Caped crusader

Make no mistake, there's a difference between Andrew Lloyd Weber's stage musical "Phantom of the Opera" and "Phantom: The American Musical Sensation," based on the book by Arthur Kopit and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The latter is the extremely entertaining, edge-of-your-seat experience now playing through Aug. 17 at Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road in Munster.

Both versions are based on the classic novel "The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux, and the plot, storyline and characters are similar in many ways.

What makes this visit to the dark, dank catacombs of 1905 Paris so much more refreshing (hmmm ... an ironic choice of words) is the audience gets to know so much more about the Phantom, rather than just a mysterious man behind a mask.

This famous story of a masked figure living beneath the Paris Opera House and terrorizing all who inhabit it, has been haunting audiences with chills and thrills in various incarnations for decades, including the 1925 silent screen classic by Universal Studios starring Lon Chaney Sr. After the masked man falls in love with a young soprano, Christine Daae, he devotes himself to making her a star by nurturing her talent and using the devious methods at his command.

One of the reasons I was so excited to attend Thursday's press opening for this musical is because it's directed by William Pullinsi, who is the artistic director for Theatre at the Center. One of my greatest regrets is I never had the chance to set foot in the late, great Candlelight Theatre, which Pullinsi founded. He staged this same show before Chicago's first dinner theater closed in 1998. (The seats from the Candlelight, which was just a few minutes off Harlem Avenue on Chicago's South Side near my aunt and uncle's house, are now way up on Chicago's North Side in The Theatre Building on Belmont, a fact I think about when reviewing shows in that space.)

No doubt tickets will be hard to snag for Pullinsi's resurrection of "The Phantom of the Opera," but find some way to get tickets, because you'll be glad you did.

It's a musical story that moves fast; the first act is about an hour and 15 minutes. After intermission, it's a fast and equally action-packed 45 minutes.

I've seen many plays and musicals at Theatre at the Center in the dozen years I've covered this beat.

But I've never seen such a fun, surprising and creative use of space to set a story in these surroundings at The Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster. Scenic designer Andre La Salle and Pullinsi deserved the standing ovation they received Thursday night, shared with equally deserving accolades for the cast.

Larry Adams, who plays the Phantom, must be tired after each performance.

With all of the lurking on catwalks, casting shadows here and there and climbing stairs down into the lower recesses of this recreated French opera house, he logs a lot of miles. He knows his Phantom and his performance drive home the amount of heart he has for this role. After all, how often right here in Munster can we say we have the rare opportunity to enjoy the work of someone like Adams, who has performed with the Broadway and national companies of "Phantom of the Opera?"

Johanna McKenzie Miller, who plays Christine, wisely underplays her role until it's time for her to sing, and then her voice does the rest. There is a chemistry between Adams and Miller that definitely connects.

And then there's my favorite thorn-laden rose, the opera diva La Carlotta, played with gusto by Marilyn Bogetich, who need not even utter a word to be thoroughly entertaining. With just one arched eyebrow, you know she's scheming and up to something.

As for any room for improvement, there are just a few pointers I want to share. Besides his mask, the other most famous trademark of the Phantom is his grand pipe organ and its eery tones.

In this case, the faux organ used in Theatre at the Center's production is so small and nondescript, it looks more like something to be played by Schroeder from Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. It adds little to the show, since while Adams pretended to press the keys, it's not part of any major plot point and all that can be heard are the orchestra's piano notes playing, creating an overall odd and forced atmosphere.

Also, there seems to be some strange costume gap that happens in the second act. After watching all the beautiful turn-of the-century 1905 French finery worn by the men and women in the first act, by the second act, a number of the leading males, including the phantom's mentor/manager of the opera house, appear to have run out to a Men's Wearhouse clothing store during intermission, because they are all wearing what look to be contemporary suits and ties!

Performances are 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays, select Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. through Aug. 17. Tickets: $36-$40. (219) 836-3255, www.Tickets.com at (800) 511-1552 or www.theatreatthecenter.org.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

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