Unmasked Crawford Brings Tears With Him

Would he or wouldn’t he? That was the question Irvine Barclay Theatre buffs asked themselves on Monday following the performance of “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber” at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre.

Would mega-star Michael Crawford pop into their chic post-concert fund-raiser held on the amphitheater grounds? Or would Crawford be too exhausted after performing selections from “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Aspects of Love” to an SRO audience that gave him a slew of standing ovations?

The answer was yes--for a few, precious minutes--but only after the singer had enjoyed a backstage reunion with some of his “Phantom” alums.

Who could blame him? Gathered around Crawford in his dressing room were performers such as nightingale Dale Kristien--”Christine” to Crawford’s “Phantom” in the Los Angeles production. (Kristien partied in Orange County two years ago after watching Sarah Brightman perform “The Music of Andrew LLoyd Webber” at Segerstrom Hall.)

Proclaiming Crawford’s Irvine Meadows’ appearance “so beautiful,” Kristien stood transfixed as she watched the star welcome his friends.

“You liked it?” Crawford asked them, sending a heart-stopping smile. “You did. Oh, good,” he said. “Good.”

What was not to like? Not only did Crawford give the audience his signature “The Music of the Night,” he gave them “All I Ask of You” (sung with Laurie Stephenson), the sweet and haunting “Phantom” duet.

“When Andrew Lloyd Webber asked me to do ‘Phantom,’ ” Crawford told the audience, “I was sure he wanted me to play the part of Raoul-- he gets the girl.

“But, it didn’t take long before I realized it was the old man he had me in mind for. From that day on, my life--my whole career--changed.

“And now, here I am, 1,300 performances later--no mask, mirrors, makeup. Just the wonderful music of Webber.”

While Barclay boosters mingled under a canopy, sipped wine and dug into a repast catered by restaurateur David Wilhelm that included radicchio cups filled with lobster and waffle chips topped with smoked salmon and caviar, they rhapsodized about the star.

“Spellbinding, spellbinding,” gushed Barbara Glabman, on the arm of her husband, Jim.

“Unbelievable,” said Wilhelm, who attended the event with his wife, Nancy. “Everyone in our row was crying--crying even before Crawford started singing!”

Wilhelm staged the post-performance party, gratis, because he “grew up on music,” he said. “I feel a certain bond with it. And when there is an opportunity to patronize the arts, I like to take advantage of it.”

Meanwhile--a few yards from Crawford’s dressing room--singer Elinore O’Connell (another star in the Irvine Meadows’ production) was having a reunion of her own with family and friends.

“See all these people around here?” asked O’Connell, who grew up in Santa Ana. “I know them all!”

Familiar faces were a treat for O’Connell who has performed in “Les Miserables” in Los Angeles and “Aspects of Love” in New York.

“I’ve been all over the country now, you know,” she said. “Then Andrew LLoyd Webber’s music company asked me to come back here to sing some of his music. I’m honored.”

Watching from the sidelines was O’Connell’s proud mom, who is also named Elinore O’Connell. “I wanted to be a star, but I didn’t know how,” she said. “So, I named Elinore after me and watched her become a star. She is the youngest of my seven children. They are all entertainers.”