By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Thomas More Prep-Marian will present Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" tonight through Sunday in a performance dedicated to their former music director Jim Balthazor.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the TMP Dreiling Theater, 1701 Hall. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased online.
Travis Grizzell, director, said he knew he had a special group of talented seniors this year and wanted to have something special for them to perform their last year in high school.
"Right before the pandemic hit and we went to remote learning, my music director at the time, Jim Balthazor, and I were having a hard time selecting a musical for this year," Grizzell said.
"I made a side note to myself about Phantom, and I finally brought it up to him. He just said 'What the hell, let's get crazy.'"
Auditions were held in June for what was supposed to be a fall musical.
"The fall semester came and things were not better pandemic-wise, and we just couldn't do a musical, so we decided to postpone until the spring. Later that fall, we lost Jim," Grizzell said.
Alexandra Rome, who was going to help with vocals anyway, stepped into the full role of music director and the school is finally getting to present the show it began over a year ago.
"These young people have been through a lot this year, and the fact that we're doing a musical at all is amazing. Our show is dedicated to Mr. Jim Balthazor," Grizzell said.
Ben Pfannenstiel, senior, is the Phantom and has inhabited a role that really showcases his range and talent, Grizzell said.
"Our two female leads, Maggie Baalmann (Christine) and Madelyn Seiler (Carlotta) are nothing short of amazing," Grizzell said. "They're extremely gifted vocalists and are naturals on the stage."
They are both juniors at TMP-Marian.
Seiler has also done a lot of choreography for TMP's last few musicals, and Baalmann is always involved with stage art and painting.
"Like the rest of the cast, they've worked hard, are very talented, and excited to finally unveil our production," Grizzell said.
"Phantom of the Opera" is the longest-running show in Broadway history and has been seen by more than 140 million people worldwide.
"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, according to the TMP website.
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, the site said.
Cast
Jensen Brull - Auctioneer, Don Attilo, Passarino
Ben Pfannenstiel – The Phantom of the Opera
Hunter Flax – Raoul the Vicomte de Chagny
Nathan Stecklein – Ubaldo Piangi
Aidan Normandin – Monsieur Gilles Andre
Seth Perrett – Joseph Buquet/Fire Chief
Nick Herrman – Monsieur Reyer
Aakash Patel – Monsieur Richard Firmin
Travis Grizzell – Monsieur Lefevre
Julianna Baalmann – Slave, Chorus/Ensemble
Allison Weber – Fop 1, Slave, Ensemble/Chorus
Natalie Loftus – Meg Giry
Madelyn Seiler – Carlotta Giudicelli
Izzy Peine – Slave Master, Ballet Chorus
McKynlee Stecklein – Confidante, Ballet Chorus
Mary Greenwood – Slave, Maid, Chorus/Ensemble
Kadrian Ayarza – Ballet Chorus, Chorus/Ensemble
Delaney Staab – Ballet Chorus, Chorus/Ensemble
Morgan Olmstead – Madame Firmin, Persian Princess, Chorus/Ensemble
Ashley Hipp – Ballet Chorus, Chorus/Ensemble
Maggie Brull – Madame Giri
Maggie Baalmann – Christine Daae
Anabelle Leach – Nurse, Chorus/Ensemble
Jessica Herrman – Persian Guard, Chorus/Ensemble
Avery Werth – Ballet Chorus, Fop 2, Chorus/Ensemble
Whitney Befort – Persian Guard, Inn Keeper’s Wife, Chorus/Ensemble
Kylie Dreiling – Porter/Chorus
