PHANTOM OF THE OBT, Off Broadway Theatre, through June 3 (355-4628). Running time: one hour, 50 minutes (one intermission).

Broad parody is something at which Eric Jensen excels. And his "Phantom of the OBT" spoof is, basically, a throwback to traditional British pantomime — over-the-top farce that makes fun of itself almost as much as parodies other shows.

Quite a few folks (myself included) consider Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" to be a somewhat bloated spectacle packed with repetitive music. And, since the original source material is in the public domain, it's wide open for spoofing.

Comic, writer and Off Broadway Theatre producer Jensen's "Phantom" takes the "Phantom of the Opera" premise, parodies most of the familiar characters, and places them in a downtown Salt Lake City opera house — the intimate Off Broadway Theatre (which old-timers may remember as the old Rialto).

There is some strong talent in the cast, but the Jon Baty-directed production, at least on opening weekend, was a mixed bag.

The best performance came from Jim Hardwick in the dual, scene-stealing roles of Joseph Buquet, a backstage worker at the opera house, and the Hobo. He was hilarious.

Director Baty also shines as vaudeville performer Buddy Hart, who upstages diva Carlotta (Wendy Asay) every chance he gets. He's part actor, part circus clown.

Other notable performers are Stephani Nielsen as Christine Daee, the Phantom's student; Eric Armstrong as the frustrated Phantom, Eric Jensen as opera house proprietor Reginald St. Reginald, and Scott Butler as the beleaguered theater's new owner, wealthy young Raoul Marriott (he remembers the cookies Christine sent him while he was on his LDS mission, but he can't remember her name).

Heidi May and Nyssa DeGrazio do well in the slightly smaller roles of Madame Giry and Meg.

The show's first act was slow and sluggish, and the venue continues to be plagued by acoustic problems. Quite a bit of the dialogue doesn't make it past the first few rows, and the women's quartet number was completely incomprehensible.

There's no denying, however, that Jensen knows his audience, and he focuses squarely on family-friendly comedy.

Longtime scenery designer Frank Ackerman and Jensen give the "old" OBT a slightly rundown look, complete with a hilarious crashing chandelier.

---

E-mail: ivan@desnews.com