Review: The Phantom Of The Opera Lights Up Sydney Harbour

★★★★★

A lingering storm nearly upstaged one of the year’s most anticipated theatrical events. Instead, it receded at the final hour, setting the scene for a spectacular opening night of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour’s The Phantom of the Opera.

Nothing quite prepares you for theatre on this scale in the open air. It’s the unexpected touches of nature that elevate it into something truly memorable: a sudden gust of wind lifting a costume piece at just the right moment. The moon slipping out from behind the clouds during a key song. The sky clearing just in time for a fireworks display.

It’s these unpredictable yet seemingly perfectly timed elements that add something a traditional theatre simply cannot replicate.

The opening of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera launches the iconic show’s global 40th anniversary, with Opera Australia having the honour of staging the show as the first major event in a worldwide program of celebrations.

And what a show it is. Based on Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Le Fantôme de L’Opéra, The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it.

The Phantom of the Opera is widely considered one of the most popular and stunning musicals ever created, having played to more than 160 million people and winning over 70 major theatre awards. The Sydney Harbour spectacular, directed by Simon Phillips, took audiences by storm when it premiered in 2022.

Phillips has reunited with the original creative dream-team, which includes Set and Costume Designer Gabriela Tylesova, Choreographer and Associate Director Simone Sault, Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper and Sound Designer Shelly Lee.

The production is set on Australia’s largest outdoor stage, and yes, it floats atop the water. While the grandeur is there, I wasn’t expecting it to feel as immersive and as intimate as it did. This is no entertainment centre style show. It’s possible, depending on your seats, to get closer than you normally would inside a traditional theatre.

But you’ll need to be quick. This production has opened as the most successful Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour season on record, with over 70,000 tickets already sold.

At just 22, Jake Lyle makes an impressive professional debut, becoming one of the youngest performers to take on the Phantom. Vocally assured and dramatically compelling, he brings both strength and sensitivity to the character. His final scene is quietly devastating, eliciting real empathy. It’s a performance that signals a bright future ahead.

Amy Manford dazzles as Christine, revisiting a role she first played on the West End at the same age as Lyle. She brings real emotional depth to a character pulled between love, duty and fear. Her vocals are nothing short of stunning, with Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again delivered as a truly affecting highlight.

As Raoul, Jarrod Draper completes the central love triangle with a grounded and earnest performance. His duet with Manford, All I Ask of You, is a highlight, made all the more memorable as the moon broke through the fading storm clouds to illuminate the moment.

There isn’t a weak link among the supporting cast. Debora Krizak brings a commendable stillness and dramatic presence to Madame Giry. Brent Hill and Martin Crewes are a formidable comic duo as Monsieur Firmin and Monsieur André, landing the wittily rhyming lyrics with aplomb.

Giuseppina Grech relishes portraying the unhinged opera diva Carlotta Giudicelli, with high notes that could surely break glass. I especially loved her overpronounced Italian accent. Daniel Belle’s tenor range seriously impresses as Ubaldo Piangi. And Jayme Jo Massoud leaves a lasting impression as Christine’s faithful friend, Meg Giry.

There is one other character who nearly runs away with the show, and it’s the chandelier. A technical marvel dangling from a giant crane, it feels like a living entity in its own right. Occasionally rattled by the chilly night breezes, it faithfully delivers where it needs to thanks to the skilled technical team.

This production features a working moat, live flames, dazzling pyrotechnics, the aforementioned fireworks, and that thunderous live organ which makes the score so memorable. It is a visual and aural marvel.

As the final notes echo out across the harbour, we are left with the sense that we’ve witnessed something fleeting and unrepeatable. No two nights will ever be quite the same. With the elements as an uncredited collaborator, The Phantom of the Opera becomes an experience that will drift somewhere between spectacle and memory.

The Phantom of the Opera is presented by Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. It runs to 3 May 2026. Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point, Sydney NSW 2000.

Tickets: https://opera.org.au/productions/the-phantom-of-the-opera-on-sydney-harbour/

Website: https://opera.org.au/national

Socials: https://www.instagram.com/operaaustralia/

Photo credits: Daniel Boud