The Man Behind the Mask

Onstage at the CCP, South African actor Jonathan Roxmouth is astounding as the titular role in The Phantom of the Opera, so absolutely delightful behind his mask and totally mesmerizing especially when, towards the end when he desperately tries to win over his beloved Christine (played by Claire Lyon), he sings All I Ask Of You with so intense an emotion and in such a powerful voice that I thought on gala night last Aug. 30 the CCP was shaking at Intensity 10.

Offstage at the coffee shop of Diamond Hotel where the Phantom cast and company are billeted, Jonathan is just as astounding in his simplicity. Without the mask that sends chills down the audience’s spine, Jonathan turns out to be — surprise, surprise!!! — a regular guy, fresh from his day off (Mondays) the day before and ready for performances six days a week.

He’s in casuals (khaki pants and beige shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows), taking only coffee and engaging this Phantom fan in a free-wheeling Conversation that I initially thought wasn’t possible. Nope, Jonathan is not snobbish at all. He’s friendly. He says that he has met the country’s own theater pride, Leo Valdez (set to tackle the King role in The King & I soon at the Resorts World Manila) at the same coffee shop; and expresses an interest in watching a locally-produced musical. Yes, why not Nine which Atlantis Productions is mounting Sept. 21 to Oct. 7 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City)? “I’d love to see it,” smiles Jonathan.

Maybe Jonathan can take time out of the heavy schedule of Phantom which is on extended run until Oct. 14 at the CCP, featuring 130 international cast (one of them Filipino actor Dondi Ong) and orchestra members performing on a spectacular set that changes before you can blink, keeping audiences hypnotized by jaw-dropping scenery, breathtaking special effects, more than 230 intricate costumes (by international designer Maria Bjornson) and, most especially, actors who leave you, well, astounded.

Said to have been seen by over 130 million people worldwide, the musical continues to attract full houses around the world with its touching story of a disfigured musical genius (a.k.a. The Phantom) who haunts the depths of the Paris Opera House and hopelessly mesmerized by the talent and beauty of Christine, a young soprano in love with Raoul (played by Anthony Downing), her co-player.

I warn Jonathan that I come to the appointment with a virgin mind — I mean, I purposely didn’t do any thorough research because I want to draw things from him oven-hot, first-hand information.

What do you do during your rest day, do you rest?

Offstage, Jonathan (right, with Claire Lyon as Christine in the Manila production) presents a smiling, friendly face in contrast to the mysterious one as The Phantom. ‘I’m just an ordinary guy like everybody else,’ he says. ‘I do everything that everybody else does.’

“Normally, what we do is take it easy. But yesterday, actually we went to see the Taal Volcano and had lunch at a nice restaurant there. That was one of the perks yesterday and it was lovely because the general thing that the cast does is to rest, sleep in late. For the rest of the day yesterday, we did something as a company and it’s important. Otherwise, you know, you drift.”

You’ve been performing at the CCP for more than a week. How has it been so far?

“We’ve been performing in several places but in the Philippines, the audience is something else. You can hear a pin drop in the scenes when they should be quiet. You know that everybody is listening and they are with you. By the time it gets to the end, you know, the wave that hits you at curtain call is extraordinary.”

You perform six days a week and that’s tough. How do you take care of your vocal cords? Do you minimize talking?

“Not at all. The point is, if you warm up and you warm down and you don’t scream excessively during the day, there’s no reason why you would ruin your voice. I’ve done the role for almost a year now so I think it has become natural to my muscle memory.”

Oh, so Phantom has become like second skin to you.

“Yeah, but that’s not to say that I don’t approach it with respect every time. It’s a constant challenge, especially the role of the Phantom. Anybody who plays it will tell you that it never gets easy and as soon as you feel that it’s getting easy is, I think, the time when you lose your edge.”

How do you identify with Phantom? How are you like him and not like him?

“You know, it’s not just me. I think everybody identifies with the Phantom because there’s so much pain and passion in this man. He has no other way to express himself than through music. When I was growing up, I was kind of an awkward kid and I expressed myself through music. I loved to play the piano, so I would sit at the school hall and play the piano for hours and hours, and I was on my own.”

Wow, wonderful!

“What really intrigues me about the character is that love affects everybody and anybody, no one is exempt. It’s quite a powerful thing to think about — love. Everybody has felt love and has been, sometime in his life, rejected just like the Phantom.”

Oh, have you ever been rejected? Have you ever fallen desperately in love with somebody who was passionately in love with somebody else?

“Oh yes, I have!”

What happened to the girl; where is she now?

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t want to know. But I learned a lesson from that heartbreak.”

What lesson?

“You know, you think you know yourself very well and you become complacent. Then, someone comes along and teaches you how really little you know about yourself and pull the rug from under you.”

