Re: International productions

TheFinnishPhantom Sat May 08, 2010 7:05 pm

Scorp wrote:
I REALLY recommend getting the Vienna version of the Perry book if you can find it. I got mine on eBay and was very lucky to get it. Not only does it have the entire Vienna libretto at the back, but it has way more photos of the production that even the souvenir brochures have. There are some really cool rare ones too, including one of what the Theater an der Wien looked like when Phantom played there and some great ones of the props in the wings and the proscenium set-up. The title is Alles über das Phantom der Oper. Save it as an eBay search and it might turn up one day. That's what I did. As Josefine says, the entire chapter about the ALW version is modified so it talks about the Vienna production rather than the London one, so you get bits of interviews with Goebel and Nistler which is cool. The Vienna production has been a favourite of mine ever since I got the recording years ago (it was the first foreign one I bought), and yet I never saw it!

If you're ever in Vienna, it's worth swinging by the Theater an der Wien because the shop there still sells Phantom postcards with production photos on them.

I'll command you to scan those photos! Very Happy

I am obsessed with Viennese production. It all started when I bought the Viennese Cast Recording. I fell in love with it. Then I heard my relative worked on that production. And then I was obsessed.

She described her job like this; "Only thing I was doing was running between pharmacy and the theater, and trying to make sure that some of the most helpless actors would get to stage on time. The reason I were running between the pharmacy and the theater was because I ran out of painkillers!"

(And my first post Very Happy

)

I found times from the live production where the AIOY Reprise sounds strange. I mean the epic Phantom theme at the end. It sounds monotonic!

**MasqPhan** Sat May 08, 2010 9:06 pm

Hi FinnishPhantom. Welcome to Deserted Phans. Hope you will like it here and will keep posting. The more the merrier. Very Happy

Sorry for editing your post. There are certain things on the forum that aren't allowed to be mentioned. You can see the rules for posting at the link below:
https://desertedphans.forumotion.net/rules-please-read-before-posting-f11/forum-rules-t142.htm

How interesting to have a family member who worked on the show. Loved the little story you shared.

Loettchen Sun May 09, 2010 6:49 pm

I found the Alles über das Phantom der Oper book on the website of a used bookstore in Vienna for quite cheap! It's on Amazon.de, too, but for 100 Euros, which seemed too high! Thanks so much for the recommendations! It's beautiful.

TheFinnishPhantom, scroll down here:
https://desertedphans.forumotion.net/andrew-lloyd-webber-s-phantom-f1/rare-pictures-t2-405.htm
to see some scans.

TheFinnishPhantom Mon May 10, 2010 5:36 am

Loettchen wrote:I found the Alles über das Phantom der Oper book on the website of a used bookstore in Vienna for quite cheap! It's on Amazon.de, too, but for 100 Euros, which seemed too high! Thanks so much for the recommendations! It's beautiful.

TheFinnishPhantom, scroll down here:
https://desertedphans.forumotion.net/andrew-lloyd-webber-s-phantom-f1/rare-pictures-t2-405.htm
to see some scans.

Thanks, thanks, thanks a million times! I've seen small parts of some of those pictures before, and I've been looking for full-sized! And I haven't seen those lair pictures before, they're beautiful!

100 euros? Oh, that's too expensive, even as a phan. Very Happy

TheFinnishPhantom Fri May 14, 2010 10:34 am

Sorry for double post.

Just got the Mexican version.

My ears bleeeed! Not because of the singers, but because of the orchestra and the overall quality of the recording.
I regret buying this.
Entr'acte sounds like it's done with Casio synthesizer and violin. Argh, every single song sounds like it. And the songs
are clustered, for example Prologue, Overture and Hannibal are on one track... Evil or Very Mad

But this has the meeting of Madame Giry and Raoul after Masquerade, and Seal My Fate! cheers

Only song I bother listening in this is Prima Donna, the singing overshadows that orchestra.
What a shame.

justin-from-barbados Fri May 14, 2010 12:37 pm

Somehow I dont think what you got was the official Mexican CD

Maybe its one of those knockoffs. (hence the synth sounding music)

The Mexican one I have is identical to the Canadian CD, infact it was the first cast recording to re-use the Canadian orchestra track. So the first 3 tracks are seperate, and there is no Seal My Fate.

