the mommy avenger

Not all Broadway shows are created equal. I can confidently tell you that after seeing hundreds of shows live on stage. Some shows are funny, some have great music, some are just entertaining. And some, you wish you could get back the time you spent watching. But then there are the rare ones — the ones that have it ALL. The ones that remind you exactly why live theater exists in the first place.

The Phantom of the Opera is that show for me. It always has been.

It is so theatrical — the sets, the costumes, the special effects are just bigger than life. The music is everything. And when you combine the two? What you get is an absolutely majestic production that I simply cannot get enough of. I have now seen this beloved musical seven times, and I will tell you with zero hesitation that I would see it seven more.

But this time was different. This was my first time experiencing Phantom since it was revisited and reimagined beginning in 2021. And for some members of my family sitting beside me, it was their very first time seeing it at all. There is something so special about watching a show you love through the eyes of someone experiencing it for the first time. I was anxious — in the very best way — to see how this particular production would land.

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For the Uninitiated — Here’s What You Need to Know

The Phantom of the Opera is based on the classic 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux and features the iconic music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The story is set in the Paris Opera House in the late 19th century, where a mysterious, masked musical genius known only as “The Phantom” lives hidden in the depths beneath the stage. He has secretly been tutoring a young soprano named Christine Daaé, shaping her voice and her talent — and falling deeply, obsessively in love with her in the process.

When Christine is reunited with her childhood sweetheart, the handsome Raoul, the Phantom’s jealousy is unleashed in ways that are both terrifying and heartbreaking. The story is at once a gothic romance, a ghost story, and a tragically beautiful exploration of love, longing, and what it means to truly be seen. It is sweeping and dramatic and emotionally complex — and it has captivated audiences around the world for decades for very good reason.

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The Voices Can Make or Break Everything

Here is something I have learned after so many viewings of this show: the voices are everything. Everything. I have seen productions of Phantom where the actors playing Christine Daaé, The Phantom, or Raoul have absolutely decimated the entire experience. These are not easy roles. They require extraordinary vocal talent, emotional range, and the kind of stage presence that commands an audience without effort. Getting the casting wrong can unravel all of it — no matter how spectacular the sets or how breathtaking the chandelier drop.

So I wait on bated breath every single time I see this show. I hold my breath until that first note lands, and then I exhale — or I brace myself for a long night.

This time? I exhaled immediately.

Christine Daaé was played by Jordan Lee Gilbert, and I was overjoyed from the moment she opened her mouth. Her voice is angelic. There is simply no other word for it. It is so beautiful and so clear that it fills the entire theater without ever feeling forced. She could easily be the best version of Christine I have ever heard — and that is saying something after seven productions. Every single song she sang was spectacular, but the highlights for me were The Phantom of the Opera, All I Ask of You, and my absolute personal favorite, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. That song never fails to get to me, and in her hands, it was devastating in the most gorgeous way. I was completely undone.

What made it even more impressive? This is her very first National Tour. Her FIRST. I honestly could not believe it. She performed like a seasoned veteran of the stage, with a confidence and grace that felt completely natural. She is something special, and I have a feeling we are going to be hearing her name for a very long time.

When it came time to hear Isaiah Bailey as The Phantom, I was equally and pleasantly surprised. His voice is smooth and deep and rich — and when he performed Music of the Night, something unexpected happened to me. It was powerful, and it was soft, and it moved through me in a way I genuinely did not anticipate. I was in tears. Early in Act One. Over a song I have heard dozens of times. I was not prepared for how much emotion he brought to that performance, and I absolutely loved every second of it. As the show progressed, his voice only grew stronger and more commanding. By the final act, he was electric. His Phantom was layered and tortured and magnetic — exactly as it should be.

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The Reimagined Magic Is Real

With this new revisitation of the classic, some fresh special effects have been woven into the production — and I think the best word I can use to describe them is illuminating. Quite literally.

The new lighting design and visual elements add a dimension to the story that feels modern without ever losing the gothic soul of the show. There are moments where the stage transforms in ways that made me catch my breath, where light and shadow work together so beautifully that you almost forget you are watching human beings create it all. The chandelier — always a showstopper — feels more dramatic than ever. The underground lair of the Phantom is immersive in a way that makes you feel like you have genuinely descended somewhere you should not be. And the magical, candlelit world that Andrew Lloyd Webber built feels newly alive, as if someone dusted it off and made it sparkle again without changing what made it so beloved in the first place.

My family members who were seeing it for the first time were wide-eyed throughout. That alone told me everything I needed to know.

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Thirty Years of Chills — And Still Counting

I have been listening to this music for thirty years. Thirty years. And I will tell you something that I think only true Phantom fans will fully understand: every single time I hear it, it is as if I am hearing it for the very first time. The same chills run up my arms. The same emotions wash over me. The overture alone sends me. There is something about this music — the way it swells and soars and aches — that never loses its power, no matter how many times it finds you.

This production was spectacular in every sense of the word. Seeing it with family who were experiencing it fresh, while I was rediscovering it through new eyes and new performances, made it even more meaningful. I genuinely wish I could go back and see it again — and again — while it is still here.

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The Phantom of the Opera is here in Salt Lake City for a limited engagement now through April 26th, 2026 at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater as part of the Broadway at the Eccles season. Please, please do not let this one slip by you. This is some of the best theater you will ever see, performed at the highest level, in our own backyard. Grab your tickets now at here and go experience something truly majestic.

The music of the night is calling. Answer it.

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own*}