At what point in your life did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?

“I may sound so horribly cliché but this is true. In 2004, I was in high school and I was given a front-row ticket by my friend who couldn’t go. Yes, for The Phantom of the Opera. By the time the curtain came down, I knew without any doubt or reservation that that was what I was going to do, come hell or high water.”

Did you ever imagine at that moment that you would be playing Phantom eight years later?

“Certainly not! Definitely not! You know, you never expect these things. I firmly believe that when it’s right, it’s right; you can’t force things. This is the way things are meant to happen. Little did I expect that I would be playing Phantom in the Philippines and, look, here I am!”

What do you think Phantom of the Opera is more of, Beauty & the Beast or The Hunchback of Notre Dame?

“I think it’s more Hunchback. In Beauty & the Beast, a spell was put over a once beautiful man. In Hunchback, the character Quasimodo was born that way, just as the Phantom was born that way. Beauty & the Beast has a happy ending while Hunchback has a sad one, just like Phantom.”

Your first time in the Philippines. How do you find it?

“I love it!”

Doesn’t the weather affect your voice?

“You know how much easier it is to sing in this humidity? It helps, it keeps you moist. I got off the plane with some infection and I was afraid I was losing my voice. I was so sick during rehearsals but thank God the country is so humid and I think that helped me get better quicker. Between going outside and sitting in the steamer, I was in good hands.”

Do you sing in the shower?

“During a hot bath? Yes, I do. The steam is good for the vocal cords.”

Do you have a special diet or special workout for Phantom?

“Again, I’m not too bogged down by that. All I know is that I have to fit in my costumes. That’s the rule. So I have to watch my weight.”

Don’t those costumes and the mask get in the way of your performance?

“In fact, I find it weird to sing without the mask. It’s my comfort zone to sing Music of the Night in that mask. It’s so weird but it’s true.”

How did you develop that powerful voice?

“You know, I have a teacher back home, a Greek gentleman. It’s like this: I don’t want to emulate somebody, I don’t want to put on somebody because in the long run it will damage your voice. I’m a big fan of the actors who have played Phantom and I’d love to meet them someday. I can’t pretend I’m them; I just have to be myself, my own voice.”

What’s your favorite scene in Phantom?

“I tell you what...In the scene where Christine is singing All I Ask Of You, after that the Phantom tries to lure her back one more time. To me, that final trio is the best part of the show. The audience doesn’t realize it yet but that scene is the precursor of what’s about to happen, and the orchestra just comes in. I love that moment.”

How’s the Filipino actor who’s with you in Phantom?

“Oh, you mean Dondi Ong (photo). Other than being extraordinarily talented as a tenor, he’s such a genuinely nice person. Not to disparage my industry, but you battle to find nice and talented people because they are often aware that they are talented, you know, and that puts you off. On our first day of rehearsal, Dondi walked in and greeted everybody by name. He was so generous. My favorite memory of him is Dondi learning how to walk in those heels. Remember that scene with a guy with a white face in an old restoration make-up? That’s Dondi. Very delightful! It’s challenging walking in heels. I respected women before because they have to give birth and I respect them even more now because they have to walk in heels as well.”

By the way, is there really a “Phantom curse?”

“I’ve heard about it but I doubt if there’s such a thing although there was a very unfortunate incident in South Africa. Our original Phantom was struck down during rehearsals.”

Oh no, by the chandelier?

“No, no, no! His voice simply went away. But it came back now, thank God. It was devastating because he was the last person you would think would have a vocal problem. And it was so just eerie. To this day (Knocking on wood), there has not been any injury. I was initially cast as Raoul but after that incident, they made me take over as the Phantom.”

Phantom is indeed hard to top. What role comes next after Phantom?

“I’d love to play Valjean in Les Miz. Or Sweeney Todd (played by Johnny Depp in the movie version).”

Anyway, what’s the man behind the mask like, off-stage?

(Thinks awhile) “At present? Just about more content than I’ve ever been. You know, what’s very interesting about our industry is that people think we live glamorous lives with all these exciting people. The fact is that if I was dramatic offstage as I am onstage, I’d probably be dead in a week. I’m a surprisingly normal person — a disappointingly normal person. I do everything that everybody else does. I read books, I watch movies, I go out with friends. I do all those things like, you know, any normal person. What am I like? A pretty average guy with the best job in the world.”

(Note: Presented by Smart Infinity and Citibank in cooperation with Philippine Airlines as the official carrier, The Phantom of the Opera is produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, David Atkins Enterprises, Hi-Definition Radio, Inc. and Concertus Manila, in association with The Really Useful Group, with The Philippine STAR among the major sponsors. For ticket inquiries, call 891-9999.)

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