PHOTO REQUEST - The Michael Crawford wax statue in Las Vegas?

Hello, all!

I have just received unfortunate information today that the Michael Crawford wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas has been removed from the floor and placed into storage. (!) I never got to see it in person, so it's a real shame they've decided to lock it away.

Does anyone have photos of this figure that you would be willing to send my way? I would like them in the highest quality possible, if you have any that you are willing to share.

Shoot me a PM if you would be willing to help.

Thanks in advance,

AF

The Crawford wax figure was on display in front of the Phantom Theatre for Phantom Fans Week 2009. I didn't take any photos of it myself, but if you do a search on images sites like Getty or Flikr, etc. in relation to Fans Week, you might get lucky.

R.

Raph, I've already done a few 4- or 5-hour-long searches over the last 6 months, browsing sites like Flikr, Photobucket, ImageShack, Google's image search, and numerous fan sites. (Yes, I am insane. ) I've found at least 35 random pictures of it, including one YouTube video and an article of the wax figure's move back in 2006 from London to Las Vegas. However, most of the pictures aren't very large...and if they are, they're almost always really blurry.

Basically, I thought that asking here could perhaps lead me to better and/or bigger photos that Phans or Fans Week attendees may not have uploaded to the internet yet. The more, the merrier! ;D

Thanks,

AF

The lighting in these isn't terrific, but here are some I took (/posed for) during Fans Week:




Later that day I spotted someone in the ticket line trying to get wax!MC's attention by waving at him. Cracked me up.

phantomgirl110 wrote:Later that day I spotted someone in the ticket line trying to get wax!MC's attention by waving at him. Cracked me up.

Were they serious?

The face looks like MC, but his hair isn't curly, and his neck and shoulders are too scrawny. It's like they put 2000s-MC's face on Cornelius Hackl's body.

SenorSwanky wrote:

phantomgirl110 wrote:Later that day I spotted someone in the ticket line trying to get wax!MC's attention by waving at him. Cracked me up.

Were they serious?

He was. To clarify, he obviously wasn't sure whether the figure was real or not. He was staring at it sort of suspiciously out of the corner of his eye, and then raised his arm and waved it very slowly in a way that suggested he was hoping nobody would notice. I noticed.

SenorSwanky wrote:

phantomgirl110 wrote:Later that day I spotted someone in the ticket line trying to get wax!MC's attention by waving at him. Cracked me up.

Were they serious?

The face looks like MC, but his hair isn't curly, and his neck and shoulders are too scrawny. It's like they put 2000s-MC's face on Cornelius Hackl's body.

lol exactly, I think his hair should be a little lighter too. And I think his face is a little too thin.

I think he looks more like Harry Groener than MC.

phantomgirl110: !!!!!!

Those are EXACTLY the kind of quality I was hoping to find! Brilliant work, ma'am. Thank you so much for uploading and posting them.

That story about the guy secretly waving at it is great... It's not hard to imagine somebody being fooled, given how lifelike most Tussaud's sculptures look in person. They're almost eerie!

I can still use more photos of the wax MC figure, so if anyone else has some stored away from Fans Week or a Tussaud's museum visit, please send them my way. Also, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude once again to everyone who has responded over the past couple of days through PMs and in this thread...I appreciate it more than you know!

Cheers,

AF

NO Where as Cute as the real thing, usually some of the wax figures are bang on, not this one, still its the thought that counts

ladygodiva wrote:NO Where as Cute as the real thing, usually some of the wax figures are bang on, not this one, still its the thought that counts

Well, I can't really comment on the "cute" part, but I agree that this wax figure looks a bit off, somehow. I have a theory that it's just the uncharacteristic hair style and skin color throwing it off, but I can't really tell from the pictures I've seen.

One thing I REALLY love about the finished wax figure, though, is the fact that the costumer(s) apparently lined the entire inner portion of his tux with a deep purple material! They must've researched MC's favorite color and added it onto the finished figure as a subtle nod to his personal taste and style. You've gotta respect that!

Cheers,

AF

To be honest I dont think that looks much like Michael Crawford at all!!!

Just going from the pictures...if I saw it out-of-context (not at a Phantom-related event or not holding the mask), I'd actually probably walk past it without thinking, "Oh, it's Michael Crawford."

I do like the purple lining of his jacket...a really nice touch. I remember reading an article in People Magazine around 1988 or 1989 that mentioned it's his favorite color. Then, when I saw him in concert a year or two later, my seat was at a slightly sideaways angle to the stage and I kept seeing glimpses of his jacket's purple lining. So I give the figure's creators a few bonus points for that detail.