Christine Daae is a woman loved by two men. One a young, handsome nobleman; the second a mad genius set apart from the crowd by a horribly disfigured face.

Each evening, the strange story of these two loves unfolds on the British stage as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera takes place.

The young soprano who plays Christine began the road to stardom not in London, but here in Corning. Her name is Deborah Dutcher.

"It was always my intention to sing professionally," Dutcher said in an email interview from her home in England.

Many of her earliest memories are of singing: the family trips where the radio was always on and everyone singing along, performing in talent shows at Erwin Valley Elementary School, being part of Pam DeWolf’s 6th grade chorus at CFA, working with Gordon VanWormer at West High School.

Her CFA memories are joyful.

"I had so much fun," she said. "I remember being really eager to ‘get the solo’ nearly every time there was one."

September 12, Debby Dutcher was in Corning to visit her family. Along the way, she stopped in at CFA to visit her old teacher and share her experiences with students there.

"For the hour or so she was there, the students didn’t think about what had happened the day before," DeWolf said. "She was an inspiration."

VanWormer inspired her to get as much information as she could.

"I was eager to learn everything I could about singing and the music profession in general. He gave me a solid foundation to base my musical studies on," Dutcher said. "And he encouraged me in my search for understanding music in its many forms."

She also appeared in the Mark Twain Musical Drama one summer. It was there she met Jack Waddell.

"He is responsible for helping me discover and develop my high soprano voice," she said. "I wouldn’t be playing this role if it weren’t for him."

At age 17, Dutcher began to take lessons at 171 Cedar Arts Center with Sue Amisano. Those lessons continued until Dutcher went to Connecticut to attend the Hartt School of Music.

While possessing an overwhelming talent, most people felt that Dutcher needed to set her sights on a career other than singing.

"I was practically begged by almost everyone I knew to take courses in college for teaching….or anything ‘to fall back on’" she recalled.

After one semester of music education, Dutcher discovered that it was not where her passions were. The remainder of her college years were spent in pursuit of her dream.

After college, Dutcher moved to New York City and got a job as a singing waitress.

"The best part about that was the singing" she recalled. "I wasn’t the best cocktail waitress on the planet," Dutcher said. "One night I spilled a strawberry daiquiri on the same guy three times!"

After five months in New York, Dutcher got the break she was waiting for, landing a leading role in a European tour of the rock version of Carmen.

"I questioned whether going to Europe was what I wanted at first, " she said. "It seemed far away and unknown to me. And I knew I would miss my family. But I have never regretted the decision to go. It changed my life forever."

After six months in and around Germany, Dutcher reluctantly returned to New York.

"I longed to go back to Europe," she said.

The role of Priscilla Presley in Elvis, the Musical took her back. While touring with Elvis, Dutcher auditioned for a show that was playing permanently in Germany. In May 1993 she started working at Phantom of the Opera in Hamburg.

"It was there my professional career took off," she recalled. "I stayed there for nearly three years as a swing and cover Christine. That meant I played nearly all the female ensemble roles as well as Christine, when the other girls were ill."

After leaving Phantom, Dutcher opened the first German production of Les Misérables as Cosette. She played there for two and a half years, and was then asked to open the Flemish production in Antwerp, Belgium. Dutcher can be heard on both the original German and Flemish cast recordings.

Other roles include Rapunzel and Cinderella in Into the Woods, Bonnie in Anything Goes and Fraulein Kost in Cabaret.

The future is bright for the little girl who was persistent enough to follow her dreams.

"I feel quite satisfied as far as my career in musicals is concerned," Dutcher said. "Of course, there are always new parts that intrigue me."

Feature films are part of that dream.

"I really feel that is where my energy should go next," she said. "I have already done a short film and loved every second of it".

"I would like to thank my family for always giving me the kind of support I need to survive in this unusual and sometimes difficult life I have chosen," she said. "It is because of them that I am where I am today, and I am forever grateful."

To the child with a dream, Dutcher has this advice: "If a person has a dream that they believe in with all their heart, they owe it to themselves to try and make it happen. Research it, learn about it, and just do it. Nothing is impossible".

By Betsy Stierly

The Leader, Corning, NY, 25th November 01