Unappreciated/Forgotten Phantoms?

I was thinking the other day, about The Phantoms that don't get much discussion, most likely due to how long ago they performed, I want to make a website dedicated to these people, as I think they deserve to be remembered.

Here are some I thought of.

Peter Hofmann, Florian Schnieder, , Rene Simard..Robert Guillaume, Craig Schulman Rob Guest.. Alfred Hambley-Smith, Nick Saverine. Tim Tobin, Peter Polycarpou, Ernst D. Suttheimer , Simon Bowman, Mark McKerracher, Marcus Lovett , Grant Norman, Ciarán Sheehan, Michael Nicholson, Dale Tracy, Jerzy Jezke


Can anyone think of more?

I don't think Steve Barton gets nearly enough recognition as a great Phantom, but a lot of that is due to the fact he's more known for being the original Raoul (and the gold standard in that role).

Peter Cousens, Jeff Hyslop, Cris Groenendaal, Rick Hilsabeck, James Patterson, Timothy Nolen, Kevin Gray, Mark Jacoby, Ron Bohmer, Mike Sterling, Thomas James O'Leary, and Ted Keegan are all, some to a greater extent than others, not quite as talked-about as other, mostly more recent Phantoms.

Oooh, I agree about Mike Sterling. He was a fine Phantom, and one that had been a favourite of many had he done the role today, I'm sure of it.

Simon Bowman's Phantom is one that should be forgotten, though... I don't think he got the Phantom at all. He was, however, a good Raoul.

I also think a lot of the foreign (I.E. non-English) Phantoms should get a lot more recognition. Saulo Vasconcelos in Mexico/Brazil, Flemming Enevold and Peter Jorde in Denmark, several of the Japanese Phantoms (Yamaguchi and Ichimura comes to mind), Henk Poort in Holland, Thomas Schulze in Germany...

operafantomet wrote:
I also think a lot of the foreign (I.E. non-English) Phantoms should get a lot more recognition. Saulo Vasconcelos in Mexico/Brazil, Flemming Enevold and Peter Jorde in Denmark, several of the Japanese Phantoms (Yamaguchi and Ichimura comes to mind), Henk Poort in Holland, Thomas Schulze in Germany...

*grabs onto Henk Poort*

Yes, of course the foreign ones should get some props. Ethan Freeman was an interesting Phantom in London, but hearing him when he was in Essen is a COMPLETELY different experience.

As much as I loved him as Firmin (especially his hilariously dry "We need you, too"), I feel it's a shame that Jeff Keller was only an interim Phantom. His Act I finale and Final Lair are heartbreaking.

ML6 wrote:Yes, of course the foreign ones should get some props. Ethan Freeman was an interesting Phantom in London, but hearing him when he was in Essen is a COMPLETELY different experience.

EXTREMELY different! I would never have guessed it was the same performer.

operafantomet wrote:Oooh, I agree about Mike Sterling. He was a fine Phantom, and one that had been a favourite of many had he done the role today, I'm sure of it.

Definitely.

ML6 wrote:Ethan Freeman was an interesting Phantom in London, but hearing him when he was in Essen is a COMPLETELY different experience.

Really? I was going to mention Freeman, because he's one of my favorites from his time in London and Toronto, but I don't know what his performances in Essen or Vienna were like.

Paula74 wrote:As much as I loved him as Firmin (especially his hilariously dry "We need you, too"), I feel it's a shame that Jeff Keller was only an interim Phantom. His Act I finale and Final Lair are heartbreaking.

Absolutely. Of course, if we get into understudies, there are tons who have been forgotten.

Paula74 wrote:As much as I loved him as Firmin (especially his hilariously dry "We need you, too"), I feel it's a shame that Jeff Keller was only an interim Phantom. His Act I finale and Final Lair are heartbreaking.

I know I talked with someone about the whole thing with Jeff's temporary stint as the principle Broadway Phantom a while back. Was it something about his contract with the company that prevented him from being conferred full Phantom status? I can't remember.

