A twisted romance between a masked musical genius who lies beneath the Paris Opera House and a young up-and-coming singer — this is just a glimpse into “The Phantom of the Opera”, which played from November 21 to December 7 of 2025 at the Orpheum Theatre here in Minneapolis. This famed musical was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (“Cats”, “Evita”) and follows Christine Daaé, a gifted opera singer, as she tries to excel at singing and find stardom. While she ventures toward greatness, weird things suddenly start happening around the theater, causing lead singer Carlotta to quit, which leaves an opening for ingenue Christine to fill in as the lead.
A large part of the fame and love for the musical comes not only from its unique love story and emotional showtunes, not to mention the human and ghostly performances, but from the unique interactive chandelier, a central character and prop for the act, which many viewers of the play adored.
“I thought it was really cool at the beginning [when] the chandelier syncs [up] with the music, I thought it was really cool how it caught fire,” audience member Max Thompson said. “Through the whole show, everything was really [well-]mixed in with the music, and the choreography [was] really on tempo.”
The actors chosen to portray the characters were also amazingly cast. The 2025-2026 North America Tour of “The Phantom of the Opera” features Isaiah Bailey (“We Can Be Heroes”) as The Phantom, acclaimed soprano soloist Jordan Lee Glibert as Christine Daaé and Daniel Lopez (“Blue Bloods”) as Raoul, an audience member who knew Christine as a child and has aims to rekindle their relationship. The feelings resonating off the stage were beautiful and powerful. The emotions in the vocals and even the snobbish and entitled personality of Carlotta, the ex-lead, played by Midori Marsh, were magnetic and dramatic. The acting in this show was overall phenomenal, and the singing was amazing and pitch-perfect, as a very important element for this show is to be able to sing opera.
“The actors’ portrayals were expressive and believable,” audience member Courtney Chirafisi said. “The singing voices were divine [too], but the production [design] was on a different level. Props were purposely and carefully placed to create realistic moments that pulled the audience in. The stage crew’s ability to transition between scenes was clean and effortless. I loved the use of lighting to add depth and emotion. And the chandelier was to die for!”
Directed by Seth Sklar-Heyn (the U.S. tour of “Frost/Nixon”) with an orchestra conducted by Isaac Hayward (Opera Australia’s “West Side Story”) and musical supervision by Kristen Blodgette (“Sunset Boulevard” on Broadway), the music throughout the performance was astonishing, with everything well-timed and a particular focus on syncing the vocals. Even the main attraction — the chandelier — featured a depth of detail that emphasized the talent of legendary original production designer Maria Björnson as well as touring set design adapter Matt Kinley (“Jerry Springer — The Opera”).
“The entire cast matched their roles perfectly,” audience member and avid “Phantom” fan Dan Chirafisi said. “The orchestra was absolutely amazing and made the entire show. I thought the scenes were amazingly well done, especially given the show travels and is not a home theater show. Overall, I would go back in a heartbeat.”
This play was thrilling, and the Orpheum is an ideal traditional space to host such an iconic work. You could see the passion put in by the technicians and service workers from start to finish. Every aspect was very clear and professional, as if the night of music and theater was effortlessly presented for the viewer. If you want to check out what else the Orpheum and the other Nicollet Avenue playhouses in Minneapolis, check out the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s upcoming performances on their website. Just a suggestion, but the award-winning and smash hit “Hamilton” is playing this upcoming April and May!
