If a "Phantom of the Opera" performance is measured by the extravagance of the costumes and the set, the power of the music and the thrill of the Opera Ghost's pursuit, Friday night's performance at the Benedum succeeded on all counts.

"Phantom" has endured for so long because of the spectacle -- the overwhelming sensory experience that draws first-time and longtime audiences.

The audience of mostly veteran fans was an eager group, with the crowd breaking into applause as soon as the house lights went down.

And as the rooftop scene between Raoul and Christine drew to a close, a woman in the audience stage-whispered, "Here he comes."

And of course, he, the Phantom, did appear, surreptitiously as always.

The trick with performances of "Phantom" is to tell the familiar tale -- the love of a badly disfigured musical genius for Christine Daae, his beautiful ingenue, and her struggle to flee the clutches of his madness within a Parisian opera house -- in a way that wows the audience members more than the last time they saw it.

A crucial scene is the chandelier drop, and although it is a prop that must be used night after night, I wish that it was not caught quite so securely by the stagehand who flung open the curtains as it descended onto the stage.

But the totality of the set and costume designs were a visual feast.

Carlotta (Kim Stengel) wore fantastically bejeweled gowns fitting of a prima donna. The Phantom's dungeon was creepily majestic. But some of the scenes, particularly ones set in the managers' office, were so darkly lit it's a wonder the characters were able to read the Phantom's notes.

In the masquerade scene, extravagance was pushed to the limit, with the Phantom decked in red amidst other vibrant costumes. We also were treated to a rather amusing-looking Monsieur Andre (D.C. Anderson), wearing a full-body skeleton suit.

"Phantom" is not a show for those who favor understatement and finesse. Tim Martin Gleason, who had a record-setting tenure as Raoul, has smoothly transitioned in this national tour to the role of the Phantom. As a good Phantom should be, he is grotesque and cruel but pitiable. From the moment we first hear his booming voice, which reverberated throughout the Benedum, to the moment he disappears, he is simultaneously repulsive and alluring.

His Christine (Trista Moldovan) is timid and impressionable but ultimately emboldened to confront the Phantom, a transition Ms. Moldovan demonstrates in her strong graveyard scene solo. During the entrancing "Point of No Return," it is difficult to determine when she becomes wise to the Phantom's presence, although it eventually becomes clear.

Christine has moderately passionate chemistry with the very handsome Raoul (Sean MacLaughlin), but their rooftop rendezvous cannot compare to the kiss between Christine and the Phantom in his labyrinth. That was passion that could bring even an Opera Ghost back to life.

The orchestra performs Andrew Lloyd Webber's music with restraint, filling the cavern of the Benedum at the right times but not overpowering the actors' voices.

Nearly every seat in the house was filled on Friday and that may be because after a run of 17 years, this is being billed as the final national tour for "Phantom."

If so, it's a shame, because my fellow theatergoers jumped every time the Phantom bellowed or disappeared behind flames and smoke and laughed at every note received and at each complaint from Carlotta. If they had the chance, they'd surely go down to the dungeon once more.

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