‘Phantom' cast sings for charity

The cast of "Phantom of the Opera," now playing at the Fox Theatre through Sunday, gets two Mondays off during a grueling three-week run in Atlanta.

Make that one day.

This week 18 of the professional singers and dancers spent their final dark night away from the "Phantom" lights doing what they do best: giving the old razzle dazzle to adoring fans.

Wait, a secret showing of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's best stuff? Not quite. These seasoned pros took the stage for a special cabaret evening benefiting Atlanta's Synchronicity Theatre. And instead of their "Phantom of the Opera" fare, the singers performed some of their favorite tunes by composers including Stephen Sondheim, Cy Coleman and Patty Griffin.

Singer Anne Kanengeiser said they perform in similar benefits a few times a year. Living on the road makes it difficult to volunteer, so many performers jump at the chance to use their craft for a cause.

"I know it's cliche ... but I don't have a million dollars. This is my way of saying, ‘hey, here's what I can do'," she said. "And we get to try new things and connect in new ways ... things you might not see [in "Phantom"] if I'm second woman from the right."

The charity show, with tickets starting at $25, was produced by "Phantom" performer D.C. Anderson, Paul Conroy and Kevin Ireland, founder of TheBestArts.com, a Web site showcasing upcoming musical theater stars. Proceeds from Monday's performance, estimated to be nearly $4,000, benefit Synchronicity Theatre's Playmaking for Girls program, a community outreach program helping incarcerated young girls express themselves through theater.

This is Ireland's second turn pairing touring companies with local charities. In March, he produced a sold-out cabaret starring some of the cast from "Mary Poppins" to benefit Jerusalem House, an Atlanta nonprofit that provides housing to the poor with HIV/AIDS. He looks for shows that run a few weeks before attempting to coordinate a charity benefit, he said, that way the cast is in town long enough to perform on its day off.

"It’s wonderful for me, but it's also wonderful to see the response from the touring groups," Ireland said. "These are world-class singers ... and you don’t have to twist their arms to do it at all. Singing is what they love to do."

And, it gives the singers a chance to remind themselves there is life outside of "Phantom."

"This is a chance to get to sing something we really want to sing, and it also gives us an opportunity to learn new repertoire," said Kelly Jeanne Grant, the "sometimes Christine" who performs the lead role a few times a week. "Sometimes you just need that little push."

The performers are the epitome of what Playmaking for Girls director Susie Spear Purcell says her program is all about.