When my son was a youngster, R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series was golden in our home. Whether a parent reading them to him or reading them himself as he got older, they never were out of circulation. I don’t know how many books we acquired…but more than a few. It’s been a few years so I don’t remember any of the stories, but that experience certainly piqued my interest in First Stage’s: R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium.
Director Jeff Frank and adapters John Maclay (book and lyrics) and Danny Abosch (music and lyrics) have given us a spooktacular musical. Yeah, that’s trite but it’s fun to say and this presentation finally put me in the Halloween spirit. But let’s talk about the scary element for a moment. Yes, Phantom of the Auditorium is eerie and spooky. Delightfully so. But on the scary rating chart I would put it down as a healthy Halloween BOO! and nothing more. First Stage recommends this for young people 8 to 18 but when I attended on Saturday there were many youngsters who were younger than 8. And they seemed to have a great time!! Now, there are a number of black outs that allow the actors to accomplish some sleight of hand scene changes and some flashing lights just before the spooky bits…but what fun!
Just a little background for those not familiar with First Stage. First Stage presents dynamic theater for children, most often at the Marcus Performing Arts Center. These main stage productions are amazing large cast musicals with boisterous music, colorful costumes, brilliant sets, and dramatic lighting. The casts involve a lot of young people and a number of adults. Most often the adults rather anchor the plays and guide the action for the younger stars. Phantom is all of that except there are only two adult actors…and the young actors carry this show. Literally. The two adult roles are Ms. Walker, the school teacher, and Emile, the night janitor. Older young actors could have played these roles and the play would have been just as amazing!
And now the fun begins! Brooke and Zeke are best friends in middle school and bond over horror movies. So when Ms. Walker announces that she is holding auditions for a very very scary play, well they are all in! The play is The Phantom and Brooke wins the role of Esmeralda and Zeke is the phantom. And then it turns out that Ms. Walker’s grandmother tried to present this play years and years ago but it was canceled under mysterious circumstances. The play was banned and all the scripts destroyed…except the one Ms. Walker inherited from her grandmother…which is the script that she is using here.
Brooke is an intriguing middle schooler, confident, curious, sure of herself, and maybe a little of a tomboy yet. She is determined to make the most of her chance to play Esmeralda and is taking it very seriously. Zeke on the other hand is more playful, a bit lazy, hasn’t read the script, and is something of a prankster. This gets him into a bit of trouble and introduces a number of the spooky transitions. Tina thinks she should be the lead. She is the understudy. She is an overly aggressive over achiever who just oozes contempt in her loss. Assigned to build the set and select the props she bosses it over the others. And then there is the new kid Brian who would like to be in the play but joins his new school too late. Ms. Walker assigns him to assist Tina. And oh oh, the internal love story found in every great drama or musical develops as Brian and Brooke find it difficult to speak in each others presence and for the first time Zeke experiences a bit of jealousy.
And of course: as the rehearsals begin, there start to be strange occurrences. Flashing lights, strange apparitions, spooky movements in the background, light failures, and an underground labyrinth. Like her predecessor, Ms. Walker wants to cancel the play but her intrepid cast demand that they continue. So Brooke, Zeke, and Brian take it upon themselves to discover the source of all of the mysterious events. And I leave the story there!
For those of you who have followed my reviews of First Stage presentations, hopefully you remember that they use two casts of young actors for each play. In this case the Thrills cast and the Chills cast. I got to see the Chills cast. Jenna Krysiak is a very compelling and sincere Brooke and is often the most visible actor on stage even when the spotlight is elsewhere. Maryn Davis is just a boundless source of energy and the perfect mischievous teen as Zeke. Harper Fornstedt is over the top intriguing as Tina and Ryan Stepanksi is a solid , calm, and maybe a bit older than he seems character as Brian. The adult actors are included in both casts: Karen Estrada as the quintessential school teacher Ms. Walker and Zach Thomas Woods as the officious and distant night janitor, Emile.
I had a few moments of conversation with director Jeff Frank before the show. I mentioned that in order to review the work at First Stage, I always flew solo, but wished I had a child or grandchild to bring along. But even as an adult I enjoyed each and every show, even the ones that tended more toward a silly side. He said he had friends who didn’t come because they didn’t have child to bring along or a child in the cast. He suggested that they just come down anyway. I agree! If you are curious about First Stage, just come down. And this might the perfect musical to get started with. It is complex in music, story, and choreography. The actors and sets are amazing and as always the presentation is as professional as you’re going to see in Milwaukee! And it will get you in the mood for Halloween…a perfect place to start the holiday seasons.
If you plan to go and want to see a particular actor make sure you pick the day that their cast is featured! Thrills or Chills! Tickets can be purchased here. Phantom of the Auditorium is playing at the Todd Wehr Theater at the Marcus Performing Arts Center though November 2, 2025.
Extra Credit Reading: The Playbill. The Enrichment Guide. And the Social Narrative Pamphlet
