The Gothenburg / Göteborg production Sept 2017 to May 2018

Has anyone seen this? I was thinking of going to see it, Fred Johansen has a lovely voice and great stage presence... but... when I checked out the production photos I was totally put off by the costumes. They've turned the Phantom into some weird kind of black rocker, and I 'ate 'is 'air... There, how about that for being superficial, judging books by their cover and people by appearances. No, but seriously, it's a non-replica production and I wonder if I could bear to see it.

Any first-hand reviews would be welcome.

I hadn't heard about this, but a quick web search turned up this link:
http://www.goteborg.com/en/the-phantom-of-the-opera-/
Do you have one with any more photos?  I can't find this production listed on the official Phantom site.

This appears to be carrying the trend towards young, handsome Phantoms to ridiculous extremes.  How much of a deformity could he be hiding behind that tiny mask?  (Maybe he's really Raoul!  Can you imagine a production where the Phantom turned out to be Raoul's secret identity! )

I have an American friend who saw the touring production once, and hated it so much she didn't go to see it again even when it played her home town. I have not, personally, seen any non-replica productions, but I suspect that it would only remind me of all the reasons why I love the original.

I wish the people in power would realise that the original team in the 1980's got it right.  Any change is detrimental.  (Well, in my opinion, anyway.)

Do let us know what you decide.

Hi Mary, looking for more information about the production I found this photo in a review http://seenandheard-international.com/2017/10/lloyd-webbers-phantom-makes-a-deep-impression-in-gothenburg/.

I am underwhelmed. What were they THINKING???

Or this, some kind of Raoul-Phantom graveyard swordfight??  https://www.google.se/search?q=fred+johansen+phantom&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CfYjDJY7O4ELIjg2pjSdV9hWdxNyvT6g3C77s6uEdJp6F9dn6diEYpbGrIy13QuXrfJVHAbLLSGo_1_1uNdDwncHJ-WyoSCTamNJ1X2FZ3EU4nj0QmuBJRKhIJE3K9PqDcLvsRjsChVFEW_1CsqEgmzq4R0mnoX1xGmTBNHj5aedSoSCWfp2IRilsasERzBij4_1Nhm2KhIJjLXdC5et8lURWOgcwpYD_14gqEgkcBsstIaj_1-xEa0xV8uGIKDSoSCY10PCdwcn5bERD2_1k2LMYrA&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwirw66fjPnYAhXCkywKHcJvADwQ9C96BAgAEB4&biw=1920&bih=949&dpr=1#imgrc=6o1oPlnbNg7sZM:

I know that I've been complaining about the feeble fireballs from the Phantoms firestick, but this new take on the graveyard confrontation is Not My Cup of Tea.

More photos from the theatre's homepage: http://en.opera.se/forestallningar/the-phantom-of-the-opera-2017-2018/

In my world, the original production is a piece of perfection, and I find it very hard to accept that it needs to be changed in any way whatsoever... Will see what I can find on youtube before I finally make up my mind about this. My lovely husband offered to take me to see the Gothenburg production as a birthday present. Bless him. Catering to my obsession. We saw the Stockholm production a year or so ago. I totally cracked up in the intermission when he asked what had happened to Meg. He'd mixed up Phantom and LND.... he prefers LND, took quite a shine to Meg in the Copenhagen production.

My God.

I... am speechless. What on earth were the Powers That Be in the ALW POTO world thinking???

Hi all, Mary Skater's American friend here. I hadn't seen this thread till now, I haven't been on this site in quite a while.

As Mary said further up the thread, this is a young and handsome Phantom taken to the extreme. At least, I hope this is as extreme as that trend ever gets. It's beyond me how anyone could possibly think this was a good idea. And that's without even getting into the costumes, or the fact that Christine is too old, etc.

I did, for the record, force myself to remember that Leroux's Erik is described as having long hair. That didn't help.

I've looked through the links that people posted further up this thread. One article says "the enduring narrative and music are retained." Well, I can't speak to the music, as I didn't go to this production, but as for the narrative? No. No, it is not retained.

No version of The Phantom of the Opera which involves a handsome Phantom retains the original story.

Even if you ignore issues of Erik's age, or his background, or what his voice sounds like or really anything else about him...if you distill the character down to his very essence, to the [i]one single characteristic which defines him and makes him who he is and what he does... that characteristic is that he is ugly. And not just run of the mill ugly, either; but horrifically, repulsively, inhumanly ugly. His face does not look normal, in any way, shape or form. He looks like a monster, or a dead thing. He looks so awful that even his own mother could not bear to touch him. As the mother of a 1 and a half year old son...well, it would take quite a lot to render me unable to touch him.

The Phantom's appearance is such that it has caused many, many people, in multiple countries, to treat him dreadfully and to essentially expel him from the human race. So much so that he felt he had to hide himself away, deep underground, where he could not be reached and attacked.

And I'm not even drawing from Leroux here! It's in ALW's own lyrics! The ALW Phantom refers to himself as "a monster" and "this repulsive carcass," "this face which earned a mother's fear and loathing." Christine says, on the rooftop, "it was hardly a face." He looks horrible. That is the one defining element about him. The people who are deciding to make this character handsome are ignoring their own production's lyrics.

Sorry for all the italics. I can't help it.

But until those lyrics are changed, until the basis for the Phantom's hatred of humanity and his violent lashing out against it is changed, it makes no sense to have him be handsome. It just doesn't.

Also, incidentally, it proves Leroux's point. We cannot love the Phantom in his original form, when he is truly hideous. In order for us to find him sexy and compelling, he must be cleaned up and prettified until he is unrecognizable. (That is not my insight, I read it online some time ago. I can't take credit for it.)

I don't really have anything else to say on this subject. I remember, back in the years right after the ALW film came out, there were a number of new, probably young phans online saying things like, "I don't understand why Christine didn't think he was sexy! He doesn't look that bad!" And that just proves the points above.

Regards,
The Countess of Rothes

OMG, I'm so sorry to hear about yet another production being butchered! That's horrible! Agree, the powers that be must have taken leave of their senses!

And Countess of Rothes, can I quote everything you just said, as in quote it in essays, podcast episodes and such? Thanks! You put it brilliantly!