He has returned.
The Wharton Center will welcome “Love Never Dies,” the sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic “Phantom of the Opera,” October 9-14, 2018. Set 10 years after the Phantom’s disappearance from the Paris Opera House, “Love Never Dies” takes audiences to the sights and sounds of Coney Island in the early 20th century.
Bronson Norris Murphy stars as The Phantom in “Love Never Dies,” premiering the leading role in the show’s first North American production. I spoke with him about his experiences as The Phantom, what audiences can expect from the sequel, and his next dream role.
Stefanie Pohl: You’re premiering this role in the North American tour. What has this experience been like for you?
Bronson Norris Murphy: With “Love Never Dies,” it was kind of a whirlwind experience. I was originally cast as The Phantom alternate, performing in two shows a week. Unfortunately, our principle actor was ill when we went to tech and previews. I stepped into the role, and the entire creative team and Andrew Lloyd Webber were there. I didn’t quite have the rehearsal process I would have liked, but we have a fantastic team who got me ready. I played the first few months of the tour, and shared the role with the other actor. Eventually, he left and I took over full-time. The process was exciting and challenging and thrilling. I’ve always been an Andrew Lloyd Webber lover. To get to be the first American Phantom in this new piece was a dream come true that I never expected.
Pohl: You also performed the part of Raoul in “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway. How does it feel to change sides?
Murphy: I was a swing in the Broadway production and played nine or ten different roles. Raoul was one of them. In a weird way, having played Raoul and knowing what he was like 10 years ago and what he’s like now, playing The Phantom I can despise him even more. I can see from The Phantom’s point of view what a rich little snob he was, whereas when I played him on Broadway, I thought he was this handsome hero. Now seeing where Andrew and Frederick Forsyth (book) and our writers have taken him, I see different motivations in that original production. It fuels my flame of despising Raoul even more now that I’m not playing him. I’m playing his nemesis.
Pohl: You said you were a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber growing up, so I imagine The Phantom would be a role you dreamed of playing one day. Yet this specific role didn’t exist yet.
Murphy: It didn’t! My first introduction to Andrew Lloyd Webber was “Phantom of the Opera,” but at that point in my life, acting wasn’t a goal. I just enjoyed the music and the pictures I would see online. I did get to go to the first big national tour of the show, when my love of theatre started growing. It’s like one of those weird things that happen to you where you can’t believe this is happening. I never planned to play The Phantom. I never thought I would want to do it, and then be chosen to do it. It’s been this whirlwind of events. I chose music theatre as a career path in my late college years. As for getting to play this iconic role, yeah that was an overwhelming sensation.
Pohl: I would imagine it can be tough when you might be influenced by Michael Crawford or others who were Phantoms. But with this role, you can take this opportunity to put your own spin on it. In some ways perhaps the choices you’re making in this show will influence future Phantoms in “Love Never Dies.”
Murphy: Well that is a lovely thought that I’ve never had. How about that. Unfortunately in that respect, our version of the show hasn’t been recorded. If I am going to be influential in that role, they will have had to seen it live. But that is a lovely thought. Thanks for putting that into my head. I think that’s something that the role of The Phantom needs. Obviously it’s a fictional character so there isn’t a concrete way of doing it. I guess the casting team looks for interesting perspectives on love and loss and obsession and passion. They let you build it yourself. There are actors who have played this role in other countries, and I’m unlike them in various ways. Casting the show each and every time is sort of like “what new humanity can we bring to this?”
Pohl: What is your preparation leading up to showtime?
Murphy: I spend my whole day in service of the evening’s performance, meaning I get a lot of rest and do vocalizations. I usually arrive at the theater two hours before the performance begins. I have a half an hour to put on all of my underclothes that I wear in the show. It’s so weird, I wear so much underwear. There’s so much stuff that goes on underneath The Phantom. I have to put all of that on, then I have to prep my face and hair for the makeup. I have to warm up, and that takes 30 minutes. Then I’m in the makeup chair for about an hour, which includes a new hand-painted bald cap applied to my head with special glue. Then on top of that goes the face makeup, then the tufts of alopecia hair, then the black wig, and then the mask. At that point we’re usually at the half-hour mark and that’s when I can get into my costume and starting focusing on the show. Even though I’m there for two hours before the show, there isn’t a single minute of boredom. If anyone in the cast wants to say hi, they know they have to come to me because I’m stuck in a chair for almost two hours.
