DEBORA SHAULIS | On the Scene Taking 'Phantom' on tour

Come Christmas Day, a movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's lavish musical "The Phantom of the Opera" will be in theaters. That's not competition for Berea native Rebecca Pitcher, who portrays the lovely Christine Daae in the touring show that's Cleveland-bound. It's music to her ears.
"You would think it would get more people interested in seeing the stage production," says Pitcher, 32, who's been affiliated with "Phantom" for seven years -- 18 months on Broadway as understudy, the rest of the time on the road as Christine.
Pitcher will plunk down her money to watch the cinematic "Phantom." She's already seen the trailer; "It looks fabulous," she said. She knows that a few additional songs have been written for it. Her forecast: "I think the movie will be interesting."
Lloyd Webber's "Phantom" audience may be inexhaustible. "There are people who haven't seen it," Pitcher said. "We always have younger kids coming. Maybe they haven't been old enough to come yet."
Gaston Leroux's novel about a deformed musician who lives in the bowels of the Paris Opera House and falls in love with a beautiful young soprano has been the basis of many films (Lon Chaney was the first film Phantom) and forgotten stage productions, until Lloyd Webber put his big British spin on the story in 1986. Even today, "Phantom" is playing to full houses, Pitcher notes.
"I think the music touches people. ... People walk away singing the music. That's what a successful show does," she said.
Ideal role for now
As for Christine, the object of the Phantom's affections, "This character is, I don't want to say flighty, she's just in a place in her life where everything is changing. She really comes into herself," and that parallels some of Pitcher's own life experiences. "It helps me to grow as actress, a person and a singer. It's an interesting change."
Pitcher has stayed with this show for a long time. No, she doesn't want to be known for doing just one role, but "This works very well for me. I like the story. There hasn't been anything necessarily for me [to audition for] in New York. I've had a great time being on this tour and doing this show."
After Pitcher has had her fill of "Phantom," she'd like to immerse herself in more classical opera. That's in line with her training. While she earned a bachelor's degree in music with emphasis on voice at Baldwin-Wallace College, she sang in the chorus of some Cleveland Opera productions and with Cleveland Orchestra. She also earned a graduate performance diploma in opera at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Md.
Pitcher will have a good deal of time to get reacquainted with her Northeast Ohio roots. "The Phantom of the Opera" will be performed from Oct. 6 through Nov. 7 in Allen Theatre on Playhouse Square. Call Tickets.com (800-766-6048) to order tickets.
More tidbits
Other items of note:
Actress Regina Taylor, who played on the dramatic TV series "I'll Fly Away" opposite Sam Waterston (now of "Law & amp; Order), wrote the scripts for "Crowns," a gospel musical that will be produced at Cleveland Play House from Oct. 5 to Nov. 7. "Crowns" was inspired by the book "Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats" and is presented as an oral history of their lives. Call (216) 795-7000 about tickets.
Main Course Murder murder mystery dinner theater continues at Holiday Inn MetroPlex in Liberty. The next show, "Murder on the Mount," opens Oct. 8 and will be performed at 7 p.m. Fridays indefinitely. Playwright Jan Kennedy of Canton focuses this time on Greek mythology as the first murder occurs on Mount Olympus and no one among the gods has experience at solving crimes. Did I mention this is a comedy? Call (330) 759-0606 to make reservations and choose an entre & eacute; (pork loin, chicken with artichokes, salmon or pasta with vegetables).
Jack LoGiudice, who participated in Youngstown Playhouse Youth Theater shows while he lived in Boardman, is the new executive producer of the USA cable TV series "The Dead Zone." The show, starring Anthony Michael Hall as a car crash survivor who acquires psychic skills, begins its fourth season in February. LoGiudice also worked on the Showtime cable shows "Resurrection Blvd." and "Street Time."
XDebora Shaulis is entertainment editor. Write her at shaulis@vindy.com.