PUPILS at Perins School in Alresford have thrilled audiences with an end-of-term production of Phantom of the Opera, which staff say has surpassed any other.

For more than nine months the creative arts department and Perins Youth Theatre have been working non-stop to stage a sensational production of the West End show.

This hugely ambitious project has involved 120 Perins students who have formed the cast, orchestra and backstage team.

The main hall was transformed into an incredible set, where the audience was invited to step back in time into the opera house of the Paris Opera Populaire. Stage production company M3 Technology worked tirelessly to build the set which had all the special effects inspired by the West End production, including a flying chandelier and a motorised boat. They are also responsible for all technical aspects of the production, including the lighting, sound and pyrotechnics.

For the dedicated team in creative arts, this production of Phantom was like “a dream come true”, providing an opportunity for students to learn valuable skills in what was an unforgettable experience.

Marilitsa Alexiou, director of the creative arts department, said: “I have been astounded by the maturity and dedication demonstrated by these pupils, both through their talents and their extraordinary sense of creative ambition. They have shown a great sense of responsibility both to one another and also the staff who have worked with them.”

Over the past few weeks the sounds of singing and music have flowed from the creative arts department as the school orchestra and the cast have been practising for what turned out to be the highlight of this year’s school calendar.

Some 1,400 tickets were sold for the production, which ran from July 12-16.

Perins invited 240 primary school children to experience the production on the opening day.

The cast were amazed to receive a personal note from Andrew Lloyd Webber, wishing them luck for the production and, in addition, the Phantom of the Opera West End cast made a good luck video courtesy of Daisy Hulbert, a former Perins student who plays a leading role in the London production.

Headteacher Steve Jones said: “I can honestly say that this performance not only surpasses any school performance I have ever seen but genuinely rivals many professional productions. I am incredibly proud of the students and staff for their hard work, dedication and talents shown throughout this process.

“Feedback and comments from the audience were fantastic, with people of all ages saying they had never seen a school performance like it.”

John Gleadall, writer and creator of Musicals4kidz, saw the production on Monday evening and said: “Congratulations to all involved. In over 40 years involvement with school and youth theatre productions I have never seen such an ambitious musical production in a school. How brilliant to have a performing arts team who are dedicated enough to mount such a production and a leadership team, who must be bursting with pride, who can see the value of such a venture. Bravo, I applaud you to the rafters.

“I never stand. I stood at the end of your show.”