ORLANDO — Gaston Leroux’s 1909 novel Phantom Of The Opera sure has enjoyed decades of popularity and shown plenty of durability, finding new life as a classic 1925 silent horror film starring Lon Chaney and later Andrew Lloyd Webber’s opulent music version, more a romance than a tale of terror.
Even teens got into the act when author R.L. Stine, as part of his popular Goosebumps book series, wrote Phantom Of the Auditorium, where a group of high school teens stage a class production of The Phantom, not knowing that the dark, dank basement of their school just might be haunted ….
The enduring popularity of not just Leroux’s French classic but also Stine’s horror-for-teens series proved irresistible to the folks at Orlando Family Stage, the family-oriented theater that is producing an original production, Goosebumps The Musical: Phantom Of The Auditorium. Happily, it’s just the right kind of spooky-fun story for the Halloween season: not too scary for the little ones, but a fast paced and engaging story to keep the grownups from checking their watches.
Goosebumps The Musical runs now through Sunday, Nov. 2, and for parents who want to do Halloween activities with their little kids that won’t give them nightmares, this is one Phantom that manages to both spook and delights.
What is Goosebumps The Musical?
Goosebumps The Musical features a book/lyrics by John Maclay, and music and lyrics by Danny Abosch, both veterans of previous Orlando Family Stage productions. Adopting Stine’s Phantom Of The Auditorium novel, it follows high school students Brooke and Zeke, best friends and big horror fans, who get an exciting opportunity when their teacher Ms. Walker announces she is staging a high school production called The Phantom. The script dates back several decades, but an earlier attempt by Ms. Walker’s grandmother to stage the show mysterious got cancelled, leading to speculation that the show is cursed.
When Brooke and Zeke get cast in the show’s lead roles, their enthusiasm turns to high anxiety when they discover an elevator leading to the school’s basement, which neither one knew existed. Things get even creepier when eerie messages appear on the sets warning them to cancel the show, and a mysterious masked figure wearing a phantom cape starts disrupting their rehearsals.
So is the legend true? Is there a ghost haunting the school that will do anything to stop the show? And will those eerie rehearsals give the kids … goosebumps?
Brooke, Zeke and a new student Brian, who has his eye on Brooke (and vice versa), decide to investigate, and there are several possible suspects: Emile, the night janitor who discovered Brooke and Zeke wandering in that dark, ominous basement; Tina, a fellow student who badly wanted Brooke’s role and seems mighty angry that she didn’t get it; and even Zeke, a practical joker who loves scary stunts.
Then again, they have to consider another possibility: what if it isn’t a person at all haunting their rehearsals?
Let the scares begin!
How is the Orlando Family Stage production?
Maclay and Abosch crafted some snappy numbers for the show, beautifully performed by the mostly teen cast. Anna Kate Hindman and Rhyse Silvestro make an engaging dup as Brooke and Zeke, and they do exceptionally well capturing the story’s humor with their expert comedic timing. Among the adults, Nyeshia Naomii is a marvel as the sassy, headstrong Ms. Walker — making me wish I’d had a few teachers like this when I was a kid — and so is Pat Clark, suitably creepy as the facially scarred janitor who has a secret of his own.
Seth Kirk as the good natured Brian and Alaina Rene Kizer as the jealous Tina round out a talented group of singers and comedic actors, who know how to make things a bit scarier — but not too scary — when they need to.
An enjoyably clever variation on Phantom Of The Opera, it’s a fun way to enjoy the Halloween season with the entire family. Even better: it has a twist ending you won’t see coming.
Where Can I See Goosebumps The Musical?
Goosebumps The Musical: Phantom Of The Auditorium is being performed at Orlando Family Stage, 1001 E. Princeton St. in Orlando’s Loch Haven Park. The show runs for 90 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.
This original Orlando production was funded in part by Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program.
To purchase tickets or get more information, call (407) 896-7365.
MMichael Freeman is an Orlando journalist, playwright, and author of the book A Christmas Eve Story. Contact him at Freelineorlando@gmail.com.
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