma vacuum. The supporting cast frankly just seemed happy to be there.

Phantom's 23 years have led to it becoming stagnant. It needs a reason to be kept going; new energy and fervour. As it is, it plays like the West End's granddad on life support, while there are young, vibrant shows out there in Theatreland. Come on Phantom, people need a reason not to pull the plug.

Love Never Dies... but sometimes you wish it would.