Drama on the harbour: Phantom of the Opera bullying claims unmasked

Bullying claims have rocked the closing days of the Sydney Harbour production of The Phantom of the Opera, with some cast members threatening not to perform over the treatment of one of the show’s stars.

Opera Australia told the Herald it was examining claims of unacceptable conduct as a “matter of urgency” and was taking the issue “very seriously”, while the union representing actors and singers has also received complaints.

Callum Francis, who plays Raoul in the multimillion-dollar production showing on a purpose-built stage on Farm Cove, was stood down on Tuesday due to concerns for his voice, Opera Australia artistic director Lyndon Terracini said.

However, production sources have told the Herald that the strained working relationship between Francis and Terracini was the real reason Francis was stood down.

Terracini said it was “completely untrue” that he did not like a cast member. “I have been completely supportive of every member of the company. I have always done my best to support them all to give the best performances they possibly can.”

In a private group chat on Tuesday afternoon, cast members expressed concern about the Phantom workplace, and discussed “holding the curtain” or not going on stage in protest.

Callum Francis (inset left) plays Raoul in Opera Australia’s Sydney Harbour production of Phantom of the Opera.Credit:

In messages seen by the Herald, one senior cast member said that performing that evening would be “validating this behaviour in the workplace”.

Another said: “It feels wrong that Callum is being bullied and prevented from performing” and that “it feels like a hold the curtain moment”.

Asked about the bullying allegations, Terracini said: “If they are referring to Callum, I have spent a maximum of 30 minutes with him. I can’t understand how anyone could interpret that as bullying. These are very serious accusations and it is very easy to make them anonymously. If they want to put their names to them I will address them.”

Opera Australia has warned the cast and crew not to speak to the media about the situation.

Opera Australia chief executive Fiona Allan said she was aware allegations of unacceptable conduct had been raised by Phantom’s cast and crew. “This matter is being taken very seriously and we are looking at it as a matter of urgency.”

Terracini said the decision to stand Francis down on Tuesday night was due to concerns over the health of his voice given he recently had COVID-19. “On Tuesday night we were still unsure of the performer in question being healthy vocally to perform,” Terracini said. “[The decision to stand him down] was to protect his voice in case there were residual issues post-COVID.”

The difficulties between Francis and Terracini came to a head recently after Terracini allegedly made an offensive remark to Francis. The remark was not alleged to have been about race.

Francis raised the issue with Opera Australia but did not wish to pursue the matter formally and it is yet to be investigated.

Tuesday night’s performance was delayed and some elements, including some pyrotechnics, were not used.Credit: James Brickwood

Terracini denies making the remark. Francis declined to comment to the Herald.

Francis, who recently starred in Girl from the North Country at the Theatre Royal and won a Helpmann Award for his role as drag queen Lola in the Australian tour of Kinky Boots - a role he reprised on Broadway - was absent from the Phantom production for a short period because of his COVID-19 infection. He returned to his starring role at the weekend and performed four shows.

Lyndon Terracini will leave as director of Opera Australia at the end of 2023.

Terracini promoted Lachlan O’Brien, who has two small parts in the production and is part of the ensemble, to play Raoul instead of Francis on Tuesday night. O’Brien had not performed the role in this production before nor had he rehearsed it as an understudy.

Tuesday night’s performance started 20 minutes late, which Allan said was to work through health and safety matters raised by a member of the cast performing a principal role for the first time. However, a contributing factor was that some members were considering not going on stage to perform.

In a statement, Opera Australia said it was taking the matter seriously and would meet with those involved to alleviate the situation.

“Opera Australia has a process in place to review and, if necessary, investigate serious matters of this nature. To ensure the integrity of this process, Opera Australia will not make any further comment until the issue is resolved.”

A spokesman for the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the union that represents performers, said they were aware of the issues at the Phantom production.

“We are working with members to ensure their voices are heard but cannot comment any further about matters that are confidential.”

Terracini said the whole situation was disappointing. “I have gone out of my way to support everyone through this production, through the rain and everything else, as much as I could.”

Francis returned to his starring role in Phantom on Wednesday night.

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