Was there another Mexican CD out there?

TheFinnishPhantom Fri May 14, 2010 2:04 pm

justin-from-barbados wrote:Somehow I dont think what you got was the official Mexican CD

Maybe its one of those knockoffs. (hence the synth sounding music)

The Mexican one I have is identical to the Canadian CD, infact it was the first cast recording to re-use the Canadian orchestra track. So the first 3 tracks are seperate, and there is no Seal My Fate.

Was there another Mexican CD out there?

There is two of 'em, but I've heard they are the same exept the record label. scratch

Now I listened Il Muto, and it's in two parts; First one ends when Phantom disturbs the opera.
The "overture" of Il Muto sounds so horrible, it's just two violins playing it, and the opening note is wrong. Evil or Very Mad

I think I'll cut the CD's in two and drop them into sulphuric acid.

justin-from-barbados Fri May 14, 2010 2:20 pm

Thats definately not the official Mexican Cast Recording, there is no Il Muto on that one.

Maybe its that knock off Brazil one that was floating around.

operafantomet Fri May 14, 2010 3:34 pm

justin-from-barbados wrote:Thats definately not the official Mexican Cast Recording, there is no Il Muto on that one.

Maybe its that knock off Brazil one that was floating around.

Yes, makes more sense. The Mexican one is of good quality.

EarlFan Fri May 14, 2010 8:02 pm

It's not that horrible recording with Camilo Sesto is it? Because if it's the one I definitely understand you regret buying it, FinnishPhantom.

Scorp Thu May 20, 2010 11:32 am

Does anyone know of an actor called Shuler Hensley and, more particularly, his performance as The Phantom in the Hamburg production? I saw him in Paradise Found yesterday and was interested to read he'd played the Phantom in Hamburg in his bio. I'd never heard of him before, but reckon he could have been quite a good, imposing Phantom. Anyone? He's apparently played Javert on Broadway too.

justin-from-barbados Thu May 20, 2010 12:51 pm

Ok, Shuler is kind of well known to most Broadway audiences, more recently for the monster in Young Frankenstein. I heard somewhere he auditoned for Phantom in the US but was rejected because he was too severe, apparently the German production likes severe.

He was also Frankenstein's monster in the Van Helsing movie and I believe the guy that turns into a bug in the first Men In Black movie.

Ok and Tarzan's dad (gorilla dad) on Broadway.

LadyCDaae Thu May 20, 2010 1:27 pm

Hensley wasn't in the first MiB (I think you're referring to Vincent D'Onofrio there), but he did play Jud Fry in the Trevor Nunn revival of Oklahoma! in both London (with Hugh Jackman) and New York (with Patrick Wilson) and won the Olivier and the Tony for his performance (quite justly, get the DVD if you can). I didn't realize he'd done Phantom--I'd never considered him for the part (too broad physically, I think) but he's a powerful stage presence so I can believe he pulled it off well.

~LCD

Scorp Fri May 21, 2010 11:14 am

Ok, Shuler is kind of well known to most Broadway audiences, more recently for the monster in Young Frankenstein. I heard somewhere he auditoned for Phantom in the US but was rejected because he was too severe, apparently the German production likes severe.

Ah yes, he says on his website that the American productions cast a lighter voice for The Phantom but the Germans seem to like casting dark and heavy voices, so he went for the Hamburg production. He was only in it for a year though, opposite Colby Thomas. Do any pics exist?

justin-from-barbados Fri May 21, 2010 12:20 pm

I've never seen any pics but there was audio on a particular website Very Happy

TheFinnishPhantom Sun May 30, 2010 3:46 pm

justin wrote:Thats definately not the official Mexican Cast Recording, there is no Il Muto on that one.

Maybe its that knock off Brazil one that was floating around.

I contacted the seller and he told me that he has both versions, official and that Brazilian knock-off. He noticed the difference after customer contacted him, and he sent me the real one.

operafantomet Sun May 30, 2010 8:01 pm

TheFinnishPhantom wrote:I contacted the seller and he told me that he has both versions, official and that Brazilian knock-off. He noticed the difference after customer contacted him, and he sent me the real one.

