Tag Archives: The Phantom of the Opera

Grand Rapids Public Museum hosts special Halloween Mighty Wurlitzer Organ Concerts

October 4, 2017EntertainmentAndrew Rogers, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, The Phantom of the OperaJoanne

Join the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) for special Mighty Wurlitzer Organ concerts of the 2017 series with Andrew Rogers, accompanied by the 1925 horror silent film classic The Phantom of the Opera on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14.

The Phantom of the Opera features Lon Chaney Sr. as the deformed phantom who haunts the Paris Opera house. Rogers will accompany the film on the GRPM’s 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ.

Rogers is a Detroit native. He is an organist at the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor and the Detroit Fox, he also scores and performs silent films, and performs concerts throughout the U.S. and internationally. Rogers, a resident of Fenton, Mich., started his musical studies with the accordion. He won local and national competitions by playing transcriptions of classical orchestral music. Rogers graduated with a degree with honors in psychology from Michigan State University. In his time, he earned scholarships from the University of Michigan, which made it possible to travel on two Historic Organ Tours, which were through France, Italy, and Switzerland. In 2003, Rogers was invited to play for a public program in Michigan, which was for Japan’s Foundation for Global Harmony.

Shows will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, in the Meijer Theater at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW.

Tickets for individual concerts are $8 for Museum member adults, $4 for Museum member children, $10 for non-member adults and $5 for non-member children. Tickets are available by visiting www.grpm.org/Organ or by calling 616-929-1700.

The third concert of the series will be Theatre Organ Through the Decades performed by Justin Stahl on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m.

The fourth and final concert of the series will be Holiday Classics on Friday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. by John Lauter. This holiday classic is a sellout show, great for the entire family. Tickets are recommended to be purchased early.

Broadway Grand Rapids Ushers in Excitement With Its New Season

March 25, 2015Local Entertainment, RecreationBroadway Grand Rapids, Newsies, Pippin, Riverdance, The Books of Mormon, The Phantom of the OperaJoanne

Singing, dancing, laughing, drama, and a whole lot of theater will be making its way to Broadway Grand Rapids for the theater’s new season! Five shows are lined up to start in September and finish up in June of 2016 and the positivity and excitement has been overwhelming.

“This season we’re offering a custom ‘4-pack’ of shows for those who don’t want to purchase all five,” explained Meghan Distel, the Director of Marketing for Broadway Grand Rapids, “but we have sold very little of the 4-packs as most people are choosing all five shows. That shows the excitement for all the shows we’re bringing in!”

What’s all the excitement about? Well, Broadway Grand Rapids is bringing in a lineup of award winning shows to Grand Rapids.

Newsies (September 22-27)
Pippin (November 3-8)
Riverdance 20th Anniversary Tour (April 12-17, 2016)
The Phantom of the Opera (May 18-29, 2016)
The Book of Mormon (June 21-26, 2016)

Getting together a lineup of shows of that caliber takes some work. Broadway Grand Rapids works on putting the shows together for around 12-18 months before dates are finalized. There is a lot of back and forth that occurs with the timing and use of the Devos Performance Hall and how they line up with the shows themselves and their tour dates.

Sometimes, there can even be structural barriers to overcome.

Broadway Grand Rapids had a massive hurdle to clear in order to bring The Phantom of the Opera to DeVos Performance Hall. Phantom uses very large set pieces that need space in the back to work during the show. The DeVos Performance Hall doesn’t have that necessary space right now, but it will be by the time Phantom rolls into town!

The backstage area will be expanded, and certain aspects of the floor and ceiling are to be reconfigured as well, in order to accommodate the show. As they say, the show must go on! It will all be worth it when show time is here. The city is already buzzing with excitement about the new lineup.

If you’re interested in purchasing tickets for the upcoming season, visit broadwaygrandrapids.com.

New Phantom of the Opera Production to Premiere at DeVos Hall in 2016

July 21, 2014Local EntertainmentBroadway Grand Rapids, DeVos Performance Hall, The Phantom of the OperaJoanne

Renovations to DeVos Performance Hall make hosting big productions possible!

Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group are delighted to announce that their spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA will make its Grand Rapids premiere in at DeVos Performance Hall for 16 performances May 18-29, 2016. With newly reinvented staging and stunning scenic design, this new version of PHANTOM, the most successful musical of all-time, will be performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this one of the largest productions on tour in North America.

This exciting announcement follows the approval by the Kent County Convention/Arena Authority to upgrade DeVos Performance Hall to allow for this spectacular show. The commissioners voted unanimously to make structural improvements in order to allow shows of this caliber to play on the DeVos Hall stage. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA will mark the first time Broadway Grand Rapids will have a touring show on stage for 2 weeks. Commissioners applauded the opportunity to enhance the community’s reputation as a destination city. Current Broadway season ticket holders will have first opportunity to secure tickets for this landmark event in the 2015-16 season.

For more information on the production and a video sneak peek, please visit
www.ThePhantomOfTheOpera.com/USTou r

Andrew Lloyd Webber said, “It’s wonderful to have a new production of PHANTOM touring America now that the show has celebrated over 25 years on Broadway. Director Laurence Connor has done an amazing job and this production has received huge critical acclaim in the UK.”

Cameron Mackintosh said, ”After a glorious celebration of 25 phenomenal years on Broadway with no end in sight, I’m delighted to be able to bring this dazzling new production of PHANTOM — which has been phenomenally well-received by both audiences and critics in the U.K this past year — to North America. With an exciting new design and staging, retaining Maria Björnson’s amazing costumes, I am confident North American audiences will fall in love with the PHANTOM in his new guise — for the first time or all over again.”

The new production of PHANTOM has been an enormous hit on its inaugural UK tour with audiences and critics alike…

“An intense and spectacular new production with a stunning new design, fresh drama and added momentum.”

“Cameron Mackintosh’s flawless new PHANTOM is the best production of this musical ever.”

“Take a deep breath and prepare to be dazzled; this kind of gorgeous escapism is exactly what audiences need.”

“A PHENOMENON.”

“Andrew Lloyd Webber’s luscious music – a great theatrical experience PHANTASTIC.”

This new production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is directed by Laurence Connor (the 25th Anniversary production of Les Misérables now on Broadway) with choreography by Scott Ambler, set design by Paul Brown, Tony Award®-winning original costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Tony Award®-winner Paule Constable, sound design by Mick Potter and musical supervision by John Rigby. The production is overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics are by Charles Hart (with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe) and the book is by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Orchestrations are by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

There are currently seven productions of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA around the world: the flagship London production (27 Years and counting), New York (26 Years and counting), Sapporo (Japan, 25 Years and counting, in repertory), Budapest (Hungary), Hamburg (Germany), the Asian Pacific Tour and Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular all-new production now on North American Tour. The next international opening will be in Taipei, China in September 2014.

Since its debut, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has grossed over $5.6 billion worldwide, with over 65,000 performances that have been seen by 130 million people in 29 countries and 150 cities in 13 languages. The show has won more than 70 major theater awards.

There have been three previous U.S. National Tours of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA that grossed over $1.5 billion in combined box office sales and played 216 engagements in 77 cities for an unprecedented total of 36 years and over 14,500 performances to 31 million people.

Based on the classic novel Le Fantôme de L’Opéra by Gaston Leroux, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents and by employing all of the devious methods at his command.