Pohl: Can you explain the process of wearing and being fitted for the mask? Was it difficult to get used to wearing it?
Murphy: When I first started the role, it was this huge intrusion to my work. It was covering half my face, and everything I was doing behind the mask felt like it wasn’t reading. I could smell it, I could feel it. And now, honestly, there are times when I’m ready to go on stage and I grab my face because I think I have left it. I don’t feel it anymore. It becomes a part of you. On the off-chance I have rehearsal and I don’t need to wear the mask, it’s almost impossible to do the show now without it. The fitting process was done in New York. The guy who makes our mask is the same designer who makes all of the masks for “Phantom” on Broadway, but ours is a different design. He brings in a plastic mold and marks your features and eye hole, and then takes it back to his shop to create the mask suited to your needs. He hand-paints it, and a wire is what holds it on. It was pretty cool the first time I got to put on the mask. It was not me looking back in the mirror anymore.
Pohl: That would be so surreal!
Murphy: Absolutely. And actually at the Wharton Center, you will get to see a new mask. We’ve been out on tour for over a year and we’ve got a new mask. You’re all going to get a bright, new, shiny white mask. I held both masks in my hand and I hadn’t realized how the current mask has aged, because it still looks gorgeous. Seeing a brand new one, I couldn’t believe the difference. I’ll be nice and shiny for you guys.
Pohl: Other than a new mask, what are some things the audience can expect from this show? Andrew Lloyd Webber says it isn’t required to have seen “Phantom of the Opera,” although I can’t imagine a theatre fan who hasn’t seen it before.
Murphy: It helps to have seen “Phantom” only in the fact that you’ll know there’s this love triangle with both men loving Christine. But everything you need to know to go on our journey is given to you in the first five minutes of the show. Those who haven’t seen “Phantom” can absolutely come and enjoy seeing “Love Never Dies.” What we offer is romance, passion, and obsession, but now instead of being at the Paris Opera House, we’re at New York’s Coney Island. That offers up a whole new backdrop for The Phantom. He’s created a whole world, a vaudeville sideshow attraction where he fits in. He’s weird like everyone else. You can expect gorgeous visuals. When I first saw the show, I had cold chills for two hours. The lights and the sets and the costumes are unlike anything touring today. The visual spectacle alone is incredible. And then you partner that with gorgeous music, our orchestra, and our cast, and it’s a beautiful show.
Pohl: I saw in your bio that you’re an advocate for music and theatre education. What was your access to the arts when you were growing up?
Murphy: I was a very, very lucky child. My elementary school, middle school, high school, and college all had a strong music program. My favorite teachers were always my music and drama teachers, because we all spoke the same language and had the same loves. In my church growing up, I introduced what we now call Artistic Ministries. I would put on the holiday plays, and at fifteen and sixteen, they were handing over the reigns to me to teach and direct. They allowed me to grow as an artist. I chose music education as my major in college, so I have a degree in that and choral conducting. But then I got my master’s degree at NYC in vocal performance. I started down the performing path, but while I was on Broadway, I always kept teaching. Music and drama education in one way or another has always been present in my life.
Pohl: You have played Tony in “West Side Story” and now The Phantom, two very iconic roles. Are there any dream roles you’d love to pursue in the future or shows you would love to be a part of?
Murphy: You know, it’s funny. I played Tony in my youth, and hadn’t played it professionally for a while. I put it out there as my goal, and then in the same year I did it in two different productions. Then I changed it to “Jekyll and Hyde,” and that year I did “Jekyll and Hyde.” Now, I’m putting it out there… have you ever heard of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder?”
Pohl: Oh yes I saw it on Broadway.
Murphy: Monty Navarro, that leading man. I think that’s my new dream role. And now that theaters are being able to do it regionally, it’s more accessible to actors across the country. So I’m going to set my sights on that role. On top of that, I think there are roles that haven’t been written yet that are going to be goals. Andrew is working on a new musical version of Cinderella I hear. Sondheim I don’t feel is done yet, so maybe I can originate something again.
See Bronson Norris Murphy and the rest of the cast of “Love Never Dies” when it arrives at the Wharton Center, October 9-14, 2018. Click here for show and ticket information.