‘Phantom’ — the original! — comes to Bickford screen with orchestra, Nov. 2

Long before 'Phantom' moved to Broadway, it lived on the silver screen. Lon Chaney's 1925 silent classic comes to the Bickford Theatre--with an orchestra--on Nov. 2, 2013.
Long before 'Phantom' moved to Broadway, it lived on the silver screen. Lon Chaney's 1925 silent classic comes to the Bickford Theatre--with an orchestra--on Nov. 2, 2013.
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Halloween always was a highlight of our kiddie calendar, and it wasn’t just about candy.

Monster movies were a deliciously creepy treat, and one of the rarest was The Phantom of the Opera.  The 1925 silent classic starring Lon Chaney  hardly ever appeared on TV.

Long before 'Phantom' moved to Broadway, it lived on the silver screen. Lon Chaney's 1925 silent classic comes to the Bickford Theatre--with an orchestra--on Nov. 2, 2013.
Long before ‘Phantom’ moved to Broadway, it lived on the silver screen. Lon Chaney’s 1925 silent classic comes to the Bickford Theatre–with an orchestra–on Nov. 2, 2013.

Which probably is a good thing; you need to see this one on a big screen for the full atmospherics.

And you will get your chance on Nov. 2, 2013, at the Morris Museum’s Bickford Theatre.

Even better, The Phantom of the Opera will be accompanied by the 40-member New Jersey Festival Orchestra, performing the soundtrack composed by Gabriel Thibaudeau.

“This is a fabulously romantic, broad stroked and beautiful score of symphonic proportion,” says Maestro David Wroe.

“It closely mirrors the traumatic yet passionate events unfolding in the movie and will give a whole new dimension to surround sound!”

As a bonus, the orchestra is throwing in a performance of Beethoven’s Second Symphony.

Last year we caught a similar symphonic presentation of Dracula, and found it captivating, in a Transylvanian sort of way.

Showtime is 8 pm at the Bickford Theatre, at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township. Tickets are $30 for Museum members, $35 for non-members and $50 for premium seating. Call (973) 971-3706 for more details, or visit the Bickford Theatre box office.

Below are more details from the museum.

FROM THE MORRIS MUSEUM:

Halloween Spooktacular: Phantom of the Opera

Saturday, November 2 at 8 pm

(Morristown, NJ)— The Morris Museum is pleased to announce that the New Jersey Festival Orchestra will perform Halloween Spooktacular: Phantom of the Opera at the Bickford Theatre on Saturday, November 2 at 8:00pm.

Join the New Jersey Festival Orchestra at the Bickford Theatre as it brings to life in glorious symphonic splendor, the original 1925 movie Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney. Savor the silver screen’s original Phantom experience as the Orchestra presents Hollywood ‘s first great horror epic complete with live symphonic soundtrack by Gabriel Thibaudeau.

There will not be a single moment of silence as more than forty members of the fully professional orchestra, under the baton of Maestro David Wroe, perform, with split-second timing and precision, Thibaudeau’s extraordinary orchestral soundtrack as the original classic silent movie is projected above the orchestra and in full view of the audience..

“This is a fabulously romantic, broad stroked and beautiful score of symphonic proportion,” remarked Maestro Wroe. “It closely mirrors the traumatic yet passionate events unfolding in the movie and will give a whole new dimension to surround sound!”

The evening will also feature a performance of Beethoven’s Second Symphony which is sure to appeal to young and old alike.

Tickets are $30 for Members, $35 for Non-Members and $50 for Premium Seating. Tickets may be purchased by phone at (973) 971-3706, or in person at the Bickford Theatre box office. The Bickford Theatre is conveniently located within the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, NJ, and offers free parking and full accessibility. Box Office hours for phone sales are Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Walk-up hours are Tuesday, through Friday, 11:00am to 5:00pm.

About New Jersey Festival Orchestra

The New Jersey Festival Orchestra (formerly Musica Morristown/Westfield Symphony Orchestra) is one of New Jersey’s premier fully professional regional symphony orchestras. The New Jersey Festival Orchestra’s mission is to promote the world’s legacy of symphonic and operatic music to audiences, involving them in this rich heritage through a diversity of innovative musical and multi-dimensional artistic experiences that stretch the boundaries of traditional classical performances. Furthermore, the New Jersey Festival Orchestra’s mission encompasses education and mentoring initiatives as well as facilitating performances to physically, mentally and economically disadvantaged individuals of New Jersey, with the goal of enhancing their meaningfulness of life, spiritual and cultural awareness, and facilitating participation in the life of their communities otherwise limited by their condition.

About The Bickford Theatre

The Bickford Theatre is a professional theater that produces and presents year-round entertainment, including a Main Stage Series, two Children’s Theatre series, a Jazz Showcase, and Blues at the Bickford. The theatre is a Senior Member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, a not-for-profit organization of 30 professional theaters throughout the state, and works in conjunction with Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). From its beginnings in 1994 to the present, tens of thousands of theater-goers from across the tri-state area have enjoyed the Bickford Theatre’s many entertaining and diversified offerings in theatre, music and dance.

About the Morris Museum

Celebrating 100 years, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, community-based arts and cultural institution which serves the public through high caliber exhibitions in the arts, sciences and humanities. The Museum also offers educational programs, family events, and is home to the Bickford Theatre and its wide range of performing arts offerings. Continuously serving the public since 1913, the Morris Museum has been designated a Major Arts Institution and has received the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Citation of Excellence, among other awards. The first museum in New Jersey to be accredited, the Morris Museum was re-accredited in 2013 by the American Alliance of Museums.

These programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; the F.M. Kirby Foundation and the New Jersey Cultural Trust.

The Morris Museum is a Blue Star Museum, offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The Museum is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road (at the corner of Columbia Turnpike) in Morristown, NJ, and is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00pm. In addition, the Museum is open evenings from 5:00 to 8:00pm on the second and third Thursday of the month. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students and senior citizens. Admission is always free for Museum members and is free to the public every second and third Thursday of the month between 4:00 and 8:00pm For more information, call (973) 971-3700, or visit www.morrismuseum.org.

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