Masquerade – 18 November 2025

Masquerade is an immersive reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera in which a small number of audience members are guided through a fully realized production that is a deferential homage to the longest running show in Broadway history. The journey begins with everybody receiving a lace mask to wear to differentiate the audience (black masks) from the phenomenal team of ushers (white masks) who guide audience members from space to space and indicate where to sit and stand. The journey begins with a truly incredible violinist (Nikita Yermak) playing a riveting version of the overture, and the clink of a champagne glass. The story opens with the opening number of act two, “Masquerade”, before diving into more linear, familiar sequences of scenes from The Phantom of the Opera. Some moments replicate iconic parts of the original production, while others take a departure to provide a new interpretation.

My favorite faithful scene was the descent to the Phantom (Cooper Grodin)’s realm, which included candles, fog, and a reproduction of the boat on which the Phantom and Christine (Anna Zavelson) glide. This scene felt the most immersive, as the audience literally descended, held candles, and watched the boat float on the fog. It evokes the feeling of being on stage during a performance, and the intimacy of the moment was flawlessly executed. The dressing room scenes are also quite fun, and infuse a little levity into an otherwise dark story.

The moments of reimagining deal primarily with a deeper dive into the Phantom’s backstory. In the original, we are told that he was a circus freak rescued by Madame Giry (Betsy Morgan) but are largely spared the details. Masquerade fully realizes these moments in a freak show scene complete with fire eater Joseph Kerr, in which everyone was in full make up torturing a boy in a cage (Kody Jauron) meant to be the Phantom’s young self. This scene was upsetting and unnerving— and the perfect time for that complimentary tequila shot. This moment created pathos for the Phantom, and there were many repetitions and reflections on this origin story as the performance progressed. Several years prior to seeing Masquerade, I wrote a retrospective on The Phantom of the Opera and how it can be interpreted as an allegory about mental illness (read that retrospective here). I had really only ever imagined that allegory with Christine at the center as the person suffering. This new backstory for the Phantom still fits the allegory, but rather than being about a girl driven mad by her grief over her father’s death, it centers on a man so physically disfigured that he imagines a life with someone whose disfigurement is internal – someone beautiful in the ways he is not and damaged in the ways he is not. He tortures himself with the possibility of losing her to the light, personified by Raoul (Alexander Ross), but is ultimately able to banish that thought. This recentering is supported by the new ending in which Christine disappears in the Phantom endures.

The experience itself had its ups and downs – quite literally. The sheer number of staircases to ascend and descend was unpleasant, as was not being able to opt to sit if you needed to, even though you weren’t guided to. At times, I felt uncomfortable with not being able to see the floor I was walking on, which caused some balance issues. The glasses friendly mask was uncomfortable and really unnecessary. The alcohol was fun in a good way to drive up ticket prices, but it would be nice to have a more affordable option for non-drinkers. The detailed nature of the scenic and prop design created a very high value experience with a surprising sense of realism (though this was somewhat undone by the stairwells in between). My enjoyment was elevated by knowing the original well and noticing the new idea ideas and speculative commentary, but Masquerade could easily standalone is one’s first experience of The Phantom of the Opera.

The result of this world creation is a truly moving, unforgettable experience that takes you to the darkest depths of the human mind; yet it still provides hope for a brighter future filled with music and light. This review would not be complete without an acknowledgment of the vast number of people it takes to make Masquerade happen. Creating and running Masquerade is no small feet – especially with multiple staggered performances happening at a time. My mask is off to everyone who contributed to this profoundly moving production.

I attended this performance on a press pass from DKC/O&M.