25th anniversary celebrations

My response to the ALW interview is mneh, really. He can say what he likes, but as someone who enjoyed LND I'm not outraged at his (admittedly unfounded and ridiculous) claims. What, however, has really irritated me is an article in The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2011/sep/30/phantom-opera-25-lloyd-webber#start-of-comments); it smacks of cultural snobbery towards a) popular musicals and b) ALW. So what if Phantom isn't daring, challenging theatre? It's still very well-constructed visually and dramaturgically (hence my anger at "safe musical world of false feelings and empty spectacle" - I would level this accusation at the Wickeds/Mamma Mias of this world).

The Hal Prince article is interesting though as it stresses how the concert will be paying homage to the elements of the original production that made it such an overwhelming success. I'm intrigued as to how the concert will pan out!

Raphael wrote:

operafantomet wrote:
As much/most of these video interviews so far has not been available in Norway (many has been UK or US only), could you give a brief summary of the wise thoughts of the good Lord? Or is it too Love Never Dies is my opus magna and you're all obliged to love it painful?

ALW says he didn't specifically write PotO for Sarah Brightman, evades the interviewer's statement that Michael Crawford was difficult to work with, takes some blame for London LND's failure due to it not being quite right in all departments but that the press were taken in by a couple in Toronto and the bad preview reviews that "were all made up and came out of a server in Utah."

TAFKaR

Jumpin' Jesus on a pogo stick, is he STILL on about that? Are we sure he doesn't have a tinfoil hat or two stashed somewhere?

But this is the main reason why I still on the fence about going to this--there's a lot of promising tidbits coming out (lackluster casting of leads notwithstanding), but I honestly do not trust ALW not to turn the concert into another platform for pushing his little self-indulgent vanity project, and I'm not shelling out twenty-some bucks to watch him do so. We'll have some reports tomorrow, so I'll probably decide then.

~LCD

Raphael wrote:

operafantomet wrote:
As much/most of these video interviews so far has not been available in Norway (many has been UK or US only), could you give a brief summary of the wise thoughts of the good Lord? Or is it too Love Never Dies is my opus magna and you're all obliged to love it painful?

ALW says he didn't specifically write PotO for Sarah Brightman, evades the interviewer's statement that Michael Crawford was difficult to work with, takes some blame for London LND's failure due to it not being quite right in all departments but that the press were taken in by a couple in Toronto and the bad preview reviews that "were all made up and came out of a server in Utah."

TAFKaR

Unbelievable.

Hey all!, well today is the day, I'm seeing the evening performance today, any other phans coming along?
I have had an idea! Any chance that people could go to stage door for autographs? I would love to get everyones autographs, MC, RK, SB, CW, AW,JOJ(again), etc!!! Anyone else think it could be a good idea?
OG

Earlfan and I are attending tonight. PM one of us in advance if you'd like to meet up, maybe with your mobile number?

I doubt MC will be there tonight as he's performing as the Wizard.

I heard that during the 'Il Muto' ballet we will actually see the Phantom in a struggle with Buquet at the top of the false prosc arch, so I guess no shadows à la original production?

I wish I was more excited about this than I am right now. And if ALW goes on again about LND tonight I am probably going to scream and get ejected from the audience.

I don't agree with the Guardie blogger's thoughts about the original show, but he is right when it comes to the 2004 film and Love Never Dies. Both of those completely eliminated the disturbing and menacing aspects of the story, which is part of the reason that I don't like either of them.

Scorp wrote:
I heard that during the 'Il Muto' ballet we will actually see the Phantom in a struggle with Buquet at the top of the false prosc arch, so I guess no shadows à la original production?

Looks like they took a page from the Vegas production. Silhouettes still may be used as they are in Vegas and then cue everyone to look up and see the Phantom and Buquet high above for the hanging.

Both of those completely eliminated the disturbing and menacing aspects of the story, which is part of the reason that I don't like either of them.

Agreed. That's why I love the on-stage hanging of Buquet. Brings back a little of that menace and does so right in your face.

