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Masquerade 8/14/25 8:15 PM

Jeff Kready (Phantom), Anna Zavelson (Christine), Paul A Schaefer (Raoul), Satomi Hofmann (Carlotta), Raymond J Lee (André), Jeremy Stolle (Firmin), Betsy Morgan (Mme Giry), Georgia Mendes (Meg), Phumzile Sojola (Piangi), Kody Jauron (Young Phantom), Andre Wojtal (Buquet), Bryan Hernandez-Luch (violinist), Chris Ryan (Carnival Barker), Joe Kerr (Fire Breather), Laura Lee Anderson (Ring Toss), Anna Monoxide (Blockhead), Gabriella Enriquez (Mirror Bride), Rawb Lane (Cognac Man)

Below the cut is a summary of my Masquerade NYC immersive Phantom experience! I know I’ve missed things here or there and hopefully other phans who have seen the show can fill in the gaps. (I was avoiding spoilers so I haven’t read/watched any other detailed summaries yet, only a walkthrough by @flagbridge) There is some review-ish commentary but mostly I tried to capture the the show as I saw it. If I call out changes/differences from the traditional show, it's not necessarily a judgement, just a description. So curious to know how others’ experiences have differed! (Different casts, changes made, different order of rooms/scenes, etc)

CM = Cast Member(s) AM = Audience Member(s)

1. Everyone enters an antechamber, decorated with tutus on the ceiling, receive a glass of (non-alcoholic or traditional) champagne. A violinist in period is playing a melody of MOTN, Masquerade, Think of Me, AIAOY, Prima Donna live at one end. He later moves through the crowd and plays the Journey to the Graveyard. Background audio comes in to support. Amazing. I immediately headcanon the violinist as Papa Daaé.

2. Back door opens, full group is led into a dark room with a stage. Madame Giry is on the stage with the monkey music box. To the side there's the Hannibal elephant head (at least a replica). Giry introduces us to the show, teaches us a few lines of Masquerade and some hand motions, has us all perform together.

3. The wall opposite the stage opens into full Masquerade. Cast is in new costumes on a central circular platform There are new lyrics. Raoul, Giry, Managers, Carlotta, Piangi, others. Not sure if Christine or Meg is there because I don't know what costume to look for. CM enter the main area with audience, dance and chat with AM. We all perform together the lines/moves Giry taught us. There is no Red Death but we hear the Phantom laugh and sing a greeting to the Notes melody.

4. Everyone moves to a new room. The chandelier is huge and fills the entire room, it's low to the ground, AM are placed all around it. The chandelier lights up and rises, Overture plays. One of my favorite parts of the show because the Overture always gets me hyped and this recognizes the chandelier as an actual character in the show.

5. We stay in the same room, Hannibal rehearsal begins. Lots of talking/movement, CM bring in set pieces and interact with AM. There are raised platforms on either end of the room. The Managers are on a platform on one end. They introduce Raoul, Carlotta, and Piangi to AM, who each step up to the platform in turn. Raoul exits, Carlotta stays up. They go straight into Carlotta ToM. A sandbag falls to scare Carlotta, they call in Buquet. Buquet comes in through the crowd and uses a ladder to climb up to the platform. "These Things Do Happen." Buquet jokes with me that he "can think of worse things" as Carlotta leaves with Piangi. Giry reads a note from the Phantom that Box 5 is to be kept empty and that Christine Daaé sing the role of Elissa. Meg/Managers/Giry dialogue same as original. Meg and Christine are on the opposite platform. Someone brings in a larger skirt for Christine to become Elissa. Christine's Think of Me. She is on a low round platform that is moved around the floor. Raoul is higher up on a ledge watching. CM give out fake roses to some AM, at the end of the song everyone tosses them at Christine.

6. After the song, Raoul is still above, sings "Christine, Christine". Where he's standing briefly goes dark and the Phantom appears there instead, sings "Christine..." I almost missed it but someone near me gasped and I'm so glad I caught it. Very cool and effective. The side wall platform serves as the dressing room. Christine sings to herself about the Angel of Music teaching her, finds a red rose with a black ribbon. Raoul enters and takes the red rose, gives her a bouquet of pink roses. They sing Little Lotte, he leaves.

