So, I was lucky enough to catch Taylor Pardell as Christine Daae at His Majesty's on 15 May 2026. She was the only Christine I had not yet seen, so I was very excited when she announced on her instagram that she would be on that evening. The rest of the cast were in their normal roles, except for Mdm Giry which was being played by Victoria Ward (more about her later.)
Here are my thoughts.
- Taylor has a lovely voice. It reminded be a lot of some of the old-school Christines with a decent amount of vibratto and lovely high notes. She also did the old London cadenza which was such a joy to hear after so long, I couldn't actually believe what I was hearing at first.
- Taylor makes some lovely little acting choices which really elevated her performance for me. Some stand outs for me including her excited gasp between verses in Think of Me, how she practically dragged Meg to the dressing room when she was talking about the Angel of Music and really craning her head back during the second descent in the title song to look behind like she's so curious and enraptured by the descent to the lair. I will give some more examples later.
- In MotN, I noticed Taylor moves less than Beatrice did, as Beatrice was often stepping forward towards the Phantom, then back. But she has some really lovely facial expressions throughout the song - eyes closed, listening intently, chest heaving. I really enjoyed watching her expressions throughout.
- Taylor loves doing these little shrieks and cries - particualrly in STYDI and the final lair.
- Talking about STYDI, Taylor does not want to look at the Phantom after she sees his face. She curls up on the floor, looking down the whole time the Phantom sings. She only looks up when he reaches out to her and sge flinches away terrified, and when he has turned away from her in despair after which she hands him back the mask. It was a really nice detail.
- Taylor is such a cute and playful Serafimo. Maybe even more than Beatrice. She playfully looks around before Carlotta enters as the Duchess and is thrilled to see her, she looks absolutely disgusted when Don Atillo appears and her playful tickles and kisses were so adorable.
- During the rooftop, when she sings about how through the Phantoms music her soul began to soar, she reaches her arm out in a mirror to the Phantoms pose. These are the little bits I love.
- She also sounded genuinely hysterical when talking about the Phantoms face. I could hear her visceral horror.
- Taylors twisted every way was sooo good. She's absolutely terrified about facing the Phantom. She holds Raouls face as she pleads with him not to make her do it.
- Meg and Christine hold hands in the sitzprobe scene. I repeat, Meg and Christine hold hands!!! I haven't seen that in a while.
- Phenomenal WYWSHA. I cried.
- Taylor brings the same playful energy to Aminta. She's teasing, seductive - she even skips when she enters the stage - I loved her.
- Taylor repeats the whole won't-look-at-him thing in the final lair. Even in the boat as he steers them off stage she hides her face in the pillows.
- She does a lip touch guys.
- As Raoul tries to pull Christine away, she reaches for the Phantom. But then collapses against Raouls chest as the Phantom insists they leave. I think Taylor's Christine loves both of them, but on some level she knows she can't stay with the Phantom.
- She sobs and runs off after giving the ring back.
- Victoria Ward stole the show for me as Madame Giry. What a performance! She was fierce, frightened and guilt-ridden. Also there was this moment after Carlotta leaves the rehearsal and Madame Giry mentions the Vicomte de Chagny is their patron when you can just tell she's actively trying to stir shut up and annoy the managers. It reminded me of book Giry.
- There were multiple moments where Mdm Giry, clearly guilt ridden, can't meet Christine's eyes or Raouls. Also, when she blocks one of the Phantoms exits at the end of PONR she flinches as he approaches - you can tell she's frightened but that she's finally standing up for the people she loves. It was such a great moment.
-Victoria also nailed Mdm Giry's tale - which I often find is either totally meh or over-the-top for me. But the wonder, the terror, her reaction when she realises how much information she has given to Raoul was just wonderful.
- Ashley remains good. He's definitely settled into the role and I like him way more than I did when he was the understudy. He's not soft-boy enough to be my favourite, but I appreciate the mix of genuine care for Christine with youthful arrogance befitting his social status.
- Dean is such a difficult one for me. I like his voice and there are some things I really enjoy in his portrayal like how he punctuated his slow movements with sharp bursts, his breathy gasps and the final ring kiss. He also has a great voice. But I don't find him particularly exciting to watch, and some things really annoy me like his non-reaction to Christine fainting. With the amazing new portrayals we're seeing of the Phantom in the US Tour and World Tour, I just wish he tried something a bit different with the character. He's good, I like him, but I think I'd like to see someone else take on the role now.
- There were a few prop issues - the Drape got caught on the mirror and Dean had a few goes before he managed to unhook it. Also his sparkle cane at the end of Act I didn't explode
All in all, Taylor was really enjoyable to watch and I think she'd make a fantastic alternate or even main Christine in future. She's one to watch for sure. And if you haven't caught Victoria Ward as Mdm Giry you're missing out and should remedy that ASAP.
