The Phantom (Jaden Nicita) embraces Christine Daaé (Marguerite Benham) at the opening night of the Brunswick High School spring show on March 14. Kristian Moravec / The Times Record
Brunswick High School closed its opening show of “Phantom of the Opera” Thursday to a standing ovation after students displayed an impressive range of vocal ability.
The musical, which was originally written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and has no adaptation for high school vocal ranges, pushed the performing arts group, BHS Players, to tackle advanced levels of musicianship. Under the guidance of Musical and Choral Director Ashley Albert, the students rose to the occasion, displaying complex operatic skills in the show.
Senior students Marguerite Benham, who played Christine Daaé, and Hazel Goodwin, who played Carlotta Giudicelli, captivated the audience with dynamic solo performances that showcased their high-level singing abilities. Nolan Kaiser and Jaden Nicita played Christine’s love interests — Raoul and The Phantom, respectively — and displayed impressive belting power and emotional range in the roles.
Prior to the big night, Benham expressed her excitement for the show.
“It’s really heartwarming to see everything come together,” she said. “I’m so hyped for this.”
Come together it did. The play, which is almost entirely sung, runs for nearly 2.5 hours. Unfazed by the lengthy run time, the student actors showed full energy until the final curtain.
The production follows on the heels of the school’s successful trip to the Eastern Regional Conference held by the American Choral Directors Association in Providence, Rhode Island.
The conference, which draws students and directors from the Northeast, selects participants through blind auditions. Of the Brunswick students who auditioned, 29 were selected, making it the largest cohort at the conference.
One of those selected, Nicita, said his experience in Providence was informative and provided a great opportunity to branch out in choral genres.
“We’re really privileged to have a program that values the arts so highly,” he said.
Albert, who is the president of Maine’s ACDA, attended the conference alongside the students. The experience is rewarding, as she gets to bond with the students, Albert said.
For the students, Albert’s support in both conferences and the musical is impactful.
“She is just wonderful,” said 18-year-old Sam Caswell, who plays the comedic Monsieur André in the show. “None of this could happen without her.”
Viewers can catch the production at 7 p.m. on March 22 and 23 at 71 Dragon Drive in Brunswick. Tickets are available at the door or at showtix4u.com/event-details/79488.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.