Anyhow, everything I've ever heard about Keller's Phantom has been positive, so it does seem like a shame he never got to keep the role.

~Madame~

SenorSwanky wrote:

ML6 wrote:Ethan Freeman was an interesting Phantom in London, but hearing him when he was in Essen is a COMPLETELY different experience.

Really? I was going to mention Freeman, because he's one of my favorites from his time in London and Toronto, but I don't know what his performances in Essen or Vienna were like.

Ethan Freeman was a very possesive and Leroux-y Phantom. He actually pulled off (in Essen) a 'controlled maestro' and a 'intelligent' Phantom. Someone pointed this out to me, and thankfully, I have it preserved (won't go into any detail). When the Christine starts her vocalizing in the title song, he makes this gesture with his hand on how her voice starts to rise, and he mouths along with Christine her 'ah's'. He continues to do so. Plus, when he gets angry, good lord, does he get angry. You don't want to mess with him. His Phantom in London acted wonderfully, but his voice didn't fit to me. But when I heard him how he sounded years later, I was comepletely (like Anea) blown away. Thus, I treasure his time in Essen to outshine his time in Toronto and London.

Count-Alexiel-Ravenswood wrote:I was thinking the other day, about The Phantoms that don't get much discussion, most likely due to how long ago they performed, I want to make a website dedicated to these people, as I think they deserve to be remembered.

Here are some I thought of.

Peter Hofmann, Florian Schnieder, , Rene Simard..Robert Guillaume, Craig Schulman Rob Guest.. Alfred Hambley-Smith, Nick Saverine. Tim Tobin, Peter Polycarpou, Ernst D. Suttheimer , Simon Bowman, Mark McKerracher, Marcus Lovett , Grant Norman, Ciarán Sheehan, Michael Nicholson, Dale Tracy, Jerzy Jezke


Can anyone think of more?

Polycarpou was my first Phantom, lol. It's really odd to try and picture him in the role now as he doesn't strike you appearance-wise as being right for the Phantom, but there you go. But it was my first time, so I don't really remember any particular nuances in his performance. Simon Bowman was nothing to shout about as the Phantom.

Rob Guest is fairly well remembered, at least he is in Oz, especially in light of his recent and sad passing. Plus he's the guy in those promo clips they kept using for so long. I suppose Hoffmann is remembered insofar as he was recorded on the Hamburg cast album. The poor man is apparently poverty-stricken now and has Parkinson's disease and can't even afford decent medical care. There was a news announcement recently in the German press that his ex-wife, Deborah Sasson, who's starring in one of the touring "copy-cat" and awful-looking German stage adaptations of Phantom, organised that the proceeds of one of the performances of that show went towards his healthcare. I don't really know much about his Phantom but I'm not a fan of his just going on the cast recording. He just sounds far too old and not remarkable enough. Personally, I much prefer Alexander Goebel.

I don't know much about Florian Schneider's Phantom, but I'm not a huge fan of his vocals on the Swiss highlights single. The vibrato is just...too fast and übercontrolled, I think...it puts me off.

Re: Ethan Freeman, I loved that awesome gesture he did during Christine's vocalisations. He did that in London. It could have easily come across as plain silly and stupid yet he somehow made it work and made it believable. I have no idea what his performances in Toronto or Essen were like.

I wish people remembered Peter Cousens more, he was superb (as the Phantom I mean, though I know he did Raoul before that in Oz). Not so much for the vocals but for his excellent acting.

Ben Cramer, who alternated with Henk Poort in the Netherlands, was a pretty interesting Phantom. Some nice little touches.

I also think people these days forget just how mesmerising Crawford was *live in performance*. You really can't judge how phenomenal that man was just going on the cast recording. Even after the many Phantoms we've had, his performance in the theatre was of such a high standard that it doesn't surprise me people were so adamant he was cast in the film (though frankly I'm glad he wasn't, I wouldn't have wanted him associated with it).

Scorp wrote:

Re: Ethan Freeman, I loved that awesome gesture he did during Christine's vocalisations. He did that in London. It could have easily come across as plain silly and stupid yet he somehow made it work and made it believable. I have no idea what his performances in Toronto or Essen were like.