Looking forward to hear what you think about the Mexican one!

operafantomet Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:32 pm

I have a question about the chandelier in Essen (and possibly the other German productions):

When I saw it there some years ago, I noticed that the chandelier fell very, very fast. It fell down and was pulled towards the stage in regular manner - but then it more or less hung over the stage for what seemed to be forever. There were no-one to catch it either. What I wonder is:

1. Was this a mishap or standard procedure for the Essen production?
2. Did this enable them to drop the chandelier so fast, or was it unrelated?

TheFinnishPhantom Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:30 am

operafantomet wrote:
1. Was this a mishap or standard procedure for the Essen production?
2. Did this enable them to drop the chandelier so fast, or was it unrelated?

It always fell quite fast. It was also quite close to the stage, when I saw it they catched it.

operafantomet Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:41 am

TheFinnishPhantom wrote:
operafantomet wrote:
1. Was this a mishap or standard procedure for the Essen production?
2. Did this enable them to drop the chandelier so fast, or was it unrelated?

It always fell quite fast. It was also quite close to the stage, when I saw it they catched it.

Was that in Essen, or elsewhere in Germany? I was sitting in one of the front rows, a bit to the side, and had a full view of what went on behind the chandelier. No-one came out, the curtain didn't even open. I thought the lack of a "catcher" was why they didn't lower it on stage for a long time, but then again: why didn't it swing back into the audience? A wire stuck? I dunno.

But yeah, the chandelier was speedy in both Hamburg and Essen. Very Happy

operafantomet Thu Aug 12, 2010 10:10 pm

So, I read a review a LJ friend wrote from the fairly new Phantom production in Nagoya, Japan.

According to her they don't have an orchestra there. For real?? Anyone knows more about this? And do you think the US tour if/when re-opened will suffer the same destiny?

EarlFan Sun Aug 15, 2010 9:37 am

operafantomet wrote:According to her they don't have an orchestra there. For real?? Anyone knows more about this? And do you think the US tour if/when re-opened will suffer the same destiny?

Don't know anything about that but I would love to know more about it. To me it sounds very strange not to have an orchestra and in that case I wish the US tour won't suffer the same destiny.

justin-from-barbados Sun Aug 15, 2010 3:46 pm

I red somewhere that years ago in Japan, at some locations they used canned music and just sang over it.

Callie Daae Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:13 am

What cast album is Colby Thomas on? Sorry, I'm not an expert on Non-English speaking countries at all! Embarassed

IamErik771 Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:17 am

Colby's not on any cast album that I'm aware of, but she did play Christine in Stuttgart, Germany. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think she was also in the Hamburg production at some point...) She was recorded singing songs from POTO on a German "Best of Musicals" CD, though, with Ian Jon Bourg as the Phantom.

Trilby Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:54 am

Colby Thomas was Christine in Stuttgart?? Didn't know that - she was very long first cast in Hamburg. When did she play the role in Stuttgart?

operafantomet Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:05 am

Trilby wrote:Colby Thomas was Christine in Stuttgart?? Didn't know that - she was very long first cast in Hamburg. When did she play the role in Stuttgart?

She was never in Stuttgart. She started out as understudy Christine in Hamburg around 1992, became principal in 1993, and remained so until the production closed (2000?). Stuttgart Christine was Janine Kitzen, with Maike Switzer as alternate.

MajesticPhantom Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:31 am

Removed....somehow didn't notice Operfantomet's response!

IamErik771 Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:47 pm

Interesting... I'd heard clips of her that someone told me came from the Stuttgart production, but I guess they were wrong. Anyway, thanks for the correction!

Loettchen Tue Aug 31, 2010 9:12 am

I am so happy right now! I moved to Korea about two weeks after the closing date for the new Korean production, and I couldn't believe my bad luck! But now they've extended the run, AND they're moving it from Seoul to Daegu, a city which is about 20 minutes away from me. I must be sitting under a lucky star! I'll let you guys know what I think. The tickets are expensive, though, and from the seating charts the weekends look just about sold out! Wow!

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