More than a mere phantom

When Davis Gaines arrives at the Orange County Performing Arts Center for a five-day appearance next week, you can bet he’ll bring a little music of the night.

But even though he played the title role in “The Phantom of the Opera” for six years and 2,000 performances, that’s only the tip of his career’s iceberg. Gaines also has amassed an impressive string of Broadway, movie and TV credits.

“I’ve wanted to be an actor from my earliest recollections,” the Florida native said in a long-distance interview. “I’m not sure why that happened. I’ve just always wanted to do it. I was a shy kid, so I think the idea of becoming someone else on stage appealed to me.”

Gaines credits “an incredible drama teacher, Ann Derflinger, in junior high and high school. She took me under her wing and opened my mind to the amazing world of theater. I was hooked, and I haven’t looked back since.”

As for his stint as the phantom, Gaines worked his way up to that character.

“I started playing Raoul in the Broadway production before getting the chance to play the Phantom in Los Angeles in 1991,” he said.

“That took me on an amazing journey,” he said. “That experiences opened so many doors for me in this business and made me a stronger person and performer. I don’t think I would have the concert/cabaret career that I do now without having played that great character in such a popular show.”

Naturally, Gaines can recount several moments from those 2,000 performances when things didn’t go quite the way they were intended to.

“Every once in a while, I’d pull the rope to bring down the chandelier at the end of Act I and it wouldn’t fall, or the boat that the phantom and Christine ride into his lair would stop, so I’d have to get out and pull it or we’d have to get out and walk through the ‘water.’ As a performer, you have to be ready for anything and just go with it, in character, as if it was meant to be.”

Over the years, Gaines has worked with some legendary stage and screen performers, including Richard Burton, Carol Channing and Patti LuPone.

“I tried to learn from them and take that knowledge with me to each subsequent role,” he said.

Gaines’ first job in a Broadway show was in Burton’s production of “Camelot.”

“Being able to know him, work with him and watch him work every night was an amazing master class for a young, aspiring actor,” Gaines said.

“After being an admirer of Patti LuPone’s work for so many years, I found myself sharing the bill with her at the Hollywood Bowl several years ago,” he added. “Since then, we were cast together in the 20th anniversary concert revival of ‘Sweeney Todd.’

“Probably one of the highlights was being cast as Joe Hardy in a production of ‘Damn Yankees’ by the legendary producer/director/writer George Abbott. He was 99 years old at the time and was truly an inspiration.”

Gaines describes his upcoming show at the Founders Hall cabaret venue as “an eclectic mix of show tunes, standards and pop songs. There is really no theme except for the fact that all the songs will be related to love in some way. Since my run there falls in the week and weekend before Mother’s Day, we thought that would be appropriate.

“It definitely will be an upbeat, happy evening,” he promised. “Nothing too serious or maudlin.”

Gaines, who showcased his “Phantom” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in 1991, also returned for his pops concert debut with the Pacific Symphony and has been back for several encores. More recently, he was part of the “Side by Side by Sondheim” revue.

“I love the intimacy and warmth of Founder’s Hall,” he said. “As a performer, I welcome the chance to get up close and personal with an audience. That type of cabaret club feel is very rare in Southern California, and I feel lucky to have the chance to return.”

And he’s already locked up his next center gig.

“I’ll be back in October to take part in a big gala performance weekend for the opening of the new Symphony Hall, along with Patti Austin, Monica Mancini and Lisa Vroman,” he said.

Davis Gaines, it would seem, can’t seem to get enough of the Orange County Performing Arts Center. From his success here, that feeling would seem to be mutual.