Audiences around the world have praised "The Phantom of the Opera" as a glamorous, chilling, romantic play with an acclaimed musical score and seven Tony Awards to its credit. Backstage, the atmosphere is just as intense and surreal as what happens on-stage.
The crew - including 96 who travel with the company, and 40 who are local - is working diligently, pulling late hours in order to get the production ready for tonight's opening performance.
Fresh from its jaunt in Toledo, "The Phantom of the Opera" crew is busy unloading 10 48-foot semi-trucks and arranging props and costumes in accordance with the script.
"The most challenging part is the logistics - finding where things are," said advance stage manager David Hansen. "(We) have to figure out the soundboard and where to load and unload."
The crew attacks the theater from three sides, the left and right stage entrances and the front.
"The more doors there are, the easier it is for us to get in," Hansen said.
The crew, ranging from stagehands to actors, consists of 96 people. However, they recruit about 40 local stagehands, 14 of whom are dressers for costumes.
Most stagehands have other theater or convention work. On the day of the last show, about 100 local stagehands load the props, costumes and equipment out and onto the semi-trucks. On a regular day, there are about 50 stagehands present.
"A good percentage of the crew has been here all 10 years," Hansen said.
Five hairdressers travel with the troupe to take care of the 200 wigs. Eighty-five percent of an individual wig is natural hair, the other 15 percent is synthetic. In the two days prior to the show, the wigs are restyled, washed and set to dry slowly and equally in ovens. The Phantom's wig, in particular, is stiffened with multiple layers of gel.
The most famous prop, the infamous chandelier, is 10-feet tall, weighs just under 1,000 pounds and flies out into the audience. The V-like wires attached to the chandelier prevent it from flying directly into the audience in case a technical glitch occurs. Two local stage hands catch the chandelier.
Thirty-five thousand polymer beads from countries such as Poland and Italy cover the chandelier, giving it an elegant, crystal-like appearance.
"The Wharton Center is a great facility. They consider how a show can come in and go out," says Hansen in regards to the challenges of adapting the theater to "Phantom." The last time "Phantom" visited the Wharton Center, they enhanced the part of the building where the chandelier is attached with steel. For insurance purposes, the steel and wiring will be rechecked before the production begins this season's run.
The hardest part of putting on the "Phantom" show, according to Hansen, is making sure every element falls into place to put on an excellent, safe show.
"The last week of the show is the most stressful," Hansen said. "People get sicker during the last week. We call it 'packing sickness.' There's not a lot of downtime."
Sales for "Phantom" have been excellent, according to spokesman Bob Hoffman. The first and second weeks are nearly sold out, leaving some tickets for the third and fourth weeks. He warns, however, that weekend shows and lower-priced tickets are very limited in quantity.
Certain student seats are on sale now for $25 for the first two performances at 7:30 tonight and Thursday at the Wharton Center box office or by calling (517)432-2000. Limit two tickets per valid I.D.
