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Monday, August 31, 1998

Phantom star returns to haunt Los Angeles stage after hiatus

THEATER: Legendary actor of Broadway, L.A. forums glad to be back behind mask

By Stephanie Sheh

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Eight shows a week. Fifty-two weeks in a year. For five years.

When Davis Gaines finally left the "Phantom of the Opera" about a year and a half ago, he had completed 1,937 shows as the Phantom. Now Gaines, who has the distinction of being the longest running Broadway and Los Angeles Phantom, dividing his five-year time span between the two cities, is putting the mask on again.

Gaines returned to Los Angeles and the Phantom on Friday at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The limited run is scheduled until Nov. 1, and Gaines has slid comfortably back into the role.

"It was exactly like riding a bike," Gaines said. The actor was performing the title role in "Phantom" for two weeks in Minneapolis before his Los Angeles return. "I didn't know if I would remember it. I had no idea because it had been such a long time. And as soon as I got all that stuff on and the make-up and shoes and my costume and the set (and) the stairs, I just fell back into place. My body just went back to what it used to do, and it was fun."

Gaines was initially wary about returning to the role, however. He admits that it took some convincing on the producers' part to get him to return.

"It was a very hard decision because I had done it for five years the first time around and loved it and enjoyed every minute of it," Gaines said. "It was great experience for me. I kind of wanted to leave it with that memory, saying that I finished on Broadway and (did it there) for two and a half years."

He also had some concerns that people would scrutinize his decision for returning to the part.

"I thought, 'Why should I be concerned that people will think that that is the only part I can play?'" he said. "'Why is that guy doing that part again?' And I thought, 'You know what? Life is too short to spend it worrying about what other people are going to think, as far as that's concerned, because it's a part that I love doing. And a part that I'm good at. (When) I'm young enough and I'm fit enough where I can still do it, why not just do it?'"

One of the main reasons that Gaines finally decided to return was Los Angeles itself. During his previous five years as the Phantom, he never lived in the same city as he was performing. The actor said that he's excited about being able to live in his own house, sleep in his own bed and go to the theater to work.

But after playing the Phantom in New York for such a long time, Gaines is also looking forward to the Los Angeles audiences. In fact, he closed "Phantom" in Los Angeles on Aug. 29 in 1993 and opened it this time on Aug. 28, making it almost five years to the day.

"I remember the L.A. audiences being extremely, extremely responsive and verbal and excited by the show, and I hope that they are when I get back," Gaines said. "But it's a whole new generation coming to see it; kids that were 2 and 3 are now 8."

Gaines said that since "Phantom" has been running on Broadway for so long, there are differences between New York and Los Angeles audiences. According to Gaines, most of the locals have already seen the show. The actor said that a lot of the audiences have been non-English speaking tourists.

"It is interesting because at the end of the show they really enjoy it, but during the show, they're just watching and listening, and they don't really understand," Gaines said. "It's like going to the opera where you don't really understand the words. You appreciate the sound and you appreciate the beauty of the piece, but you don't respond to the jokes or to the different words. So there's a difference in the reaction in the audience. So I'm looking forward to L.A. where people understand what's going on."

What Gaines thinks audiences probably won't notice are the subtle changes in the way he plays his character. The actor said he has not made any drastic changes to the character, but does notice differences in his own performances.

"For me, subtle things make all the difference in the world," Gaines said. "Every night, you can subtly work on those certain moments or change something that makes it clearer or simpler or better for the audience to get the story. It was a much needed break for me. I came back to it fresh and focused and looking at it from a different place, as opposed to doing it every day for five years. I don't know if anyone else will notice it, but for me that's all that matters."

After removing the mask, Gaines hasn't been just lounging in front of the television these past months. He was hand-picked by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to star in "Whistle Down the Wind." He appeared in episodes of "Veronica's Closet" and "Chicago Hope" during the '97-'98 television season. He took part in the Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Hal Prince. On top of that, Gaines has been doing charity work.

"I do it whenever I can," he said. "If I can make a difference and raise a few bucks here and there for different charities if at all possible I will go do things. I get requests from different charities all the time, especially being in New York with Broadway Cares: Equity fights AIDS. It's a big, big charity that all Broadway shows give their time and talents to."

Most recently Gaines sang for an event to raise money for his friends' new organization that was formed to help fight retino glaustoma, which is an eye disease affecting children.

As for after the show, Gaines has no concrete projects lined up, but he plans to pursue film and television work. The actor is currently in negotiations to shoot a movie during September. If things work out, he will be filming duirng the day and playing Phantom at night.

And what about returning to the Phantom after a couple of years?

"I never dreamed of going back to Broadway to do it again, and that was two and a half years," Gaines said. "And this time, I never thought I'd be back five years later in L.A. doing it. So I've learned never to say never. I'm sure in whatever condition, if the time is right, and the situation surrounding it were right, then yeah, why not?"

THEATER: Gaines appears as the Phantom in "Phantom of the Opera" through Nov. 1 at the Pantages Theatre. For tickets and more information, call (213)365-3555 or go online to www.ticketmaster.com.

Broadway L.A.

Davis Gaines (left) is the Phantom, and Marie Danvers plays Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera".

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