Broadway actress Maria Couch, fresh from her stint in “On the Levee” in New York City, recently arrived in Detroit to begin rehearsals in the role of Christine for “Phantom” — but it's probably not the “Phantom” you're expecting (namely, Andrew Lloyd Webber's “Phantom of the Opera”).

Produced by 8th Wonder Theatre — a professional musical theater company founded by a three theater artists (Phil Walker, R. MacKenzie Lewis, and Brian Carbine) at Eastern Michigan University — and staged at the Village Theater at Cherry Hill in Canton, "Phantom" is a musical by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit, the writers of recent Broadway and movie musical hit "Nine."

"Phantom" choreographer and EMU professor Phil Simmons described the show, in a press release, this way: “Christine Daae has always dreamed of being an opera singer. She meets two men who can make that dream come true — one a handsome and wealthy benefactor, the other a reclusive resident of the Paris Opera. Throw in a jealous, conniving opera diva and you have a terrific evening of musical theatre.”

The show runs at the Village Theater August 6-15.

And not only will a Broadway professional tread the boards as Christine, but the role of Phantom will be played by accomplished singer and Ann Arbor Public School teacher Jeffrey Willets. Willets has been teaching for AAPS for 18 years and has been singing even longer. A tenor who has studied and trained at EMU and the New England Conservatory of Music, Willets has tackled a variety of roles ranging from opera and operetta to musical theater and cabaret. Joining him in the cast are several performers from the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area.

According to 8th Wonder, “Phantom” is more musical theater in style than Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera,” which was more operatic. Also, “Phantom” digs deeper into the 1890s period and its Parisian setting, exploring the Phantom’s past and his mysterious relationship with Gérard Carrière, the company manager of the Opera House.

“The character of the phantom, in this version, is much more 'fleshed' out,” said Willetts of the Phantom in a press release. “We find out that he has a relationship with his actual father (the newly deposed owner of the opera house), later in the show... We find out why he's drawn to the character of Christine, too — the fact that her voice is like Erik's (the Phantom's) mother. Christine is talented and beautiful and is a powerful draw to the Phantom, but in this version of 'Phantom,' we find that Erik remembers his mother's kindness and love and singing voice. The fact that she tells him over and over, before she dies, that he is beautiful in his early childhood is monumental to him — Christine represents this important emotional piece to Erik as well.

Finally, we see that the Phantom, although feared by all but his father (who knows who he really is), is really a "flesh and blood" human being, emotionally differently-abled by a society that despises physical deformation. ... He is funny, happy, sad, angry and, yes, emotionally unstable, too.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.