I also think people these days forget just how mesmerising Crawford was *live in performance*. You really can't judge how phenomenal that man was just going on the cast recording. Even after the many Phantoms we've had, his performance in the theatre was of such a high standard that it doesn't surprise me people were so adamant he was cast in the film (though frankly I'm glad he wasn't, I wouldn't have wanted him associated with it).

Regarding Crawford, a lot of people are a copycat. I'm waiting for something new, or someone to do a gesture or add something totally different but make it work. I know that's not allowed, but I'd love to see a different approach in the MotN/The Morning After... or better yet, PoNR/Final Lair.

ML6 wrote:Ethan Freeman was a very possesive and Leroux-y Phantom. He actually pulled off (in Essen) a 'controlled maestro' and a 'intelligent' Phantom. ... When the Christine starts her vocalizing in the title song, he makes this gesture with his hand on how her voice starts to rise, and he mouths along with Christine her 'ah's'.

Sounds brilliant. His acting in London was a little bizarre and over-the-top at times (same with his Javert, though I would have loved to have seen his Andre because that is such a quirky, high-strung character), but his presence and physicality, overall, were awesome. Some actors just embody the role naturally; they convey the character with a simple look and body language. That's probably the quality that really sets apart my favorite Phantoms from the mediocre ones, more than voice or any particular acting choices. Though I do love Ethan's voice. Nice, flexible baritone.

Scorp wrote:Rob Guest is fairly well remembered, at least he is in Oz

I think that's where we have a bit of a divide on some performers; it depends somewhat on your geographic location, particularly in the pre-Internet-phandom days (which is mostly what we're talking about). I think Guest was always under Anthony Warlow's shadow both in Oz and globally, but I think Guest was actually superior (if not vocally, acting-wise).

I suppose Hoffmann is remembered insofar as he was recorded on the Hamburg cast album. The poor man is apparently poverty-stricken now and has Parkinson's disease and can't even afford decent medical care.

That's so sad. But that's a nice thing his ex did.

I also think people these days forget just how mesmerising Crawford was *live in performance*. You really can't judge how phenomenal that man was just going on the cast recording.

Definitely, absolutely. Same with Colm.

it doesn't surprise me people were so adamant he was cast in the film (though frankly I'm glad he wasn't, I wouldn't have wanted him associated with it).

Yeah, I feel the same way in hindsight.

I was thinking when I first read this topic about Franc D'Ambrosio. He was well known and beloved in the 90s, and still is one of the three or four longest-running Phantoms in the world (I think only Howard McGillin and Rob Guest surpassed him), but you don't hear a lot of people talk about him anymore. He was never quite my cup of tea, but he's got a wonderful voice.

SenorSwanky wrote:

ML6 wrote:Ethan Freeman was a very possesive and Leroux-y Phantom. He actually pulled off (in Essen) a 'controlled maestro' and a 'intelligent' Phantom. ... When the Christine starts her vocalizing in the title song, he makes this gesture with his hand on how her voice starts to rise, and he mouths along with Christine her 'ah's'.

Sounds brilliant. His acting in London was a little bizarre and over-the-top at times (same with his Javert, though I would have loved to have seen his Andre because that is such a quirky, high-strung character), but his presence and physicality, overall, were awesome. Some actors just embody the role naturally; they convey the character with a simple look and body language. That's probably the quality that really sets apart my favorite Phantoms from the mediocre ones, more than voice or any particular acting choices. Though I do love Ethan's voice. Nice, flexible baritone.

I love his voice, too. But for some odd reason, I can't feel him singing as the Phantom in English! It could be because I had heard him in Elisabeth beforehand, and so I associated him speaking in German. But, I love all the other roles and songs he has performed in English! Ah, well, I'm pretty sure it'd grow on me. One day, I'd love to see him as Krolock.

Very true about Franc. I remember how much love he used to get on the mailing list. Grant Norman and Peter Cousens, too. Anyone else recall Nicola's novel-length reviews?

