Paul Tabone of the West End's PHANTOM Prepares For Socially Distanced Concert, Talks the Importance of the Arts, and More

Paul Tabone, who has played Ubaldo Piangi in Phantom of the Opera on the West End for four years, chatted recently with The Sydney Morning Herald about what he's been doing during the lockdown.

The cast of Phantom was let go when the lockdown began, and told they could re-audition for their roles when venues reopen.

"The term we are using is 'released from obligation'," Tabone said.

Tabone was already planning to leave his role as Piangi in the near future, so, while disappointed in the early end to his run, he is looking at it as a positive thing.

"I was prepared for it mentally, to do my last show, because that is a huge occasion," he said. "So I'm embracing it as a positive and it gave me the kick up the bum to do what I need to do for the next steps of my career."

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Tabone will perform with the Orquestra Dos Centros in Portugal, in a concert conducted and produced by Nuno Feist on October 27. This will be one of Europes first attempts at a "Social Distanced Musical Theatre Concert." Paul will perform with a large orchestra, as well as The Fiest Choir in a concert dedicated to "The Best of Musicals."

"It's a one-off concert but in times like these, this is a huge step forward -seeing viability, seeing how things are going to work," he said. "I'm very excited because it will be the first step of Europe's opening and reimagining of what it's going be like for us as performing artists."

Tabone thinks that the lockdown has made people think about the importance of the arts in a different way.

"We go straight to music whenever we feel upset, or sad or depressed or anxious, it is our own way that we use music to help ourselves," he said. "It is only because of us that we are able to survive times like this and if we had none of that I can assure you this world would be a very different place, so why aren't we given a focus? That is an absolutely important question that we should be asking."

Read more on The Sydney Morning Herald.

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