Columnists

This is a new version of this grand old chestnut that opened to rave reviews  and awards in London in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988. With the same music by Andrew Lloyd Weber and based on the novel “LaFantome de L’opera” by Gaston Leroux, the production at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco is directed by Laurence Conner with a gusto and drive that keeps everything moving at a fast pace.Producer Cameron Mackintosh decided to bring a new "Phantom” theatrically to the stage, and he has succeeded with new magnificent sets by Paul Brown and a little different take on the story line, which still ends the same way.This updated “Phantom” still has the marvelous music, and the basics stay the same. The story moves on the same path as the original but sets, costumes, choreography and a younger Phantom and Christine are offered in a faster moving story.The chandelier still hovers and flashes and intimidates, the Phantom still creates havoc, and the new steep and almost invisible stairs that take Christine and the Phantom to his lair under the Opera House is fascinating. The huge production number “Masquerade” number that opens the second act replaces the sweeping staircases in the older production with mirrors. The cast seems to be a little cramped, but the costumes by the late Maria Bjornson overwhelm with color and design. All are well lit by Paule Constable and made clearly audible by Mick Potter and, most importantly, a fine orchestra under the baton of Dale Rieling.I felt Chris Mann’s Phantom lacked the chemistry and bravado that other Phantoms have delivered, and his voice didn’t seem to have the punch that should have been there (perhaps he was not well.)  Katie Travis’s Christine was full and clear with a fine sound. The rest of the cast gave a smooth supporting performance.There is an old adage that says, “If it ain’t broken don’t fix it.”I don’t think the original “Phantom” was broken, but I guess we must go with the times. A new generation will see this production and probably shake their heads the next time it changes 30 years from now.All in all, this "Phantom” will entertain.

This is the time of the year when most of us are looking forward to spending time with family and friends, putting on our holiday cheer and generally letting the past year wind down.I am looking forward to all of the above too but this year seems to be including un-holiday-like conflicting sentiments and torn emotions. The season is delivering the satisfaction that one of our community’s most unfair episodes seems to be coming to a close, yet also with the concern that all of this might be giving our community a black eye.I am referring to the recent attempt to recall MHUSD Board President Bob Benevento which has deservedly fizzled while emotions in the community are reaching the boiling point towards another trustee—David Gerard, whose district emails are now in the public realm for all to see.The trustee’s public emails recently released by the district offices in response to a Public Records Act request by the Morgan Hill Times have opened a Pandora’s box for Trustee Gerard in particular but seems to implicate trustees Borgioli and Badillo in recent goings on too. Do we have a trinity here?From alleged harassment that ultimately led to trustee Porter-Jensen’s retirement to the recall effort against Benevento, there seems to be a thread that connects Gerard and the other two trustees. This leads a small group of the like-minded to do things that remind me of one of those movies where someone is unjustly accused of something heinous until a hero steps up and metes out justice with the support of the local townsfolk.Most of those movies come to a fitting end, which includes all of the bad guys getting theirs while the wrongly accused is exonerated and life can finally move on.So far the ending of our story is shaping up nicely with the exoneration of one of the good guys and the realization that the “large numbers of disgruntled parents” supporting the unjust recall is actually a small number of very vocal parents.Just how completely involved were the trinity in the alleged harassment of Trustee Porter-Jensen? I hope we can get a clearer understanding of this soon so we can gain some certainty that we will no longer have silly behavior on the board again.I see the local media and even a columnist out of San Jose and the Metro as being the heros here. They shined a light on a dark place where the unsavory behavior took place. Now we can make up our own minds about how we feel toward these events.During all of this, the fact that the school district is in a much better place than it was just five years ago has been missed. Let’s pay some attention to how well things are going for our students. Some insist on comparing our schools to others and can dig up statistics that say we are not at the top. How about we take a look at how much we have improved and start looking forward to the day when we will be at the top? We are headed that way.So this holiday I’ll be spending time with family and friends, being cheerful, and putting this whole school board mess in the rear view mirror.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

The Wild Party, the musical which was once banned in Boston, is based on Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 book-length narrative poem that tells the story about the wild, depraved end of the Roaring ’20s. Andrew Lippa added a book, music and lyrics. “The Wild Party” opened Off-Broadway in February 2000 and has won many awards in its time.