Trust Stephen Dweck to have the best personal anecdotes about The Phantom of the Opera. “The first time, I made my wife Sarise go to the ATM machine, and I said to her, ‘Go drain the account, we need money.’”
At the time, Dweck was making jewelry for several designers, including Geoffrey Beene whose driver had offered him tickets “for a lot of money.” They got the tickets. Sarise was pregnant with their son Ralph at the time. Many years later, he took Ralph to see the show, and now he wants to take Ralph’s son.
The Phantom’s power indeed reaches across generations, and on Tuesday evening, a wide range of Phantom lovers came to the Bank of America Tower to celebrate the musical’s 30th anniversary and the unveiling of our exciting #PhantomFashion30 custom designer masks.
“I love the masks from Edie Parker and Isabel and Ruben Toledo,” said Tanya Taylor, herself a Phantom fan since seeing it for the first time in Toronto when she was just 10 years old. “I remember it was a big stepping stone for a kid,” she recalled. “It felt very powerful.”
“The music was in my head for four weeks,” said Paul Marlow, who saw it with his mother in Boulder, Colorado in the 1990s. “It’s so beautiful.”
Kenneth Cole has seen The Phantom of the Opera with different casts over the years. “Recently, a friend of mine, Jim Barber, played the lead,” he said. “I got to see the wardrobe in the back, which was extraordinary.” And surely an inspiration as he put together his inspired touch on the mask.
CFDA President and CEO Steven Kolb pointed to the similarities between theater and fashion. “They’re both about creativity, and are very New York-centric,” he told the crowd, which included Gigi Burris, Lizzie Fortunato, and Jonathan Meizler. “You add the power of finance and it’s a great trio. I want to thank Bank of America for their generous support, and I am particularly pleased that the masks will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.”
The masks were indeed a highlight, but so was the surprise performance. Current Phantom Ben Crawford was joined by past Phantoms Hugh Panaro and Howard McGillin as they performed Music of the Night together.
“That was so special, I had goosebumps,” Nicole Miller said.
“I dressed them for the performance, so they came to my office earlier today, and they sang,” Nick Graham offered. “It was such a treat.”
Indeed, a treat for us all.
The masks are on show at the Museum of the City of New York through November 30, and available via an online auction. Start bidding here now!