7. The Mirror. We hear the Phantom, Christine moves down to the floor, there's a large mirror in the center of the room. We can't see through it but when the Phantom appears, Christine is standing on one side of the mirror and the Phantom is on the other side. The mirror spins and they walk around it/follow its movements. I wish we could see through it but this gives everyone a chance to see both characters well. A final spin, the Phantom is gone and only Christine remains. The mirror set piece is moved to the back of the room, where Raoul enters. The opposite wall of the room opens (effectively becoming the mirror) and the Phantom is revealed. He takes Christine through to the other side. Raoul looks at the mirror set piece. The mirror is pushed forward and Raoul stands in front of it moving with it, it pushes/guides everyone out of the room into the next area. I tell my husband "that was fucking awesome".

8. The Title Song plays overhead. It feels like you’re chasing them down to the lair. AM move through a hall/down an escalator. We catch a brief glance of the Phantom and Christine in the boat, there's lots of mist.

9. Everyone ends up in the lair. There are mounted arm candelabras, floor candelabras, other candles, mist. For seating there are lower and higher stools that look like stones. During the cadenza there's no cape twirl or hair slick, at one point the Phantom raises his arms and the cape falls off. No organ. "I have brought you."

10. MOTN. The Phantom moves through the room as he sings. There’s a small rectangular platform at the far end, Christine lays on it and the Phantom stands over her. Reminiscent of David Staller "Perfect Music" (but less sexy to be completely honest). No pose, no sprawl, no mirror bride here. After the song, he picks her up and bridal carries her away.

SPLIT GROUPS (TWO)

11. Madame Giry takes over, explains that the Phantom is taking Christine to his home and she'll take us there. Lots of traveling through halls/rooms. In one hallway there are wooden boards on the wall with gaps between them, peeking inside you can see a table with masks/liquor decanter/papers, looks like a work area for the Phantom. One small area with mechanical things, including a self-playing violin and a faceless wooden torso banging its head against a mirror. Instrumental music overhead. I could hear the mask return part of STYDI and some other singing, I think I was hearing the prior pulse.

12. At this point we're split into different groups. Giry guides me and a smaller group to the automaton room. There's a veiled automaton bride in a mirror frame (Mirror Bride!) and another covered shape on the other side. Giry pulls off the cover, it’s a Phantom automaton (Mirror Groom!). "Prodigy, scholar, musician, composer". Music box version of PONR that morphs into the Title Song then a more detailed version of PONR. The Mirror Bride and Groom do a choreographed dance and end on an exaggerated kiss (like those Dutch children figures). They go to stand together in the mirror frame. Giry says we must go.

13. Giry guides my smaller group to a new room. There are red curtains and a 2004 movie style miniature theater set with dolls of characters. We sit in chairs facing it, there's a larger red cushioned throne in the middle that no one sits in. She reads a note and the Phantom’s voice takes over. Notes I Phantom note with some new lyrics. Giry manipulates the Christine and Carlotta dolls as he sings. When he mentions Box 5, Giry gestures at the red chair. She explains that the Phantom taught Christine in secret. We hear audio of them singing/a lesson.

14. My group goes to the bedroom. Christine is laying on a circular bed. There’s a round hatbox at the foot of the bed. The monkey music box is near and plays. It’s wearing a gold mask. (At some point, Christine removes the mask, but I can't remember the timing.) Background music is MOTN, PONR, Journey to the Graveyard. Christine wakes and sings the first line of the Title Song, lays back down. We hear instrumental strings, new background music. The Phantom’s hands appear at different points through the black headboard to touch her face/body, his head appears at one point. Basically the new version of the MOTN pose. She wakes again and notices the box. She opens the note on it and we hear the Phantom's voiceover reading it saying this is her new home. She hands the letter to an AM. Christine opens the box, it’s lit inside, she pulls out a long white veil. She wraps herself in it and lays back down. The Phantom pulls the veil away through the headboard.

(NOTE: An early walk-through by @flagbridge describes the split as Automata > Young Erik > Bed or Bed > Automata > Young Erik but I did not see a Young Erik room. In my version this was the Giry/dolls scene. Does anyone know if this still exists? Is it one or the other? Or did Giry replace Young Erik?)

