Music of the Night

The show is a production of Burnet High School’s theater department. Photo by Chris Porter

BURNET — Even to a practiced vocalist, the Broadway music stylings of Andrew Lloyd Webber can be a bit intimidating, and “Phantom of the Opera” is commonly regarded as one of the producer’s most difficult works to perform.

That’s not stopping Burnet High School’s theater department from tackling the show head-on, however.

The department’s “Phantom” opens 7 p.m. Friday at the school’s auditorium, 1000 The Green Mile.

“I believe in education, and I believe in these students,” drama teacher Tonya Tiday said at a preview performance Tuesday. “I chose a difficult show, because I wanted to see them grow. Being up here performing on stage is hard, or else everybody would be doing it.”

Tiday’s students designed elaborate sets, costumes and lighting schemes for the show, which takes popular musical numbers from the original Broadway production and bookends them with a contemporary story about high-school students lost in a haunted — naturally — opera house.

Each of the show’s songs is unique, with different production teams creating the vision for set-pieces, costumes and lighting. 

“We had so many talented people try out,” music director Gay Gambert said. “In the end, we chose to change the idea of location, so we could use all the talent here. Instead of casting one person in a role, we cast several.”

Set designer and actor Elizabeth Hahn said she and her fellow designers spent several all-nighters crafting the look of the show.

“One day in class, we drew to see which scenes we would design,” she said.

Tiday said she hopes Burnet residents will see the students’ talent for themselves Friday.

“It’s fun stuff. I’m so proud of them all,” she said. “I always call it playing in the sandbox, just being creative and having fun.”

Tickets for “Phantom” are $5 at the door.

chris@thepicayune.com