‘The Phantom of the Opera’ Still Knows How to Haunt a Room
I have a long, slightly ridiculous history with The Phantom of the Opera. On Broadway, I saw it multiple times from the back row, the kind of seat where you learn to love the show as a shape first. You fall for the silhouette of a cape, the geometry of a staircase, the way the music swells and tells you where to look when your eyes cannot quite get there fast enough. From that far back, Phantom of the Opera becomes mythic on purpose. It’s less “I’m watching people do a show” and more “I’m watching a legend do what legends do.” So, walking into the Detroit Opera House for this North American tour, I already knew the plot beats in my bones, but I didn’t know what it would do to me up close. I was not prepared for how physical Phantom becomes when you can see the craft. Not just the spectacle, but the engineering. Not just the romance, but the danger. Not just the emotion, but the sweat, breath, and control that make this story land like a gothic punch to the chest.
[Warning: Spoilers from Phantom of the Opera are below!]
Synopsis of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera
At the Paris Opéra House, a mysterious, masked figure known as the Phantom haunts the building, sabotaging productions and terrorizing management while secretly shaping the career of young chorus girl Christine Daaé. Believing the Phantom to be her “Angel of Music,” Christine is drawn into his underground world, seduced by his brilliance, frightened by his volatility, and caught between awe and alarm. As Christine’s childhood friend Raoul reenters her life and their feelings deepen, the Phantom’s obsession intensifies. What begins as artistic mentorship turns into possessiveness and revenge, pulling the opera company into a spiral of threats, spectacle, and tragedy, until Christine must make a choice that could cost her freedom, her future, and someone’s life.
Back row vs. up close at Phantom of the Opera
From the back row on Broadway, the famous moments read like icons. The chandelier is an event. The fog is an atmosphere. The underground lair is a vibe. Up close, those same moments become a series of choices you can actually clock, and that changes everything. You notice how the light catches on the metalwork, how the fabric weight of a cloak affects the Phantom’s movement, how a chorus member’s head turn is timed to a musical accent. You realize the show has always been doing meticulous, old-school stage magic, and you have simply been too far away to see the seams. Here, the seams are the thrill.
And the Detroit Opera House is the perfect venue for that kind of revelation. The Phantom of the Opera is a show about an opera house that devours people. Seeing it inside a grand, ornate space makes the whole thing feel less like “touring spectacle dropped into a room” and more like the building is collaborating. When the world of the Paris Opéra folds into the real architecture around you, the line between audience and story gets thinner. You’re not just watching the opera house onstage, you’re sitting inside an opera house while it tells you a ghost story about an opera house. It’s deliciously self-aware without ever winking.
The set is the star, and I mean that as a compliment
Let me be blunt: most modern musicals have gotten lazy about theatrical space. Many new shows have traded three-dimensional environments for screens, projections, and “content.” I’m not anti-technology, but I am anti-boredom, and too many contemporary designs feel like you’re watching a very expensive desktop wallpaper behind performers who are doing their best to convince you it’s a real world. Phantom is the opposite. It is unapologetically built. It is architecture. It is texture. It is layered, practical, and tactile. This tour specifically leans into that legacy, featuring Maria Björnson’s original design, rooted in Harold Prince’s celebrated direction, with the musical staging and choreography associated with Gillian Lynne’s approach.
That matters because Björnson’s design language is not minimalist, and it is not “suggestive.” It is maximalist with intention. The set doesn’t just frame the story; it tells the story. The opera house isn’t a backdrop, it’s a machine with moods. It’s all gilded surfaces and shadow pockets, elegant lines that can suddenly turn predatory. The visuals constantly reinforce the themes: seduction, obsession, performance, and the cost of being seen. Up close, the immersion comes from the show’s use of depth. Scenes don’t feel like they happen in front of scenery. They feel like they happen in a place with corridors, catwalks, corners, and history. When the action shifts, it’s not, “and now we’re somewhere else,” it’s “and now you’ve been pulled deeper.” The transitions are part of the storytelling, and that’s something modern musicals often forget. Phantom understands that moving from one world to another is not dead time; it’s suspense.