Davis Gaines was before my time but I recall he had a LOT of admirers back in the day.

Agreeing with Swanky on Thomas James O'Leary, but then I'm pretty biased in that respect. I think it's a HUGE shame that he seems to have given up singing entirely. He had such a beautiful voice. I'm predisposed to liking tenors in the role because of him.

Also--Mikael Samuelson?

Definitely have to agree re: Tobin and Sterling.

And as beloved as he is in Germany, Ian Jon Bourg deserves a whole lot more recognition IMO. (Why Uwe Kröger was cast to dub the film I'll never understand)

Elisabetta611 wrote:
And as beloved as he is in Germany, Ian Jon Bourg deserves a whole lot more recognition IMO.

AMEN!

Freyalise wrote:Davis Gaines was before my time but I recall he had a LOT of admirers back in the day.

He still does, and should. He's masterful, which is why he's in my avatar.

Agreeing with Swanky on Thomas James O'Leary

TJO was my first Phantom, but the people I listed weren't necessarily ones I like that I think should get more recognition. They were just ones that simply don't get talked about a lot these days.

Back to Jeff Keller for a moment...didn't his interim stint as The Phantom occur when Marcus Lovett left somewhat before his contract expired to do a show at Lincoln Center?

Marcus Lovett doesn't get much mention at all, for that matter. I can't say I've ever heard him in the role, though I love him on the King David recording.

Paula74 wrote:Back to Jeff Keller for a moment...didn't his interim stint as The Phantom occur when Marcus Lovett left somewhat before his contract expired to do a show at Lincoln Center?

You saw that article, too? I just read it. It might have been during that time, but the article did say Keller was only doing two performances at the end of Lovett's contract with Phantom, which was due to end when he had to jump into Carousel anyway. Following Lovett was Davis Gaines, though I do seem to remember that Keller did do an extended run in spring/summer 1994, which was between Lovett and Gaines. Unfortunately, the invaluable Phantom on Broadway site is no longer up because it was hosted on Geocities and wasn't transferred elsewhere, so I have no way of checking previous cast lists.

Freyalise wrote:Very true about Franc. I remember how much love he used to get on the mailing list. Grant Norman and Peter Cousens, too. Anyone else recall Nicola's novel-length reviews?

I do! I never saw Norman's Phantom though, but I agreed with Nicola Waters on so many points re Cousens. I used to love her site. What ever happened to her? I can't find any trace of her, whereas you can still find Christine Daaé lurking about here and there.

Two London Phantoms I rarely see mentioned these days: Glyn Kerslake and Martin Smith. The latter especially, whose performance seems to be a bit of a mystery, as I have yet to find someone who said they saw him (not sure if PhantomCat ever did or not). He didn't do the role for that long, and he sadly died prematurely in the mid-90s from some kind of lung disease...was it bronchitis? I forget. I'm not sure I've even seen any photos of him as the Phantom. He is by far one of the most obscure ones.

Did anyone see Samuelson? Did Josefine? I want to know more about his performance. When I first heard the Swedish cast recording, I was put off a bit by his vocals, but they've since grown on me a lot and I've really taken to him.

Also I don't think I've ever heard what some Phantom understudies in the London production were like, like Garth Bardsley, James Paterson (the original Passarino), James Graeme (who starred in that ill-fated flop Too Close to the Sun last year)... Quite interested to know what Paterson was like because when Crawford and Barton were both out due to injury, he had to go on, and the show was so hyped up back then that it even made the news:



Also, what was Tim Nolen like as the Phantom? He must have had some attention as Crawford's replacement on Broadway, I mean even Dave Willetts got attention for being that in London. It's weird to think of him as the Phantom, I can't get the image of Judge Turpin out of my head.

Scorp wrote:Two London Phantoms I rarely see mentioned these days: Glyn Kerslake and Martin Smith.

So obscure I even forgot about them. I don't think I've ever seen or heard anything of Smith...at all, which is probably something I can't say of just about any other principal Phantom in any production. Usually I've at least seen a blurry photo.

