R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium is a Surprisingly Effective Production

R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium is a show that I went to for nostalgic reasons fully expecting to be underwhelmed and I’m delighted to say I was pleasantly surprised. This was part of a day spent walking down memory lane with my oldest son Alex. We did a Phantom Double feature, hitting the matinee of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium at Park Square Theatre followed by the evening performance of The Phantom of the Opera at the Orpheum Theatre. Is R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium as good as The Phantom of the Opera musically or in any way? Of course not. Is that a fair comparison? Of course not! On the scale that this show is produced on, it is actually Really good.

This is a show that is geared towards tweens and teenagers, fans of the popular Goosebumps book series are it’s primary target. But the show with book and lyrics by John Maclay and lyrics, music, Orchestrations & arrangements by Danny Abosch doesn’t content itself with aiming solely for that demographic. It accomplishes what few shows geared towards that audience even seem to attempt, it is a rewarding and effective production for adults as well. My son Alex was a big collector of the Goosebumps books when he was younger his interest began before he was able to read the books on his own and so I do remember a few of the ones I read to him. But to be sure his interest in the books was as much for their covers and titles as it was for anything found on the pages.

While I never read the book this show is based on a quick look at the Goosebumps Wiki entry for the book #24 in the original book series indicates that it appears to be a fairly faithful adaptation. Brooke and Zeke, best friends and horror fans are excited to be cast as the leads of their school’s production of The Phantom. Brian, who’s new to the school and missed auditions is thrilled to at least help backstage. But when a masked figure begins haunting rehearsals and leaving threatening notes, the fun turns frightening fast. Determined to uncover the truth, Zeke, Brooke and Brian launch an investigation. Could the phantom be Tina, desperate to steal the lead role, or Emile, the odd night janitor who always seems to be lurking in the shadows? With opening night approaching, and Zeke being accused of backstage pranks and vandalism they must solve the mystery before the play becomes a real-life nightmare or is cancelled.

The show premiered in 2016 and I’m a bit surprised I haven’t seen it produced locally before. Park Square doesn’t list it as a Regional premiere so perhaps a school or community theater has produced it. I’m glad I got to see it at Park Square, but also a little surprised that Children’s Theatre Company or Stages Theatre Company hasn’t mounted a production.

This is a show that High schools should be putting on all over the country but I’m not sure I wanna sit through a high school production of this. What really made this entertaining was it’s very good cast and solid and effective production design. Jack Bechard plays Brian bringing a romantic lead vide to the show. Sophie La Fave plays Brooke with Jack Bonko as Zeke the two play off each other well, with Bonko providing clueless comedic relief throughout. Along with the three leads also very good in the cast are are Ani Tonoyan as Tina and Logan Lang as Emile.

R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium is one of those shows that you sort of go in expecting it to be underwritten and it isn’t, this is a tight script. And the songs are fun as well. It opens with the song “Goosebumps” which doesn’t start the plot of the show off but instead pays tribute to the series in general with all sorts of characters from the books making an appearance. The Costumes by Rebecca Gardner are great in particular the recreation of those classic Goosebumps characters for that opening number. The set design by Michaela Lochen seemed solid if unexceptional until we get to the sub basement of the auditorium, then I was truly impressed by what was sprung on us. There is a scene that takes place down there where Zeke, Brooke, and Brian are being pursued that Director Ellen Fenster-Gharib stages to make full use of the design, it’s creepy but also funny. With Karin Olson’s Lighting Design really helping to make that set atmospheric and adding a generally spooky element to many scenes. Lastly I do want to point out Choreographer Jack Moorman, who I assume also choreographed the fight scenes, which there are moments of sword combat that felt real, not the slowly timed and excruciatingly predictable blocking we usually get, it’s fast paced and feels dangerous.

If you were ever or have kids who are into Goosebumps this one should be high on your list of shows to see this holiday season as a bit of counter programing. R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium runs through Desember 14 at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://bit.ly/ParkSquareGoosbumps

R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium is a show I attended purely for nostalgia, fully expecting to be underwhelmed—and I’m delighted to report I was pleasantly surprised. This was part one of a Phantom double feature with my oldest son, Alex: Goosebumps at Park Square Theatre in the afternoon, followed by The Phantom of the Opera at the Orpheum that night. Is Goosebumps musically or theatrically on the same level as Phantom of the Opera? Of course not. Is that comparison fair? Absolutely not. On the scale it’s produced, this show is actually really good.

Aimed primarily at tweens and teens, especially fans of the famous book series, the musical (book and lyrics by John Maclay, lyrics, music/orchestrations/arrangements by Danny Abosch) doesn’t settle for just appealing to its core demographic. Impressively, it works for adults too. Alex was a massive Goosebumps collector growing up. His love began long before he could read them on his own, and I remember reading several aloud, though I suspect the cover art and spooky titles were the real draw.

While I never read the book this musical is based on, the Goosebumps Wiki assures me the stage version is fairly faithful to the book, which was #24 in the series. Brooke and Zeke, best friends and horror superfans, are thrilled to be cast as the leads in their school production of The Phantom. Brian, new to the school and arriving to late to audition, is happy to be part of the backstage crew. But when a masked figure starts haunting rehearsals and leaving ominous warnings, things turn creepy fast. Determined to solve the mystery, Zeke, Brooke, and Brian investigate. Could the phantom be Tina, who desperately wants the lead role? Or Emile, the strange night janitor who always seems to be lurking just out of sight? With opening night approaching, and Zeke wrongly accused of pranks and sabotage, the trio must uncover the truth before the production becomes a real-life nightmare…or gets shut down.

The show premiered in 2016, and I’m surprised I haven’t seen it done locally before now. Park Square doesn’t list this as a regional premiere, so perhaps a school or community theater got to it first. Still, I’m glad Park Square produced it, though I’m a little shocked that Children’s Theatre Company or Stages Theatre Company hasn’t tackled it yet.

This is absolutely a musical high schools should be producing everywhere, but whether I personally want to sit through a high school version? That’s another matter. What makes this production work so well is the strong cast and the thoughtful, effective design. Jack Bechard plays Brian with genuine romantic lead charm. Sophie La Fave (Brooke) and Jack Bonko (Zeke) have great chemistry, with Bonko providing much of the comedic lift. Also excellent are Ani Tonoyan as Tina and Logan Lang as Emile.

The show isn’t underwritten the way you might expect, it’s a tight script with genuinely fun songs. It opens with the musical number “Goosebumps,” which doesn’t advance the plot but instead serves as a spooky, high energy tribute to the entire book franchise, featuring iconic Goosebumps monsters. Rebecca Gardner’s costumes shine here, especially in recreating those classic characters. Michaela Lochen’s set initially seemed functional but simple, until we descended into the auditorium sub-basement, where an impressive reveal transformed everything. Director Ellen Fenster-Gharib stages the chase sequence in that space brilliantly, it’s eerie, funny, and one of the highlights of the production. Karin Olson’s lighting enhances the chills throughout, and I also want to praise choreographer Jack Moorman, whose staging includes surprisingly convincing sword combat, which elevates the action beyond standard youth theater blocking.

If you loved Goosebumps as a kid or have kids who do now, this show should be high on your holiday theater list as some spooky counter programming. R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium runs through December 14 at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and tickets, visit: https://bit.ly/ParkSquareGoosbumps

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