I've taken my time sharing my thoughts about The Phantoms - with sell-out shows night after night, it's not like they need a glowing review to help sell tickets! - and it's given me a chance to savour what we've seen and heard so far in packed-out venues around the UK, starting on a warm Wednesday night in Stevenage, nearly three weeks ago.
A strict embargo on photography at most venues gives me an excuse, if one is needed, to share one or two of the show's gorgeous production shots (photo credit: Robin Savage), while to avoid too many spoilers, I will wait until the end of the tour to add my usual detailed setlist.For this is a show best enjoyed as it unfolds before you ... delicious surprises woven amid the promises made by a video overture that speeds us past some of the West End's most famous theatre marquees - just don't pay too much heed to the geography, if you know London well, it will mess with your head!
Unashamedly a Lee fan, I wasn't sure what to expect from this ensemble show, but the billing is borne out in the beautifully balanced setlist, giving former Phantoms Luke McCall and Aaron Pryce-Lewis plenty of room to shine in solo, duet and group numbers, while giving the only non-Phantom amongst them (so far at least!) - a certain Mr Lee Mead - ample opportunity to show just why he has star billing. But if Aaron and Luke have less experience than Lee, talent they have in abundance, and their relative youth becomes something of a running gag, the banter between the three men flowing easy and often.
Luke has played the Phantom in the West End and again, on the international tour of Phantom sequel Love Never Dies, while Aaron donned the mask in the Middle East and European tours of The Phantom of the Opera. Their CVs also include stints in Les Misérables, covering Valjean and Javert respectively.
Lee, by contrast, hasn't played the Phantom - yet - but the show was his first in the West End and it was part way through that contract that he took the leap of faith that landed him the role of Joseph in the 2007 West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as winner of TV casting show, Any Dream Will Do.Of course, you can't have a show called The Phantoms and not include a selection of the show's most iconic songs - and to do that you most certainly need a Christine. Playing that part, and more besides, most beautifully is classical crossover soprano Emily Estelle, who has sung with the likes of Andrea Bocelli and Russell Watson.
So that's the people, but what of the show? With such a rich vein of material to mine, there are songs to delight every musical theatre palate... four incredible voices weaving humour and pathos, drama and sheer joy into a show that delivers on every level. The arrangements blend sweeping orchestrations and exquisite harmonies, honouring the original material while throwing in the odd curve ball, and the audiences have been loving every moment. I confess I've been surprised by just how great the passion is for musical theatre, but not remotely surprised, having seen it, that this show feeds that passion so completely. It's almost impossible for me to pick a favourite moment, but one of them is certainly a pair of songs in the second half, linked by a quick costume change (you'll know it when you see it!)... the first is full of swagger, the second swells with sweet harmonies, both leave the biggest grin on my face!
But each show has its own special moments - a hugely partisan home crowd for Aaron in Swansea, Lee wishing a happy heavenly birthday to his late Grandad Bert whose love of music helped set him on a path that ultimately led to where he is now - to name just two. Music has such power to move - stirring memories and emotions for audience and performers alike - making each show unique and all a joy.Then, of course, there was the fire alarm in Worcester... sounding during Emily's solo and resulting in an orderly evacuation and a chilly half-hour chatting to strangers in the car park before the fire service gave the all clear and we returned for the rest of the show, slightly cropped to meet the curfew but uber-energised by the hiatus!
This amazing tour continues until 10 May when it signs off for the summer at a venue very familiar to Lee's fans - West Cliff Theatre, Clacton - before returning in the Autumn for another 25 dates. If you haven't booked yet, don't wait too long - availability is very limited for the remaining Spring dates and selling fast in the Autumn - and this is a show you really don't want to miss! And if the show has whet your appetite for more... don't forget Lee's solo tour The Best Of Me kicks off on 16 May shortly after this one ends - with one or two exceptions, it's heading to venues not visited on previous tours, including a long-awaited Scottish date - and if you need any more convincing, you can read my review of the show's fabulous West End date back in March here.
Lee's full concert and events schedule (including past appearances) is at CONCERT & LIVE EVENTS
Published: 21/04/2025