Also, what was Tim Nolen like as the Phantom?

Surprisingly good, I think. One of the more operatic Phantoms, obviously, but a strong voice and pretty solid acting, especially in the FL, which is where it really counts (for me, at least). Not stiff like his Turpin. Struggled a bit with the score (and transposed parts of it down to suit his voice, which is part of what led to him leaving/getting fired after such a short time).

SenorSwanky wrote:

Scorp wrote:Two London Phantoms I rarely see mentioned these days: Glyn Kerslake and Martin Smith.

So obscure I even forgot about them. I don't think I've ever seen or heard anything of Smith...at all, which is probably something I can't say of just about any other principal Phantom in any production. Usually I've at least seen a blurry photo.

Apparently PhantomCat did see Martin Smith after all, but only once. Says he struggled a bit with the score, but that could have been down to the illness that would kill him, who knows? IIRC Smith was reasonably well-known to UK audiences at the time as I think he starred in Crossroads, a minor soap that ended long ago.

Also, what was Tim Nolen like as the Phantom?

Surprisingly good, I think. One of the more operatic Phantoms, obviously, but a strong voice and pretty solid acting, especially in the FL, which is where it really counts (for me, at least). Not stiff like his Turpin. Struggled a bit with the score (and transposed parts of it down to suit his voice, which is part of what led to him leaving/getting fired after such a short time).

What was transposed down for Nolen? As in transposed a whole octave or a key change? Not fan of changes to keys in Phantom! Which reminds me, no-one seems to have picked up on this, but I swear when I went to see the Vegas production 2 years ago I had a "WTF?" moment because the beginning of the rooftop scene had been transposed up a semitone. It sounded odd.

Speaking of people leaving, does anyone know exactly why Jeff Keller left/was fired? Are we even allowed to talk about it? No worries if not. I really liked his Firmin when I saw the Broadway production, one of the best Firmins I've seen actually.

(Why Uwe Kröger was cast to dub the film I'll never understand)

Or indeed why he was cast in Essen. Now there's a Phantom who deserves to be forgotten about...

Scorp wrote:What was transposed down for Nolen? As in transposed a whole octave or a key change?

I'm not really sure exactly (not very literate in music theory), but I seem to remember him singing the "I have brought you..." part prior to MOTN significantly lower than it's written, and possibly the "be" in MOTN as well.

Speaking of people leaving, does anyone know exactly why Jeff Keller left/was fired? Are we even allowed to talk about it? No worries if not.

It's only the subject of rumors, which hold that he was fired due to something that happened offstage/backstage. But that's probably why we shouldn't talk about it. It's even less substantiated than the whole Colm/Caine thing.

I was fortunate enough to see both Glyn Kerslake and Garth Bardsley. Odd luck I have with understudies. Glyn did have sort of a more popish sound to his voice but oddly it grew on me. His acting though, was perfect. He didn't walk across the stage.. he sort of glided. His chemistry was Jill was amazing, he made it very clear from the getgo that he loved her.


Garth, was a good understudy, VERY British sounding (more than Sterling for sure) and I was amused by the way his accent made him sound on certain lines (A toad..Mehdame?) but he looked..somewhat odd in the role, not Craig Schulman odd, but not Jeff Hyslop odd either, I cant explain it. I remember that he did understand the character but his voice wasn't exactly..Phantom. I also remember that he kinda f***ed up the cape removal during Christine's cadenza at the end of the title song..

Count-Alexiel-Ravenswood wrote:I was fortunate enough to see both Glyn Kerslake and Garth Bardsley. Odd luck I have with understudies. Glyn did have sort of a more popish sound to his voice but oddly it grew on me. His acting though, was perfect. He didn't walk across the stage.. he sort of glided. His chemistry was Jill was amazing, he made it very clear from the getgo that he loved her.

I liked Glyn's Phantom, I remember he described his vision of the character on television as being "majestic", which explains the whole gliding thing. And I really liked his voice. It did have a 'pop' flavour but I never felt it was inappropriate for the role.

