So...about Masquerade...
I was so ready to be skeptical, the ticket price, the lofty ambition, the technical undertaking...and I'll be damned if they didn't impress me. Keeping this as spoiler free as possible for now too, but also happy to answer anything more specific as well.
The storytelling style was VERY similar to a Delusion show, you stayed with your one Phantom and Christine the whole night, group size of around 40-50, but it was incredibly well executed, there was never any sense you weren't the only folks in the story at any given time. Truth be told, it was only after fact that I started making the Delusion comparisons, as it was very easy to let yourself get wrapped into the story and play your part.
Structurally there were scenes that played out as if you were right there on stage with actors during the main story, there were points where the familiar scene was taking place elsewhere and you were viewing it from a different vantage point or a whole other location within the opera house, and then there were a handful of scenes that played out that had never been seen before. Again, without getting too spoilery, there was a surprisingly large amount of backstory conveyed here too.
Pretty much every song was present in some form, but it was definitely less linear than a traditional telling of the story, and I'd wager at least 1/2 to 2/3rds of the songs have been altered, truncated, or edited in some way. You'll just have to take my word that even as a Phantom purist, these edits were done with care and I truthfully didn't really mind at all (including the inclusion of at least two, I'll say, *unexpected* songs).
The immersive elements beyond the mobile storytelling were well thought out. especially given the format. Rather than 1 on 1s where you get pulled entirely out to your own scene, at certain points the larger group you are with is split down, and there is some really impressive handing off going on with the cast. The blocking and scene order is done very well so that each smaller group really feels like they are seeing something unique and intimate with the actors we've been following all night. You could be handed props (some to keep), given food or drink, objects to throw, lightly touched or engaged in some way by an actor, and unlike a SNM or L&T, I would wager >85% of the group had some form of direct engagement (and not for not, a good portion of the other ~15% just opted to personally not engage, so not for a lack of trying on the actor's parts).
I think the actors brought more to the immersion than anything pre-structured though. Raul appeared behind my fiancé and I at one point during one of the earliest scenes, and I made a comment about him being the Viscount de Chagny, and he immediately stuck up a conversation with us, asking our names, and then remembered us several scenes later. This was not unique to us however, as folks were routinely remembered, engaged, and really made to feel directly involved in the story.
Tech was top notch; the lighting alone was incredibly well done, and not to mention the impressive technical achievement of passing uniquely mic'd actors from room to room with their own independent sound systems. Was it the largest scale show I've ever seen? Not necessarily, but the intimacy worked well. The one area I will say could use some improvement is consistent set dressing in transitional spaces and a certain two scene stretch in the middle of the show. I know SNM and L&T had similarly stark transition spaces between story beats and levels, but with such a vignette focused free format, it was easier to suspend disbelief, rather than going from one of the most visually impressive scenes in this show...to being pulled back slightly with the sights and sounds of the modern world.
On a similar note there, I know there is no chance in hell they could ever enforce this in any meaningful way when this opens to the wider public, but goddamn was it fun to see everyone in formal outfits, it really helped keep you mentally inside the world of the show, and it was neat to see how everyone really took the time to plan an outfit.
Were there marked places where they could improve a little bit? For sure, but they are actively iterating as the preview runs continue (as evidenced by the fact that early previews did not feature Meg as a character, and she had definitively been added in to our performance).
Overall, I will absolutely be returning to the Phantom's lair at some point in the near-ish future (will probably give it a good 6 months to cook a little bit more). Do I expect that this will convert folks who are dead set against immersive theater, or find the whole affair corny? Not really, but in the end it is played earnestly by all involved, and I think for Phantom fans especially, this one hits the mark and then some.
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