By Karen Mathew and Shambhavi Ranjan.

Staff Writers

On Monday, September 13th, rehearsals for the Westford Academy production Phantom of the Opera, by Andrew Lloyd Webber, began. Westford Aademy is the first public school in New England to produce Phantom of the Opera. This play will be directed and choreographed by Larry Sousa. The cast and crew are working hard towards their first performance of this school year.

“The cast is very gifted and hardworking, but Phantom of the Opera is a difficult piece and they need to work harder,” said Michael Towers, the acting coach.

The two leads, Caleb Cedrone, who plays the Phantom, and Jillian Frankel, who plays Christine, both agree that their roles are challenging.

“Yes, it is very challenging. The music is different, especially since it is opera. The phantom is a very challenging character. He is multidimensional and it is not easy to understand him,” said Cedrone.

Having a lead in this difficult piece can be very overwhelming and nerve-racking.

“To be honest, I am a little nervous about playing the role of Christine. It is a big role and it is a big commitment. It’s pretty big shoes to fill. But, I’m very excited,” said Frankel.

The Phantom of the Opera revolves around the lives of Christine, Raoul, and the Phantom. Christine Daae was brought up in the Paris Opera house when her famous musician father suddenly dies, but not before telling her that he will send her an Angel of Music to look after her. She grows up and discovers that she is hearing a voice, telling her and teaching her to sing. She believes he is the Angel of Music, but he is only a mysterious disfigured musician, the Phantom. He falls deeply in love with her. Although she is fascinated and drawn towards the Phantom, she falls in love with her childhood sweetheart, Raoul. The Phantom gets very jealous, kidnaps Christine, and threatens to kill Raoul.

“The Phantom is an interesting person and so much of him is understood. I have been told that he is the starting artist. He is just so depressed about the way he looks and he is just so shameful, there is just so much I have heard about his character,” said Cedrone.

A lot of hard work and effort is required to make a play successful. With the cast rehearsing almost every day and directors putting in so much of their time, this major production is bound to please the audience.

“The Phantom of the Opera will successful. It is so beloved and it is so popular and powerful. This play will draw a lot of excitement,” said Towers.