City of Masks Review: Female Phantom Seeks Revenge in West End 2026

Our City of Masks review dives into a West End theatre ghost story that gender-flips The Phantom of the Opera with a female phantom out for revenge. Directed by an unnamed filmmaker, the movie stars Amanda Jiang as Eve, a wildly talented composer who died tragically in a theatre fire — or did she?

The film follows earnest young actor Christian (Charlie Goddard) as he is cast as the lead in a revival of Eve's hit musical, City of Masks. The production is staged in the very theatre where Eve died, and soon Christian starts hearing a ghostly disembodied voice coaching his singing. What follows is a creaky, confusing, and occasionally compelling tale that tries to blend romance, revenge, and supernatural thrills.

What Is City of Masks About?

City of Masks is a ghost story set in a West End theatre, but it's not your typical haunting. The film is a gender reversal of Phantom of the Opera, with a female phantom at its core. Eve (Amanda Jiang) is a composer who perished in a fire that destroyed the theatre. Now, years later, the theatre is being reopened with a revival of her musical, and Christian is cast as the lead.

As Christian rehearses, he begins to hear a woman's voice guiding him. He also learns that the theatre's director, Victor (Deano Bugatti Mitchison), is suspected of involvement in the fire that killed Eve. The tabloids are sniffing around, and Eve's ghost — if she is a ghost — seems to be seeking revenge. Lights flicker, rigging flies off the walls, and Christian finds himself developing feelings for his spectral coach.

A Clash of Acting Styles

One of the film's biggest problems is the jarring clash of acting styles. Amanda Jiang plays Eve with a sensual, mysterious quality, as if she stepped out of a David Lynch film. She is enigmatic and otherworldly, which fits the ghostly premise but feels disconnected from the rest of the movie.

Meanwhile, Deano Bugatti Mitchison channels Al Pacino in Scarface levels of intensity as Victor, the coked-up theatre impresario. He is so over-the-top that he keeps a loaded gun in his desk drawer — surely the only West End director to do so. This performance is so wildly different from Jiang's that it feels like two different films spliced together.

Charlie Goddard as Christian is earnest and likable, but he is often left reacting to the chaos around him. The romantic subplot between Christian and Eve — a ghost-on-human romance — gets a bit ick, as the film itself seems to acknowledge but doesn't fully explore.

The Plot Gets Baffling

As City of Masks goes on, it becomes more and more baffling. The film's logic is so confusing that one reviewer admitted to watching it twice and still being puzzled. The revenge plot, the ghostly occurrences, and the tabloid subplot all compete for attention without ever coalescing into a coherent narrative.

Victor is suspected of starting the fire, but the film never fully commits to whether he is guilty or not. Eve's ghost is out for revenge, but her motivations are murky. And Christian's feelings for Eve are underdeveloped, making the romance feel forced.

The film also struggles with tone. Is it a horror? A romance? A thriller? It tries to be all three but ends up being none effectively. The scares are tame, the romance is creepy, and the thriller elements are predictable.

Key Takeaways from City of Masks

• Gender-flipped phantom: The film offers a female phantom of the opera, which is a fresh twist on the classic story.
• Clashing performances: Amanda Jiang's Lynchian mystery clashes with Deano Bugatti Mitchison's Pacino-esque intensity.
• Baffling plot: The story becomes increasingly confusing, with unresolved subplots and unclear motivations.
• Tonal inconsistency: The film veers between horror, romance, and thriller without mastering any.
• Icky romance: The ghost-human romance feels uncomfortable and underdeveloped.

City of Masks: By the Numbers

Here's a quick comparison of the film's key elements against typical expectations for a West End ghost story:

What Works and What Doesn't

The film's strongest asset is its premise. A female phantom seeking revenge in a West End theatre is a compelling idea, and Amanda Jiang brings a haunting presence to the role. The theatre setting is atmospheric, with creaky floorboards and flickering lights adding to the mood. The background to this story is set out in Phantom of the Opera 40th Anniversary: The Show That Never Dies. A related thread runs through The Phantom Pain of Rojava Review: Kurdish Women's Courage in War.

However, the execution falls short. The script is muddled, the direction lacks focus, and the performances are uneven. The film tries to be too many things at once and ends up being neither scary nor romantic enough to satisfy. Earlier coverage in Celebrity: latest articles shows how the argument developed. A closer look at the same subject appears in Into the Woods West End: The Secret Weapon Behind the Sondheim.

If you're a fan of Phantom of the Opera, you might enjoy the gender reversal, but don't expect a coherent story. The film is more of a curiosity than a must-see. Anyone following the wider picture can start with Nicolas Cage War Film Fortitude Sparks $105 Million Lawsuit. The same theme surfaces in London City Ballet's Ghost Light: Alina Cojocaru Shines, which takes a different angle.

FAQ

For those interested in the enduring appeal of Phantom of the Opera, the 40th anniversary celebration explores why the show never dies. Meanwhile, a different kind of phantom appears in The Phantom Pain of Rojava, a review of Kurdish women's courage in war.