REJOIN GROUPS

15. Everyone comes back together in the next room, we pass by a desk with a huge pile of black edged notes behind it. The Phantom is playing DJT on the organ in the center of the room. AM are all around the room. Christine enters for "I remember"/the unmasking/STYDI. They stay in the center. Mask return, Christine leaves. Young Erik with a burlap sack "mask" over his head enters and faces the Phantom. Phantom sings, "If only you knew what they did to me..."

16. We hear voiceover of "Madame Giry's tale" as we enter the carnival/circus scene. Instrumental LND Coney Island Waltz variation background music. A beautiful but creepy clown (Anna Monoxide) smiles and stares at me, love. Instrumental version of the new song we'll hear at the carnival. We go back up the escalator. There's a poster with the name Erik. Carnival room, there's a long stage down half the room, AM on the other half. A CM is passing out little shot glasses of cognac, I drink one. A human blockhead (the clown) performs on the stage. The Carnival Barker mingles, selects an AM to do a magic trick with the Punjab Lasso. He pretends to tie the rope around the AM's neck, Barker and another AM pull the ends of the rope from both sides, it comes loose. (NOTE: It seems some AM are still interacting with Young Erik and receiving a note. Perhaps that was on the other half of the room here? Or is there still a Young Erik room that I just didn't get to see? Basically, I didn't get to feed bread and/or marshmallows to a caged Young Erik and I'm sad, lol) The Barker takes the stage and introduces the fire eater, who performs. The Barker introduces Young Erik with a song introducing "the freak". CM bring a covered cage into the center of the room and reveal Young Erik inside with the burlap sack mask. The Barker says his mother abandoned him and left him with nothing but a wooden monkey toy, which he taunts Young Erik with. There is an organ in the corner of the stage. Erik climbs out of the cage and plays the start of the overture on the organ. The Barker asks the AM if we want to see his face, calls out that Buquet is there and wants to see. They remove his mask, we can’t see his face, he attacks the Barker. Young Mme Giry (same actress, different costume and wig with her hair down) pulls him away and says she'll take him to the Opera.

17. We move on, overhead music is the instrumental before Magical Lasso and prop room. We end up in the prop room and can hear the instrumental of the mask return from STYDI leading into new instrumental music. In the back I spotted the three skulls prop from the original auction scene. There are two masks (top half of face), white and gold, she offers both to him. He takes the white and puts it on. Young Giry sings Learn to be Lonely and cleans up Young Erik (wipes his arms). After the song he hugs Giry but she pulls back and makes it clear he needs to stay there alone. He hits his face against a mirror hung on the wall, it shatters, half the mask falls away to leave the signature half mask. Overhead we hear the Phantom singing part of MOTN and "This face" from the final lair.

18. Mme Giry says that's how he came to the Opera. In the next area we're backstage at Il Muto. We see a ballerina in a sylvan glade costume. Meg and Christine sing Angel of Music with new lyrics about Raoul. Mme Giry calls Meg away. The Phantom appears and hears the stage manager announce that Christine is on as the Pageboy. He leads us to the next area. We only hear Il Muto and don’t see any of it. As we go upstairs, we hear Buquet being predatory with a dancer (similar to 2004 movie).

19. In the next room, we see Buquet in the flies (set is at floor level). There are ropes/curtains. Buquet sings Magical lasso. Mme Giry warns him about the Phantom and also tells him to keep his hands off the corps de ballet. Buquet says the Phantom of the Opera is a sideshow freak who ran away from the only people who cared for him (the Carnival folk). The Phantom appears and stalks him in the flies, jumping from side to side, with tense and creepy music. The Phantom catches Buquet with a noose. Buquet dangles from the noose then falls (through a trap door? Super effective!) The Phantom laughs. Christine and Raoul appear, she tells him to to follow her somewhere safe.

