I'm not the biggest fan of theatrical opera, but it was pretty cool seeing Phantom of the Opera. The singing ranges and execution of the performers is crazy good. My rating is based on what my gf thought of it (she really liked it). read more

Phantom of the Opera - chandelier - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Weak cast the Phantom one of the worst that I have seen and christina very sweet but voice needs more I have seen each variation of Phantom of the opera And this one clearly was just to make money read more

Phantom of the Opera - The stage - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent!! Went to the 13th December 2pm Show at the Cadillac Theater Chicago. The performance evoked so many emotions. The singing brought me to tears!!!! read more

Phantom of the Opera was a wonderful production. The entire cast and orchestra were amazing. The Cadillac Theatre is an excellent venue for this musical because the acoustics and sight lines are so good. The 3 principal actors have magnificent voices and I have seen this play before and it is equally as good as past performances. Strongly recommend this play. read more

Chills. Overall a fantastic show and well worth every dollar paid. Everything was perfect from the orchestration to the beautiful sets to the wonderful voices. I watch a lot of shows in the suburbs but don't see too many in the city and was completely blown away by the quality of the production. Music: It's clear why having a live orchestra is much better than playing over a sound system. The arrangements were great and the musicians complimented the singers perfectly. They did a fantastic job of presenting the music of this iconic production. Vocals: The diction, breath control, range, and phrasing was awesome. Even when they weren't singing, they spoke their lines very well and always kept in character. Stage: Wow -- rotating parts, fire, explosions, retracting stairs, fog machines..... I was stunned that they were able to quickly change the sets so fast and consistently used decisions that were probably much harder to stage, but really added to the grandness of the production. Overall, I am satisfied with every penny I paid for the show. I keep smiling every time I think about the wonderful experience I had and cannot wait to see them again. read more

This musical was incredible. I highly recommend you get your booty in gear and go see it! We had amazing second row tickets, but I do not think they had a bad seat in the house. The Cadillac Palace was a great venue for this show! read more

Phantom of the Opera - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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HOLY MOLY!!! What an incredible experience!! After I saw Wicked a few years back, I thought I would never see a musical that could possibly top it. But ladies and gents, Phantom of the Opera just might have done it for me... I was initially disappointed when I saw that an understudy was playing the roll of the Phantom for our showing. But when our Phantom started singing, I soon realized that I would not be gypped. He sounded amazing, as did the entire cast! I'm quite familiar with the music since it plays on my Pandora frequently, and I dare say that the actors that night sounded even better than the tracks, particularly the actress who played Christine. Soooo good!!! So yes, music was awesome. But personally, what is most memorable was the set. I won't spoil here, but the set rotated from scene to scene so seamlessly, yet so dramatically that it was nothing short of captivating. There are very few musicals that I'd want to re-watch. I saw Wicked twice. I would gladly see Phantom of the Opera a second time... probably a third. =D read more

I must confess, I'm not big into Phantom of the Opera. I've never seen a live performance of it, and while I did enjoy the movie, I wasn't overly impressed. So I was really going just to please a friend. I am so glad I went! The music was amazing. The leads were all perfectly cast; I don't think I have ever enjoyed opera more. The costumes and the set were elaborate and completely gorgeous. I was in the balcony in some of the cheapest seats available, and I was still able to see everything perfectly. I had a few complaints though, which is why I only gave 4 stars. The sound could have been better. Christine and the Phantom could be heard perfectly, but some of the minor characters could not. The stagehand (who has a short song), Meg, the ballet teacher/mistress, and even Raoul could not be heard very well. Also, during the song Prima Donna, there are several characters all singing different parts, but rather than create a nice contrast, it just created a big mess that left everything unintelligible. Another complaint was the dancing. The dancing was definitely sloppy in parts. It could be that it was choreographed that way, especially in the beginning during a rehearsal, but if that's the case, it was a horrible decision. The make-up was very hit-and-miss. In some parts the make-up was simply amazing, for example during the masquerade, but the Phantom's facial infection at the end looked ridiculous. I know I was in the balcony, but if I could see everything else, I should definitely be able to see his deformity! Finally, the acting was only decent. I understand that in order to get that kind of singing, acting must be sacrificed; it is an opera after all, but since I'm reviewing it, I'll say it. The acting could be a little better. So, with all that out of the way, it was still completely amazing! I'd definitely recommend that everyone see it before it's run is over! read more

