Curtain Call: Music of the night

Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” manages to be simultaneously timeless and a product of its time. The story of unrequited love between a possessive man and a beautiful ingénue is a staple of romantic fiction — think “Beauty and the Beast” meets “Fifty Shades of Grey” with a tragic twist — but the synthesized drums pounding the beat to the show’s title song immediately remind you that the show debuted in 1986.

The story centers on a Parisian opera house in the late 19th century. New management takes on the building and opera company, and with it the problem of a mysterious phantom (Chris Mann) who haunts the building. The phantom threatens to sabotage the performances unless he is paid a hefty salary. When the new owners refuse to pay and deny the phantom’s requests — like replacing star diva Carlotta (Lindsay O’Neil) with chorus girl Christine Daaé (Katie Travis) — he begins to exact his revenge. Things really get heated after Christine’s childhood friend and budding love interest, Raoul (Storm Lineberger), joins the party.

As the title character of an iconic show, all the pressure is on Mann. In short, Mann’s job is to sing better than everyone in the cast and to exude maturity and charisma even from behind masks — sometimes two shows per day, every week. Given those demands — and the fact that he’s not the clone of Michael Crawford — Mann does a formidable job. His dexterous tenor voice swoons and snarls as needed, and he prowls the stage with appropriate maliciousness, but he lacks the unctuous confidence of a man who has supposedly kept an entire opera company under his thumb for years. Still, Mann works diligently to bring life to his character’s darkness.

As the phantom’s muse and center of the show’s love triangle, Travis brings honesty and warmth to Christine. She ignites the chemistry between herself and both leading men with sincere affection.

Some of the strongest elements of “Phantom” continue to be technical. Costume designer Maria Björnson gives sparkle and flow to every dress and suit, and the new streamlined set design by Paul Brown keeps the show’s pace moving. A spinning, cylindrical turret spits out stairs and houses the manager’s office within like a full-sized doll house. Gold painted opera seats on the proscenium wings rotate in and out, transporting the play-within-a-play’s audience backstage within seconds.

The phantom’s lair feels more Spartan and Gothic, furnished with the bare elements of his craft: a steampunk-inspired organ and a king-sized bed. Where the previous tour never answered the question of how the Phantom kept his candle collection lit, the current tour brings the design of his lair to semi-realistic levels.

Lots of pyrotechnics and a revised chandelier effect that should terrify those sitting directly below solidify “Phantom’s” reputation as fully immersive entertainment. All combined, it’s a grand masquerade that should be seen and experienced.

“The Phantom of the Opera”

Through April 12 7:30 P.M. Tuesday- Thursday; 8 P.M. Friday; 2 P.M. & 8 P.M. Saturday; 1 P.M. & 6:30 P.M. Sunday Wharton Center 750 E. Shaw Lane, East Lansing (517) 432-2000, whartoncenter.com.