The Phantom of the Opera (West End) — My Review

Date: 29 October 2025
Theatre: His Majesty’s Theatre (West End) — ~1,216 seats
Seat / Price: Stalls, Row S, Seat 12 — £85
Time: 7:30pm–9:30pm

I fell hard for Phantom when I was with Shiki in Japan — so much so that in my second year I was watching almost every week. It’s a show I would love to perform in one day. Seeing it again in London reminded me why I keep returning: it simply holds me. Here’s what stood out this time.

Good Points

🎼 A powerful, beautiful orchestra

From the opening Overture, the sound pinned me to the back of my seat. Compared with the larger Japanese houses I’ve sat in, His Majesty’s feels more intimate; the tighter room delivers greater sound pressure, so the score lands with punch and clarity. Every cue felt like it travelled straight from ear to brain — no blur, just music doing its job.

🔸 Large-scale stage effects that thrill

This may differ from what I remember in Japan, but in the West End the opera box units move during the on-stage opera scenes, which heightens the feeling of being inside a functioning opera house. After “All I Ask of You”, the Pegasus statue carrying the Phantom tracks forward from upstage: simple, bold, and genuinely imposing from the stalls.

In Act II’s graveyard sequence, after Christine calls to her father and Raoul pulls her back, the Phantom’s bursts of flame and the final front-of-stage fire column drew audible gasps and spontaneous applause. As far as I understand, indoor pyrotechnics can face tighter restrictions in Japan, so this exact scale may be uncommon there — another reason the West End staging felt fresh to me.

Summary

Tonight confirmed it: I love this show. Back in Japan I knew the odds of appearing in Phantom were slim — casting often leaned towards singer-profile principals, the male ballet track was limited, auditions were rare, and company logistics meant you could be tied to your current title. In London, though, ability can open doors. This performance sent me home determined to sharpen my vocals and aim, seriously, for that stage.

That’s it for this one. On to the next review.

Cast

The Phantom / DEAN CHISNALL

Christine Daaé / LILY KERHOAS

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagry / ASHLEY GILMOUR

Carlotta Giudicelli / ZOE VALLEE

Monsieur Firmin / MARTIN BALL

Monsieur Andé / MICHAEL BAXTER

Madame Giry / VICTORIA WARD

Uba do Piangi / HYWEL DOWSELL

Meg Giry / MILLIE LYON

Monsieur Reyer / GEORGE ARVIDSON

Auctioneer / LEONARD COOK

Soldier / MATT HAYDEN

Don A ttilio / GEORGE ARVIDSON

Monsieur Lefèvre / TM MORGAN

Joseph Buquet / LEONARD COOK

Hamibals Guard / Shepherd / NICHOLAS HEPHER

Gala Dancer (Masquerade) / JOHNNY RANDALL

Porter/Passarino / DAVID BURLIN

Marksman / CONNOR EWING

Hair Dresser (1 Muto) / WLL HAWKSWORTH

Wardrobe Mistress / MELANE GOWIE

Wid Wanan (Hannibal) / INGUNA MOROZOVA

Madame Firmin / EMBLA BISHOP

Princess (Hannibal) / TAYLOR PARDELL

Confidante (0 Muto) / EMILY GEORGE

Page (Don Juan) / POLLY CLARKE

● Ballet Chorus of the Opéra Populaire

FLORENCE FOWLER

MOLLY HALL

MANDY KWAN

VERITY MARLOW

SKYE NOVEMBER JASMINE WALLIS

Conductor / MALCOLM FORBES-PECKHAM

🔸 My Instagram 🔸
https://www.instagram.com/isokazu_oyama/