We catch up with the wildly talented Georgia Mendes, cast member of Masquerade – an immersive reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera showing now in New York City – to talk about stepping into one of musical theatre’s most iconic roles, performing inches away from the audience, and why she sees the character of Christine as full of agency and self-determination.
There’s something fitting about having a chat with Georgia Mendes about Masquerade when the show itself is about what happens when the curtains come down. Masquerade takes the familiar world of Phantom of the Opera and places its audience directly inside it. Rather than watching the action from your seat, you move through the production alongside the performers, experiencing the intimacy of a story shared in close quarters.
For Georgia, the audience is no longer a far-off presence sitting in the dark. They are confidants, companions and even cheerleaders, whispering “Girl, don’t do it!” as she makes her way through the infamous story.
Feeling curious to get behind the scenes of the world’s first immersive musical? So were we!
How did your relationship with Phantom of the Opera begin?
I’ve been singing this material since I was 10 years old. Think of Me was the first song I ever learned to sing in a proper voice lesson, so I already felt like I was Phantom-adjacent at a young age. When I heard it was closing in 2023 I was devastated; I remember saying it had always been a dream to play Christine.
Then when this project came around, they kept it so hush-hush and I didn’t know anything about it. Not only do I get to play Christine, but I also get to play all the other female characters, which was so not on my bingo card and just a dream come true.
What is it like to play Christine?
What I love about this production, especially sharing the role with six principals and multiple understudies, is that we were given such freedom with our own interpretation.
Never once was it, ‘This is the blueprint. This is the girl. We want you to model it after her.’ It was always, ‘How does this phrase fit best in your voice? Let’s figure out how to make this work with the gifts that you have.’
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And with the added level of connection and intimacy that you get with the audience, it makes sharing that interpretation so much more special. Getting to make eye contact and see in real time the way your craft and art is affecting people is an experience I never knew I had always needed and wanted as an actress. So every time I do it, that is never lost on me.
That intimacy with the audience is such a huge part of Masquerade. What is it actually like having us that close?
When I debuted, I found that looking people in the eye was actually so grounding and comforting. Over time, playing Christine, I’ve learned to use the audience as an extension of the character’s psyche. Especially in her dressing-room scene, it’s so intimate that I always think of the audience as a close friend.
I’ll see people nodding along with me or shaking their heads. One girl, as I was ushering people into the next room, said, “Girl, don’t do it!”. People get so involved, and you feel like they’re on your team.
On that note, what can we do to be good teammates? Are there any Do’s and Don’ts for coming to see an immersive show?
Trust that we know what’s best and that we have it timed down to the millisecond. It’s been really interesting to watch and learn people’s body language. If you are really interested in being at the forefront of engagement and interaction, by all means, let us know with your body language. And if you want to sit back and observe and take it in before maybe you open yourself up to engagement, that’s fine too.
We learn how to have a kind of 360-degree soft-focus awareness, so that no one is ever feeling that they are going to have to do something they don’t want to do, or that they’re going to be forced to experience the show in a way that they’re not comfortable with.
Ultimately, we want everyone to leave having had the best time.
Was there anything about Christine that particularly resonated with you?
I think the way I relate to Christine is the way that she experiences the Phantom. He’s wanting to be the actor and the producer and the director, and he’s built up this seemingly unshakeable facade, and she’s the first one to see through it. She’s the first one to ask questions and be curious.
I don’t see Christine as being afraid of the Phantom. My experience of her is one of curiosity and compassion. And that’s the way I play her and relate to her.
I think that’s what makes this story so powerful. The way I play her is as a fearless, three-dimensional woman figuring herself out and figuring out her sexuality and her passion and dealing with her grief.
That’s something that feels really resonant from a queer perspective – the idea of choosing yourself and stepping outside of the role you’re expected to play.
Yeah, I feel like her story is one of agency. And I think the beauty of theatre is that everyone gets to bring their own interpretation to it. For me, she’s not a doe-eyed damsel in distress but a woman learning to choose herself.
