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REVIEW: The Three Phantoms
Published: 10/27/2008 1:26 PM
Last Modified: 10/27/2008 1:26 PM

This was supposed to have run Monday, but it would seem the journalistic equivalent of quantum mechanics (i.e., matters of Time and/or Space) intervened. So:

It seems that when the going gets rough in the world of “The Three Phantoms,” then Mark Jacoby gets going.
The last time the Signature Symphony at Tulsa Community College presented “The Three Phantoms” — a show of musical theater classics performed by a trio of actors who have at some point in their careers have portrayed the title character in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” — Jacoby stepped in to take the place of Kevin Gray, who had landed the lead in a revival of “The King & I.”
This past weekend, the orchestra again had “The Three Phantoms” in for a pair of shows as part of its Pops series. Only this time, it was Craig Schulman — a frequent guest of the Signature Symphony and the creator of “The Three Phantoms” show — who had to bow because of health concerns.
Again, Jacoby was asked to substitute — with two days’ notice to learn a completely new program.
And if it hadn’t been for a couple of lapses of memory, one might have thought that Jacoby had been performing this show with colleagues Gray and Cris Groenendaal for ages. Jacoby even managed to get some laughs at his own expense, saying that he once auditioned by singing “There is Nothing Like a Dame” from “South Pacific,” adding, “And that time, I even sang all the words.”
To be honest, Jacoby seemed more comfortable with the show and what he had to do than Groenendaal. Groenendaal sang well, especially on “Mr. Cellophane” from “Chicago” and “The Music Man’s” high-speed patter song “Trouble,” but his demeanor was strangely formal and stiff. You got the feeling that he wasn’t sure things were going the way they should — you might have thought that he had been the fellow who had received the last-minute call.
Jacoby has the lightest tenor of the trio, so he was given most of the high parts in the ensembles, which ranged from “Muddy Water” from “Big River” to Kander and Ebb’s “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup,” from “Memory” to “The Music of Night.” And he gave commanding performances in his two solo numbers, “A Bit of Earth” from “The Secret Garden,” and “Ragtime’s” anthemic “Make Them Hear You.”
Gray, however, was the real star of evening. He has a powerful and innately dramatic voice — one that Tulsa audiences who saw the touring production of “The Lion King” will remember, as Gray had the role of Scar in that show. And he put it to excellent use in songs ranging from “Man of La Mancha” and “What Kind of Fool Am I?” to the “Anthem” from “Chess” and a no-holds-barred performance of “Gethsemane” from “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
What linked all the songs together was the idea of making it on Broadway, in particular the often humbling process of auditions. In the second half of the evening, each man spoke about the audition that changed their career.
For Groenendaal, it was making it into the chorus of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd,” and being elevated to one of the major roles a few months into the run.
Jacoby spoke of a try out for “Sweet Charity,” and how a perfectly timed phone call allowed him to have the time to hit a certain high note and get the part.
Gray told a story about auditioning for “The King & I” — by singing a love song to Yul Brynner. He got that role, but turned it down in favor of Sondheim’s “Pacific Overtures,” which launched his career.
It made for a fun and fast-paced evening, to which the Signature Symphony under Barry Epperley provided polished accompaniment.



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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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