The Phantom of the Opera’s effects are famous, but closeness changes the impact. The big moments do not just impress; they threaten you a little, which is exactly what this story needs. When sound and light erupt, it’s not polite. It’s a jolt. When the staging tilts toward horror, it commits. When the romance swells, it swallows the room. The show’s theatrical haze and fog are not decoration; they’re psychology. What I loved most was that the spectacle never felt separate from the character. Phantom is not a theme park ride. It’s a full-body metaphor for obsession, and the production design supports that at every turn. You are constantly reminded that this Phantom is a composer, an architect, and a manipulator. The world bends because he bends it.
A historical performance from the cast & crew of Phantom of the Opera
Isaiah Bailey, as the Phantom, gives a performance that reads beautifully at close range because it’s built from specificity. This is not a Phantom who hides behind “mysterious.” This is a Phantom who is always making choices. Bailey has the vocal power you want in this role, yes, but what really lands is the control. He knows when to let the sound bloom and when to pull it back into something intimate and unsettling. The seduction works because it’s not just pretty singing, it’s intent. And physically, he’s compelling. Up close, you can appreciate how much of the Phantom’s menace is posture and pace.
Christine can sometimes be played as a pretty object being fought over. Jordan Lee Gilbert refuses that. Her Christine has steel under the innocence. You hear it in how she phrases the music, how she holds a line, how she doesn’t rush through fear. Vocally, she brings clarity and lift, but what I appreciated most was her emotional intelligence. She makes Christine’s choices legible. She makes it clear why the Phantom’s influence is intoxicating, and also why it becomes unbearable. Up close, her acting choices read as real decisions instead of broad reactions. That’s hard to do in a role that is constantly being pulled by other people’s desires. Gilbert gives Christine an inner life you can track, which makes the final emotional turns hit harder. You’re not watching a soprano in peril. You’re watching a young woman realize what she wants, what she’s willing to risk, and what she refuses to become.
Raoul is tricky. He can come off bland, or smug, or like a plot device in a nice coat. Daniel Lopez brings warmth and sincerity that actually make the triangle work. His Raoul isn’t just “the safe option.” He’s someone with genuine tenderness, and he plays the stakes honestly. He doesn’t posture as a hero; he simply shows up as a man trying to protect someone he loves in a situation that keeps escalating beyond reason. And here’s the thing: Raoul has to be believable for the Phantom to be tragic. If Raoul is cardboard, then the Phantom’s jealousy feels theatrical. When Raoul is human, the Phantom’s obsession feels like a collision between two real forces, love and possession, and Christine is caught in the middle, trying not to be turned into either a prize or a ghost.
Why Phantom still wins
Seeing Phantom of the Opera up close at the Detroit Opera House reminded me why this show has outlasted trends. It’s not because people love a big chandelier. It’s because the show understands something foundational: theatre is most alive when the room feels transformed. This production doesn’t ask you to imagine an opera house. It builds one, then dares you to breathe inside it.
And in an era where too many productions feel like they’re designed to look good in a promo clip, Phantom remains stubbornly, gloriously committed to the live experience. The set is immersive. The staging is detailed. The effects are integrated. The performances at the center, especially Bailey, Gilbert, and Lopez, give the spectacle a heartbeat.
I loved Phantom of the Opera from the back row on Broadway because it felt like watching a legend from a respectful distance. I loved Phantom in Detroit because it felt like the legend leaned forward and grabbed the lapels of my jacket. Up close, you don’t just admire it. You feel it.
Know before you go
Venue: Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St, Detroit, MI 48226.
Run time: About 2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission.
Tickets
- Tickets: Buy through official ticketing.
- Running now: February 15th, 2026.
- Arrival tip: Plan to arrive 30–45 minutes early if you want time for photos, the lobby, and the merch line (Phantom merch can get busy fast).
Accessibility
- The Detroit Opera House offers accessibility services (including accessible seating and accommodations). Check the venue’s accessibility info ahead of time so they can set you up smoothly.
Parking & getting there
- Downtown Detroit parking can be easy or chaotic, depending on what else is happening. Your best move is to:
- build in extra time,
- consider nearby garages/lots,
- and be ready for a short walk.
Phantom of the Opera runs at The Fisher Theatre as a part of the ATG Detroit Broadway series through February 15, so get your tickets now! Want the latest cast details and any schedule updates? Check the official national tour website for Phantom of the Opera. Have you seen this production yet? What did you think of the grand return of Phantom of the Opera to Detroit? Drop your thoughts and tag @bsb.insider on socials!
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