Before the show, I always say a little prayer with whoever is playing Meg, asking to do my best to transmit this message of love and compassion and tolerance and curiosity. If just one person leaves feeling better than they did when they walked in, that’s good enough for me.
You started singing opera at just 10 years old. How did you eventually find your way into musical theatre?
For a long time, I was convinced I wanted to go to school for opera and study classical voice, but when I was a junior in high school I realised I wanted to do musical theatre. I sang in my classical style and auditioned for 21 schools because I didn’t think I was going to get in anywhere. I ended up getting into 18 schools out of the 21 and decided to go to Carnegie Mellon because they have a really incredible acting programme.
Graduating in the class of 2020, professional life was really affected by the pandemic. I auditioned for five years, and Masquerade was the first thing that I booked. It is truly a life beyond my wildest dreams, and Georgia at 10 years old could have never imagined that this is what I would be doing.
If you could create a role for yourself, what would it look like?
I would love to play a comedic character. I’m funny and I want someone to give me the chance to show it! It could be something I write or create myself. Playing a villain would also be so amazing. I’ve been loving seeing Emma Stone in Cruella on my TikTok. A Gen Z version of Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada would be incredible, and something with a lot of physical comedy, or maybe something period…Now it’s just sounding like I want to do it all!
We hope you do! When you’re not performing, how do you spend your free time?
Because this is my first long-running show, a lot of my free time is spent taking care of my mind and body.
My girlfriend and I spend time with this sweet little angel who has become like our own little one. His mum calls us his girlfriends, and we love spending time with him. We take him to the park and the museum. He’s the first person to ever have a private backstage tour at Masquerade. He’s like the unofficial mascot! So I would have to say spending time with him, playing mum, is probably one of my favourite things to do outside of the show. That just fills my soul.
Finally, what do you think makes this particular version of Phantom so special?
I think what I want people to understand about Masquerade is that, first and foremost, I think of performing in this show as an act of service. That’s something really special about Masquerade, the level of love, care and energy shared every single night.
As a multifaceted person with flaws and anxieties and sadness, if I’m deep in my ego and having a day where I just can’t get out of myself, all I need to remember is: I have the opportunity through this work to be of service and get outside of myself.
I think in this age of screens, where young women especially are bombarded with images of who we’re expected to be, it’s amazing getting to be a part of something that’s so human.
Does that kind of human connection feel especially important right now?
Well I’m sober, and earlier this year Andrew Lloyd Webber also spoke publicly about being in recovery. This is the first show he’s done in his sobriety and it almost doesn’t feel like a coincidence that this was the first thing I got to be part of as someone who is four years sober and always working on their sobriety. It aligns so well with where I am in my journey – an immersive world which champions the value of being present and sharing genuine human connection.
And Andrew Lloyd Webber is still having such a moment – not just with Masquerade but with Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Evita…. During our first week of rehearsals he came to visit and everyone sat in a circle to introduce themselves and share why his work is so special to them.
It has all felt like such divine timing, the way this came together. When I’m in the show, I can almost feel that divine force at play, which is appropriate given the story!
If you’re in New York and want to join us in feeling utterly dazzled by the divine forces of impeccable immersive theatre, Masquerade is running now through January 31! Details here.
Nonchalant x
Georgia Mendes: A girl from the anonymous city of Los Angeles, Georgia’s been hustling in New York City since 2021. A proud Carnegie Mellon graduate, she’s been slinging hummus and changing Cami’s diapers while auditioning, hoping to make it big (big enough to stop waitressing). Thank you Diane, Larbi, Hunter, Marc, William and Kate for making my dreams come true. SKB and my team at Innovative, thank you. Mama, Papa, Charlie, and Jojo, I love you. For Fran.
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Libby is a writer/performer for theatre and cabaret, living in Camden with her cat. She loves poetry, music and horror films, and never quite recovered from her emo phase.