20. Next area, Rooftop set with Christine and Raoul. There's a large wall of windows that can slide open and a small rectangular platform in front of it. The characters go on either side of the windows. "Why have you brought me here" and AIAOY. The Phantom is there for AIAOY, he watches from the other side of the room/windows as all the characters move around. Christine and Raoul leave, the Phantom sings the AIAOY reprise. He ends behind the windows. (Like 2004, no chandelier crash)

21. We move to the next area. The violinist appears in one area and plays Journey to the Graveyard live with background music. He is for sure Papa Daaé! We briefly go outside the back inside for the graveyard set. I'm on the floor level, there's a balcony above. There’s a tomb in the center of the room, at the back of the room there's a raised stage with Raoul and Christine, and a podium with the DJT score in the corner. Christine is holding a violin and asks Raoul if he remembers the song her father taught him. He says her father tried to teach him but he wasn’t much of a musician. She puts the violin on the tomb. They sing part of Little Lotte. Raoul says he’s there for her father’s blessing for their future together. They have the secret engagement conversation from original Masquerade. She asks for a moment alone with her father. Raoul exits and Christine sings WYWSHA. Wandering Child is a shortened duet. The Phantom is above on the balcony, casting a shadow on the wall behind Christine. Christine reacts to the shadow during WC then goes up on the balcony. Raoul returns on the stage, "Leave her!". Instead of Bravo, Monsieur the Phantom gives a modified Red Death "Why so silent speech". Phantom announces he wrote DJT for Christine and she must sing. Raoul picks up the score and opens it, the pages catch fire, he closes it. On the balcony with Christine he sings "Your chains are still mine" and takes the ring from around her neck. He vanishes. Christine says she can’t sing, Raoul says she must so they can trap the Phantom. She leaves but he says there's no doubt she'll sing for the Phantom. Raoul and the Phantom threaten each other.

22. (Is this where we went outside??? In my audio I can hear bells. Honestly I can't remember if we went outside before or after the graveyard set.) Moving to the next area we can hear the Don Juan rehearsal overhead. There's a CM holding a hat for Piangi and talking about it (I couldn't resist the urge and said "I 'ate my hat!"). Piangi is in the stairway saying he's waiting for something to complete his outfit. I could hear "down once more" from another pulse in another room.

SPLIT GROUPS (THREE)

23. Carlotta ushers my group into her dressing room. She tells me to sit and that I’m too pretty to stand. There's a costume rack behind me. On two of the three walls there are mirrors. Carlotta hands me a glass atomizer (like 2004 movie) and has me "spray" into her mouth a few times. She sings part of Notes II. Piangi enters with a note from the Phantom telling him to step aside, Piangi and Carlotta read it. They do the "tan tan tan" from the Don Juan rehearsal. Carlotta is discouraged, Piangi sings part of Prima Donna to her. The Phantom reaches through the costumes behind me to swap out the spray bottle in my hand. Carlotta joins in singing Prima Donna but croaks. She points at the atomizer and accuses me then runs off. The Phantom comes through the costume rack behind Piangi and puts a rag over Piangi’s mouth, pulls him back through the costumes and says, "don’t worry he has an understudy."

24. The Managers enter with a note. Firmin reads it/sings from Notes II, says there's more, he starts reading then the Phantom's voice takes over with new lyrics. Firmin hands my husband the note. Raoul enters and plans with the Managers to trap the Phantom, Notes II with modified lyrics. The Managers leave, Raoul stays and threatens the Phantom.

25. Christine enters, Raoul says she's not in her costume yet and hands her the red Aminta dress. They sing "Raoul I'm frightened"/"You said yourself" from Notes II, he tells her it’s the only way to catch the Phantom. Christine hands me the Aminta dress. She sings/reads a new note from the Phantom about her singing his score, his voice joins in. She sings "Twisted every way". We hear the Phantom say "I’m here" and laugh, the lights flicker, he sings "seal my fate". She takes back the costume, I nod to her in encouragement, my group exits.

(NOTE: It's my understanding that we're in three groups, so everyone sees Carlotta/Piangi, the Managers/Raoul, and Raoul/Christine in a different order. So are there are three identical dressing room sets? Does everyone get to see all three? I did not get to see the Managers with dead Piangi, is that just a different combo or has it changed?)

REJOIN GROUPS

26. We can hear DJT music overhead, everyone gets a ticket to the opera in the hallway as we go downstairs. We end up back in the chandelier/mirror room. AM are seated in an arc on either side with a row standing behind. The Phantom is facing the mirror set piece, wearing a gold mask covering the top half of his face, and a long red buttoned cloak with a hood. He has the stolen ring on one finger if you look closely. (Gold with a red stone.) Christine enters from the other side in the Aminta costume. The Phantom starts PONR. The Phantom and Christine do the same choreography as the automata/Mirror Bride and Groom. Christine picks up the duet. The Phantom kneels at the end of the song. She pushes back the hood and pulls off the gold mask to reveal the white half mask underneath. Raoul and the Managers approach but keep their distance.

