Imagine listening through your favourite greatest hits album. That’s what it felt like when we attended “An Evening With The Phantom – Songs For The Musicals”.
In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of “The Phantom of the Opera” broadway and in support of the Tuanku Ja’afar Educational Trust (TJET), “An Evening With The Phantom – Songs For The Musicals” was held at the Manhattan Ballroom in Berjaya Times Square Hotel on Wednesday (18th April).
Presented by Milestone Production, the broadway musical show was divided into Act 1 and Act 2. Accompanied by award-winning musical director Bernard Walz, all eyes were on the main stars of the show – Londoner Michael Cormick and Aussie’s Claire Lyon.
The duo kicked off the show with a dramatic version of “Phantom of the Opera” with Cormick walking up from the audience to meet Lyon on stage. There has been countless interpretation of this iconic number but the music was just beautiful as it somehow enraptures one’s soul.
Thanks to their experiences in the broadway field, both singers interacted well with the crowd. Cormick, who never failed to remind the crowd of his resume, shared that he has had approximately 4-5 concerts in Malaysia. For Lyon though, Malaysia is more like home since her dad currently resides in the country.
Although this musical was billed as “An Evening With The Phantom”, the majority of the songs weren’t from “Phantom of the Opera”. We had a few Disney numbers including “A Whole New World” from (“Aladdin”) and the “Beauty and the Beast” theme song (whom Cormick previously collaborated with Hugh Jackman when the actor portrayed Gaston).
There were also famous numbers from “Cats” (with “Memory”), “The Sound of Music” medley (Lyon slayed it in her performance of “Climb Every Mountain”), “West Side Story” medley, and “Les Misérables”. Perhaps, that is why the music event was aptly titled “Songs For The Musicals”.
We felt that the pair lacked chemistry (Cormick kept cutting Lyon at various intervals), but their vocal prowess were undeniable. The British star’s sweet spot lies in his vibrato, which is a nice contrast to the Australian beauty’s souring vocals. Most of the numbers selected for “An Evening With The Phantom – Songs For The Musicals” were personal favourites.
It was a nice experience to walk down memory lane. When the performers sang the “The Sound of Music” medley we could see Julie Andrews as Maria running across the fields of greenery. When “Beauty and the Beast” came on, the iconic ballroom dance photo of Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the titular characters was plastered on the screen.
For the closing number, Cormick and Lyon ended the beautiful night on a high note with “All I Ask Of You”.
Shout out to our friends Milestone Production for the invite. We truly enjoyed ourselves ;)