TAFKaR

If they are using the catwalk struggle between Buquet and the Phantom I will be very happy indeed because that was my favorite addition to the Vegas production for the reasons Raph articulated. It's too easy to forget that the Phantom is, under that gentlemanly facade, a murderer. Even in the original production it doesn't quite hit home because you never actually see him killing Buquet or Piangi, just the aftermath.

Has anyone heard anything about what's up with the chandelier? I remember reading earlier in this thread that they were trying to find one big enough to make an impact in the vastness of RAH and the existing ones available just weren't up to scale.

~Madame~

I had heard second-hand that they were using the 2004 Swarovski chandelier. Haven't heard anything official to confirm that, though.

TAFKaR

Kiera Duffy had to pull out of the production due to a throat infection (per her Twitter/Facebook page). Does anyone know who will be replacing her?

Scorp wrote:Earlfan and I are attending tonight. PM one of us in advance if you'd like to meet up, maybe with your mobile number?

I doubt MC will be there tonight as he's performing as the Wizard.

I heard that during the 'Il Muto' ballet we will actually see the Phantom in a struggle with Buquet at the top of the false prosc arch, so I guess no shadows à la original production?

I wish I was more excited about this than I am right now. And if ALW goes on again about LND tonight I am probably going to scream and get ejected from the audience.

I don't agree with the Guardie blogger's thoughts about the original show, but he is right when it comes to the 2004 film and Love Never Dies. Both of those completely eliminated the disturbing and menacing aspects of the story, which is part of the reason that I don't like either of them.

Enjoy the show, Scorp! From a report on London Tonight, there are sneak previews of the set (for those in the UK): extensive use of screens ahoy, but it does look marvellous: http://www.itv.com/london/phantom-of-the-opera93338/ Cameron mentions a lack of a flying grid in the RAH, so that complicates matter - I can't tell if the candelabras are projected or not (though they do rise, not like the touring version...fantastic!). The red curtain (for the operas) seems to be present too. Interesting that flames were projected onto the Don Juan backdrop, so maybe they have moved the chandelier crash.

I'm hoping to go to a screening tomorrow, if not, I look forward to the reports from those who are going tonight and tomorrow! Watching Cameron talk about the show is actually much more interesting than with ALW as he is so much more comfortable being interviewed and selling POTO, rather than being haunted by LND as ALW is.

ETA: Cameron CONFIRMS the UK Tour opening in Plymouth next March, stating he's working with ALW to create new sets and have a completely different approach to the show. Fascinating stuff.

Amberly_Nichole wrote:Kiera Duffy had to pull out of the production due to a throat infection (per her Twitter/Facebook page). Does anyone know who will be replacing her?

How terrible! I don't have any particular attachment to her in the role, but I can't imagine what a huge disappointment it would be to have to pull out of something like this. Poor thing.

Madame Giry wrote:If they are using the catwalk struggle between Buquet and the Phantom I will be very happy indeed because that was my favorite addition to the Vegas production for the reasons Raph articulated. It's too easy to forget that the Phantom is, under that gentlemanly facade, a murderer. Even in the original production it doesn't quite hit home because you never actually see him killing Buquet or Piangi, just the aftermath.

I've read more than one phic which tried to insist that the Phantom never really meant to kill anyone and the deaths were caused by other circumstances or were accidental (seriously, how do you accidentally strangle someone to death? It's not like misfiring a gun or clonking them too hard on the head, you have to work at it!). It's irritating as all get-out, so I welcome this variation as well.

Have fun, everyone who's attending tonight! I await with baited breath your reports.

~LCD

Wonder how last-minute Duffy's pulling-out was--probably even more so than her casting! Hope they were able to find someone to rehearse in enough time.

I hope they didn't move the chandelier crash. That's one of the things that's unfortunate about the shortened Vegas production.

I won't be able to attend the live screening tomorrow now because of playoff baseball rescheduling. Might try to go to the 5th screening if I hear it's worth it. Try to label spoilers as far as set design and special guest appearances and stuff.