27. During "Say you’ll share", the Phantom and Christine are standing facing each other. CM enter to help Phantom and Christine change costumes. They remove Christine's red Aminta dress and put her in the wedding dress (she's wearing a white corset underneath). They remove Phantom’s red cloak and put his suit coat on. The Phantom gives her the ring. Christine removes his mask (no wig removal). Her snatches her and takes her to the back of the room. The chandelier starts to shake and flicker, the Managers tell us In the seats to move because it’s not safe, we stand and move back. There are crashing sounds and screaming. (I honestly don't remember if the chandelier falls or if it just goes dark.)

28. The big wall that was the mirror transition opens, lots of mist, everyone rushes through it to the Final Lair. (Repeat of our original journey to the lair.) This part feels super immersive because you're in a big group rushing away from the chaos of the chandelier and there's a lot of energy from everyone. We end up back in the original Masquerade room with the circular center platform. There’s a raised stage on one end with the monkey (the original Giry stage from the beginning?). "Down once more." The Phantom is on his hands and knees in the middle on the circle platform. Christine she circles him on the floor for the start of the final lair. Not gonna lie having the Phantom pathetic on the floor for "joys of the flesh" was...HNNGH. "We have a guest" - the back wall opposite the stage opens to reveal Raoul with ropes at his wrists and ankles holding him back, he’s fighting against them to enter and get closer. The Phantom snatches up Christine for "order you fine horses" and drags her away to the other side of the room. The Phantom threatens Raoul with a red rose/black ribbon, pretending to slit his throat with the stem. He either gives it to Christine or she takes it and she uses it to threaten him during "tears of hate". They continue final lair. Raoul keeps fighting the ropes and ends up on the floor. The Phantom ends up on his knees in the center circle again. "You try my patience." Christine walks a full circle around him on the floor then comes on the platform, kneels to kiss him and they stand together. Second kiss, they change angles, he holds her and touches her hair. I appreciate that everyone gets a good view of the kiss. Raoul is laying face down on the floor, can’t watch. "Track down this murderer." The Phantom has to push Christine away when he tells them to leave. Raoul removes the ropes and gets Christine, she’s reaching for the Phantom, Raoul has to drag her away the way he came. The Phantom goes up to the stage on the other end with the monkey. Christine returns, "Christine I love you". She sings "say you’ll share" to him and comes up on the stage with him. I can’t remember if she returns the ring. The Phantom puts a black hooded cloak on her and they sort of dance. (I think he originally put the cloak on himself, then her?) He holds her and puts the hood up then she disappears as her song fades out. The cloak drops. "You alone."

29. The Phantom comes back to the circle platform in the center. Young Erik enters and they face each other. I can't remember if the Phantom removes the burlap sack mask or if Young Erik removes it himself. He's not deformed, just has a dark shadow under his right eye. (SO curious what y'all think this means - they didn't feel like doing makeup on YE? Erik is seeing himself as if he were normal? He just thinks he's deformed??) They look at each other. CM including Mme Giry are there are gesture for AM to remove our masks and gather closer to the center. The lights come up a bit. During the final notes, the Phantom faces the AM and slowly turns around to looks everyone in the eye. He then looks up to the ceiling and everything goes dark, lights come back on and he’s gone. I can’t remember when/how Young Erik leaves. Too distracted by Jeff's intense stare and blue eyes. Mme Giry pulls out a half mask from the middle set piece and Learn to be Lonely instrumental plays overhead. AM to my left is sobbing and Mme Giry smiles at her and motions that it’s OK/to breathe. AM exit into the lair bar.

PHEW. Damn these folks are talented. I don't know how the cast and crew pull this off six times a night. There's SO MUCH going on. I listened to my audio to help me remember details and I'll be sharing it soon! I got to meet the violinist after the show in the bar. I saw Maree Johnson near the coat check as we were leaving. Of course I bought merch and will post pics soon. Also spent way too much on themed cocktails, lol. Feel free to ask questions, I'll do my best to answer! I hope to make it back to see another cast and whatever changes they continue to make ❤️

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#phan review