James Paterson

In view of the closing of the longest-running Broadway musical – The Phantom of the Opera, James Paterson, the member of the original West End cast and one of the respectable Phantoms, as well as the resident director of Her Majesty’s Theater in London, gave an interview to his former student - Lisa Monde.

“The original show of Phantom
is an iconic piece of art.”.
James Paterson

You performed in the original production, when it opened in London 37 years ago?
Yes. I was in the original cast - the original Passarino and Don Attilio. And shortly after we opened, I covered for André over one weekend. Unfortunately, that was when Michael Crawford, who was the original Phantom, was taken into a hospital with a hiatus hernia. So, Steve Barton, who was Raoul, moved up to play Phantom and the actor who was playing André moved up to play Raoul and the two understudies were off. Then Steve Barton, when disappearing down the trap at the end of Masquerade did it badly and tore some of the ligaments in his legs and had to have an operation. I was the only person who knew the role of Phantom. So, I played it – I did three and a half weeks then, until Michael Crawford fully came back. Very exciting times. That happened way back in 1987. Then I continued playing Phantom as well, and after the 30th show, I stopped counting.

This is fantastic. I did not realize that you played so many roles and in the original production!
And it was precious!

So, when you were playing Phantom, how did you prepare for the role?
Whatever I did as Phantom, it is based on what I saw happening between Hal Prince [director] and Michael Crawford. I would try to do what I witnessed them do, but how it came out is impossible for me to judge. The one thing I do remember Hal saying was in his talk to us, even on the first day – he pointed out that there are many movies out there and a lot of them are very two-dimensional horror movies, but he said “In the Andrew Lloyd Webber show, that you are going to do – Phantom is a man, a human being with feelings and he is just isolated because of the society of that time.” And because of his deformity or disability, whatever you want to call it. It wasn’t acceptable to the common people at that time, so he had to hide away. But there is no doubt he is intelligent, in many ways. So that to me was the basis –you are playing a real person who lives under these circumstances, but his humanity can rise. And I always tried to play it from that place.

What can you say about other actors that you’ve seen play Phantom?
I’ve been invited to some anniversaries, and I’ve seen a number of Phantoms. I taught what I feel and know about it, in my capacity as resident director. I passed all of my knowledge to all of them, sometimes more successfully than others… But there was an anniversary that I was invited to, and I was… mortified. Because the chap who portrayed Phantom looked like a cross between Uriah Heep in the Dickens’ novel and Jim Carrey playing the Grinch. And this is not who the Phantom is. The chap was all angular and grotesque… So wrong.

What is the meaning of the mask to Phantom?
I remember I had one afternoon rehearsal with Hal, … and we were talking about the mask in particular. I remember saying to Hal – “It’s like if someone slashes your face, blood comes to the wound…your instinct is to cover the wound”, and Hal said – “That’s exactly it!”. And I’ve never forgotten that because me suggesting that proved that I was understanding what he was saying. So, you asked whether the mask was ever a hindrance? You know, when actors rehearse anything theatrical – you get the costume – put it on and it takes you somewhere else. And the mask is very much part of that. The mask is more than that – you cannot really become Phantom without it. The thing is, I would never condemn the mask as a hindrance upon acting or singing, because it’s such an essential part of the character. And of course that wonderful dramatic moment when he’s robbed of it and it’s removed from him. He immediately launches into the other side of him, his lack of control, lack of confidence, lack of place - he needs the mask. It’s like taking crutches from a lame person.

Do you have an “ideal” for Phantom, that you consider to be the best Phantom on West End?
There’s never going to be one Phantom that’s absolutely perfect for me. The Phantom that was my favorite in a professional sense – Michael Crawford, no doubt. He worked out everything to the degree that every single performance he gave was almost a complete copy of everything that he did on the first performance. That’s how professional he was.

Did you have a favorite Christine?
I will always be very grateful to Claire Moore, who was the original alternate to Sarah Brightman. She was special. There was an actress Jill Washington who was also in the original show. I liked what she did very much. She sang beautifully. I liked the gentle way she played the role. So, Claire and Jill were probably my favorites. See? It’s easier for me to talk about the Christines!

Did Phantom ever haunt your theater? Did you ever blame some mishaps that happened during shows on Phantom?
I think there is something in Her Majesty’s that seemed to go around. I’ve never seen anything. But there are stories of ghosts in theaters. Like in Drury Lane theater. But all I can say is, I’ve never been special enough to be graced with a visit or a sighting. Only in my dreams.