I never saw Mike Sterling's Phantom, but I did see him as Raoul. Can't say I remember much of his performance...it was an awful long time ago.

Garth, was a good understudy, VERY British sounding (more than Sterling for sure) and I was amused by the way his accent made him sound on certain lines (A toad..Mehdame?) but he looked..somewhat odd in the role, not Craig Schulman odd, but not Jeff Hyslop odd either, I cant explain it. I remember that he did understand the character but his voice wasn't exactly..Phantom. I also remember that he kinda f***ed up the cape removal during Christine's cadenza at the end of the title song..

Ah well that's 3 Phantoms that I've now heard stuff about tonight: Martin Smith, Glyn Kerslake and Garth Bardsley, all nicely brought out obscurity.

Did anyone see Samuelson? Did Josefine? I want to know more about his performance. When I first heard the Swedish cast recording, I was put off a bit by his vocals, but they've since grown on me a lot and I've really taken to him.

Josefine saw him multiple times in Stockholm. In fact, she never caught an understudy there, Samuelson performed for 6 years straight, only missing some very few performances. I remember she told she was about to go one night, but changed her mind (or something), and the next she heard was that u/s Jan Kyhle had been on as the Phantom... He-he.

I'm sure Josefine will tell a lot more about Samuelson's portrayal, but from everything I've heard he had a wonderful hand thing going on, very expressive. I've heard that from several, and I think I would have loved to see him live. Just like you, I was put off by his vocals first time I heard the Swedish CD (I think I even hated it at one point), but today he's the Phantom I love the most of those I've never seen. Unique style and interpretation.

Struggled a bit with the score (and transposed parts of it down to suit his voice, which is part of what led to him leaving/getting fired after such a short time).

You know, Preben Kristensen did the same in Copenhagen, in the second half of "I have brought you" and "I gave you my music". And it wasn't because he couldn't sing the notes, he was perfectly capable of it, judging from his singing in general. Never got an explanation to why he did it, but when I asked the conductor he said something about it Kristensen not being the only one. So Nolen did the same?

Or indeed why he was cast in Essen. Now there's a Phantom who deserves to be forgotten about...

I've never been happier to get an understudy than that day in Essen in 2006!! Uwe Kröger was to perform, but had an injury. Got Ian Jon Bourg instead, which I am SOOO happy about! He was to take over the role anyway, as they did the "4 Phantoms" thing in Essen, but I remember he said that day that he filled in on a very short notice. Yay for that!

operafantomet wrote:

Or indeed why he was cast in Essen. Now there's a Phantom who deserves to be forgotten about...

I've never been happier to get an understudy than that day in Essen in 2006!! Uwe Kröger was to perform, but had an injury. Got Ian Jon Bourg instead, which I am SOOO happy about! He was to take over the role anyway, as they did the "4 Phantoms" thing in Essen, but I remember he said that day that he filled in on a very short notice. Yay for that!

Oh you lucky girl. I was told that on the days he performed, his theatre wasn't that full. He IS one weird Phantom. Oh god, his running, his singing, and let alone, his PONR is hilarious. I can't say any more, but he should stick to playing Der Tod in Elisabeth - since the role can be taken male or female.

I wish I would have seen what the Ian Jon Bourg Phantom in German would have been like! I do think that Thomas Borchert is a lovely Phantom, and perhaps one of the few that is overlooked too. His mannerisms as the Phantom are quite refined and at times downright creepy. But out of the four, those three (inlcuding Ethan) should be praised for their Essen run. But Uwe should go away...

I think it's even funnier that Uwe wanted to originate the role of Graf Von Krolock in Tanz Der Vampire. I can just imagine that.. "Ummm...No."

Fernand Delosch was also a interesting Phantom, from what I have seen and what friends have told me of him, he was incredibly creepy as well.

Count-Alexiel-Ravenswood wrote:I think it's even funnier that Uwe wanted to originate the role of Graf Von Krolock in Tanz Der Vampire. I can just imagine that.. "Ummm...No."

I REMEMBER THAT. It was crazy. Uwe needs to stay away from both the Graf and Phantom.