I got tickets for Christmas and it was absolutely amazing. The chandelier was so beautiful and the orchestra and choreography was captivating. The set was quite versatile and was very creative. The company was excellent and the special effects were spot on with great inclusion of the conductor! For those who are sensitive to light and sound: there are moments when fire comes out of the stage (very cool but very bright) and about two gun shots are given out that will probably make you jump like me. If you aren't well versed in the music like I was or not too familiar with the lyrics and plot line, I suggest either becoming familiar with the soundtrack or watch the live version of Phantom of the Opera for its 25th anniversary at Royal Albert Hall. It's on DVD and if you're just looking to watch Phantom in general, watch this version. It is absolutely stunning. A lot of the musical is sung and often in opera like style so it can be hard to understand at times- this way if you are familiar already with what they are saying, then you don't have to concentrate too hard on the words and rather just enjoy the musical as a whole instead! read more

Got tickets on Christmas to see the Phantom, which we just saw last night. I'm not a huge musical person, so my review might be a bit skewed. As a guy, I had a bit of a hard time with the story line. Seemed all over the place. But, that is the writers issue. The actors in Chicago at the Cadillac Theatre were amazing. No complaints about the show, or the staff working there. It was a great time! read more

Phantom of the Opera - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have loved Phantom since I was a kid and finally getting the chance to see it performed live was amazing. The whole cast was completely on point and the stage/effects were really lovely. I just wish I could have sang along the entire time but I did not want to outshine the cast. read more

Phantom of the Opera - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My all time favorite musical! Original, dramatic & highly entertaining. Phantom is back in town and well worth the effort to see this tragic yet hopeful love story. The humanity of the story is expressed so well that you will be moved. Laughing. Crying... The cast was superb and top notch. The voices and orchestra and dancing... Such talent! Everything was professionally executed to delight the senses. I first saw Phantom 20+ years ago and now just went for the second time, & I was not disappointed in any way. I have seen many plays/shows and Phantom is still my #1! Definitely memorable. Still singing all of the songs in my head. If you are even considering it, I say... Go see it! A must! read more

[ January, 2014] Sat in the balcony. The seats were good and sound of the orchestra (see below) was decent, but at times the singers were a bit muddled. It may have just been my location in the audience. The cast did a great job, the set was amazing, but it would have been nice to see a full orchestra. For this run, there's a handful of string players, a couple of wind players, and a few keyboards. Everything else is sampled and sequenced, so no... you are not hearing a live drummer, percussionist, or trumpets. read more

Before I begin, I'm a HUGE Phantom of the Opera fan! I've seen it at least 6 times, including a viewing yesterday (2/26/14) at the Cadillac Palace Theater. I took my 10-year-old daughter for her first showing, and I really excited to see it fresh through her eyes. Before we went, I was sharing my favorite scenes with my daughter--masquerade and the falling chandelier are my top two. As always, the music was unbelievable. There were more than a few times when I was covered in goosebumps! Unfortunately, that's where my pleasure ended. The set was entirely redesigned, which took away from the viewing experience. They were much smaller than before and not as "grand". (SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE PLAY) A few examples--at the start of the play, the chandelier doesn't start on stage and then get pulled up to start the main part of the play; instead, it starts already in the air, and the characters say, "Original chandelier" and point up. Secondly, when the chandelier falls, it doesn't go all the way on stage; it simply falls straight down. During intermission, it goes up again. Finally, as someone else noted, the masquerade scene didn't include the staircase. Overall, I was extremely disappointed in this scene. While it may have had the same amount of cast members as before, it seemed so much smaller; plus characters weren't in costume--the men wore military garb, and the women wore the same style dress: all had eye masks. Other than that, they sang and danced in front of a mirrored background. Plus, when the phantom came out, he was dressed in military garb as well--no more ominous skeleton/skull costume. Overall, the scenery was based on a round design that opened and closed, which dramatically limited the amount of play that could occur when it was closed--the scene where the phantom first takes Christine underground used to be breath-taking with the "candles" raising from the floor, the long boat ride, etc. Yesterday's trip involved going down a flight of steps on the outside of the round design and then riding the boat in front of the closed design--no raising candles at all. When any type of illumination showed up in the water later, it appeared to be LED lights set into the floor. All in all, before seeing yesterday's performance, I would have wanted to see the play immediately again after seeing it. Now, however, I don't think I need to see it in the future unless some changes are made. read more

