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Phantom of the Opera: A Theatrical Fountain of Youth

When it comes to people, twenty-seven is right up there in the idyllic age stratosphere. Physically you still have the upper hand on gravity; your pop-culture radar never misses a blip; and you can find your way around cyberspace (and the tiniest of keyboards) blindfolded. Should you be a musical that just crossed the twenty-seven year threshold on Broadway, however, you’re firmly into codger territory. Unless, of course, the marquee reads: The Phantom of the Opera—the only show in Broadway history to reached this revered age without a grey hair, liver spot or wrinkle in sight.

The production’s youth serum, it seems, is its blend of timeless story, impeccable upkeep and sporadic infusions of new talent, illustrated recently with the arrival of a new leading lady and man—Julia Udine as Christine Daaé and James Barbour as “the man behind the mask.”


Julia Udine stars at Christine Daaé in Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Matthew Murphy

Unlike Barbour, whose Broadway resume is flush with starring roles in shows like Carousel, Beauty & the Beast, Jane Eyre, Urinetown, Assassins and A Tale of Two Cities, Udine is making her Broadway debut in the role first performed on the Great White Way by Sarah Brightman in 1988. Still, she is not exactly a newcomer to composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s quintessential “music of the night.” The Vorhees, NY native landed the role of Christine in the U.S. road company of producer Cameron Mackitnosh’s revisionist version of Phantom.

“The staging, choreography and design of the show was different in the touring production,” says Udine, who had to adapt to the classic Broadway edition when she joined the Majestic company last December.

“I loved being on the road but I like being here better, where I can settle in my own apartment without having to deal with the stress of constant travel,” she continues. “Moving from place to place, I had to take extra care of my voice.”

Precautions she took on tour have served Udine well during cold and flu season in Manhattan. “Everyone in the cast has their own rituals for keeping their immune system healthy from honey, hot beverages and especially sleep,” she says.

Fortunately, Udine has the benefit of youth on her side. Younger than the Broadway production by six years, she recalls her first encounter with the show. “I was around 13 or 14 and came with my whole family. I think we were sitting in the rear balcony,” she recalls. “I fell madly in love. I sang the songs in voice lessons; I returned so many times over the years, but I never in a million years thought I’d be doing it on Broadway.”

Yet, here she is a trained ballet dancer, (“My parents put me in ballet because my singing around the house was so loud,”), with a glorious soprano range that continues to be nurtured by Melissa Daniels, the same vocal teacher she’s studied with since she was a kid.

And here she is, passionately playing spellbound heroine to musical theatre’s most celebrated – and mysterious—male character on the world’s most famous theatre venue: Broadway.

Add to this a powerful leading man in Barbour—the 15th Phantom to haunt Broadway’s Majestic Theatre—and Udine can’t help but be in ingénue heaven.

“Forty students from my high school came to see me in the show recently – and a lot of them had never seen Phantom, or even a show, before,” says Udine.

“Afterwards, there was a talk back session and looking out at them I realized just how young I am in this business. A year ago I was sitting where they were.”

The Phantom of the Opera is playing at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre, 247 W. 44th St.
For tickets call 212-239-6200 or visit thephantomoftheopera.com.

About the Author

City Guide Theatre Editor Griffin Miller moved to New York to pursue an acting/writing career in the 1980s after graduating magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, she has written for The New York Times, For the Bride, Hotels, and a number of other publications, mostly in the areas of travel and performance arts. An active member of The New York Travel Writers Association, she is also a playwright and award-winning collage artist. In addition, she sits on the board of The Lewis Carroll Society of North America. Griffin is married to Richard Sandomir, a reporter for The New York Times.

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