The cast of The Phantom of the Oprah rehearsing from The Gift: Part 2
The Phantom of the Oprah was an original musical planned to premiere at Nantucket's The Wharf Playhouse.
History[]
The Phantom of the Oprah was an original musical written by local playwright Ernest Preen. Originally sponsored by Leo's Sludge & Septic and staged at the Wharf Playhouse, the play (which was loosely based on The Phantom of the Opera) was about a deranged ex-producer of the Oprah Winfrey show, who was horribly disfigured when a boom mic fell on him and now roams the catwalks high above the studio waiting to exact his revenge (The Gift (Part 1)).
After reading about the play, Fay, Roy, Antonio, Lowell excitedly auditioned and were cast (The Gift: Part 1). When Jeanine Tolliver, who was originally cast as Oprah Winfrey, sprained her ankle, her understudy, Fay, took on the role (The Gift (Part 2)).
Unfortunately, two days before opening night, representatives from Leo's Sludge & Septic watched a rehearsal and pulled their backing because they didn't want their name "associate with such garbage".
Cast & Crew[]
- Ed Snow - Director
- Ernest Preen - Playwright
- Fay Cochran as Oprah Winfrey
- Jeanine Tolliver was originally cast in this role, but she sprained her ankle and could not perform.
- [Unrevealed] as The Phantom
- Roy Biggins as Frank the Producer
- Antonio Scarpacci as Bernardo, a show guest who is only attracted to women who used to be men
- Lowell Mather as Stagehand
Trivia[]
- In The Gift (Part 1), after hearing the synopsis, Brian commented that he'd rather wait for A Streetcar Named Donahue.