Love the music. Good play. If you haven't seen it, it's pretty much a must. There are ads in the RedEye for discounts...

Wonderful experience. Lower balcony seats for only $55. We were stage left against the wall and the only two seats in our row, which I liked very much. Spectacular singing, wonderful to hear the classic songs, and I greatly enjoyed the intricate stage, set, and props. read more

I have been wanting to see this performance for a very long time. They did an amazing job with the costumes, choreography, music and backdrops. There happened to be some technical difficulties when I was there, but it was fixed promptly and the performance continued. I would recommend it to anyone at least 1 time. read more

My review is not quite as good as the others. I saw this in November 2007 at the Cadillac and I was very disappointed. I had seen this in Her Majesty's Theatre in London back in the early '90s and it was incredible. Perhaps the cast was off the day I saw them, but it was the primary cast that played and I was very disappointed. There was absolutely no chemistry between Christina and her lover. Although her voice was nice (B+) and his was more of a B-, they botched "All I Ask of You" as there just wasn't any passion there and both seemed uncomfortable singing to the other. It also seemed like they had removed a few scenes before that song that made it seem premature in the general flow of their relationship. It just didn't work for me... The sound was terrible and it seemed like they were trying too hard.... Maybe it was just a problem on that day, not sure... I would highly recommend seeing it in New York, London or Paris if you get a chance. On the day I saw it, it was really a C- at best. read more

I've seen phantom a dozen times. Derrick Davis was the best I've seen since Colm Wilkinson! It's was terrific !! Why go to NYC we have the real deal here in Chicago! read more

My girlfriends and I went and saw Phantom of The Opera and let me tell you it was amazing. I was fortunate enough to get great seats and it made the experience even more worthwhile. The talented Cooper Grodin who played the Phantom was a dream and his voice was amazing and really touched me, I even cried as corny as it may sound. The cast is amazing all together and Christine also was absolutely amazing, her voice was out of this world. I highly recommend this Broadway Musical. I plan on going again before the tour is done. read more

Went to see The Phantom of the Opera musical in January and it was wonderful! The choreography, set design and cast was spot on! The orchestra did an amazing job also! We sat in the first row of the balcony and had nothing to block our view so I would highly recommend those seats. read more

Went to see the new Phantom this past Saturday. It was beautiful! Overall, I was VERY impressed with the casting, and their voices were amazing. Grodin did an amazing job as a slightly younger Phantom. By the end of the show, I was overwhelmed and found myself crying. Gorgeous show. My favorite one to see! I have seen it in NYC and Chicago a few times, and this new production is just as lovely as ever. The only thing I was looking forward to and did not get was the staircase during Masquerade. Still, a wonderful show and a beautiful theatre. read more

I was in high school when I went downtown to see the showing of Phantom of the Opera with my classmates at the Cadillac Palace Theater. Well, to be quite honest with you.... THAT PLAY WAS A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!! All of the actors had played their roles perfectly, the special effects blow me away, and the music is freaking beautiful!! I looove Phantom of the Opera!!! ^_^ read more