Amberly_Nichole wrote:Kiera Duffy had to pull out of the production due to a throat infection (per her Twitter/Facebook page). Does anyone know who will be replacing her?

That is absolutely awful. I imagine the easiest thing to do would be to pull in a London Carlotta, but wow, what a let down for Ms. Duffy. This could have been a huge break for her.



ETA: There's a few former Carlottas in the 25th Anniversary Company. Maybe they'll promote one of them to the role for the occasion. Hmm.

~Madame~

I'm rather interested to see how they deal with the intermission or if this will be some hybrid Original/Vegas production. I recall when I saw the Les Miserables O2 concert in the movie theater, we had a 15-20 minute or so intermission and it wasn't even a live broadcast.

TAFKaR

I would kill to see Rosemary Ashe fill in. I mean, she's in the damn thing as the Confidante. Perhaps someone will ask if she can still sing the role...? I would love that call.

Otherwise, god, subliminal LND propaganda here I come... so not looking forward to my date at the cinema tomorrow. Scorp, Earlfan, be our guinea pigs!

Wow, that IS a Carlotta moment, having to resign the role in the last minute...! Only for today, though, or for all concerts? I'm dying to see Rosemary Ashe step in as well, but it might be better if she doesn't (just because no-one else of the original cast have repeated their roles since the early 90s). But WHO will Carlotta be? I'm sure they have had stand-bys or at least someone halfly prepared for each lead, just in case.

Would also dye to see Rebecca Caine do it, but again... neeh.

Other than that, those visiting this thread knows there'll be a lot of spoilers here, right? Just a kind warning that we'll probably all tell lots of details from the concerts, and if you don't want to know anything before seeing it for yourself, stop reading...

Spoiler 1: as others have mentioned, the Phantom and Buquet will get into a fight (or whatever) up on the proscenium. I got the impression from the guy playing Buquet that they planned to make it even more dramatic originally, but for technical and safety reasons they stuck to the proscenium top.

I agree that it would be amazing if Rosemary was asked to fill in.

As far as tomorrow's cinema engagement goes, I am ready to go and have a good time; got my Phantom costume all prepped and ready to go. Seriously, don't poison your mind against the whole thing. I, too, am peeved at all the LND hype, but I've decided to just (censored) it and focus on the stuff I love; the story, the music, the spectacle. And who knows, maybe there won't really be any LND stuff as you fear (unlikely, perhaps, but not entirely implausible).

Don't let ALW's stupidity ruin what should be an enjoyable experience for you.

~Madame~

Madame Giry wrote:
Don't let ALW's stupidity ruin what should be an enjoyable experience for you.

His stupidity is only a very small part of my issues. That alone would never ruin it for me (I'm still a phan, despite all his bullshit). It's the total sum of stuff that bugs me which will be a make-or-break for this concert. Right now I'm on the neutral side, and we'll see where I am tomorrow evening...

ETA: someone wrote in another forum that the whole thing is delayed, and the reason is that they have had no dress rehearsal of the second act due to technical difficulties. Eh?? The person writes it's just the word going around and nothing official. That IS to weird to be true, right? I mean, this isn't a LND reprise, with advanced projections sets they haven't fully tried out before opening the doors for the audience? No, it sounds too weird. IS the concert delayed tonight? And wouldn't this be related to main Carlotta bowing out?
http://www.phantomoftheopera.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=682002#forumpost682002

operafantomet wrote:

Madame Giry wrote:
Don't let ALW's stupidity ruin what should be an enjoyable experience for you.

His stupidity is only a very small part of my issues. That alone would never ruin it for me (I'm still a phan, despite all his bullshit). It's the total sum of stuff that bugs me which will be a make-or-break for this concert. Right now I'm on the neutral side, and we'll see where I am tomorrow evening...

I was actually responding to ML6 but forgot to quote his comments. He said:

Otherwise, god, subliminal LND propaganda here I come... so not looking forward to my date at the cinema tomorrow.

I suppose that going in with a neutral perspective is fair; but for goodness' sakes don't go see the thing anticipating that you're going to be annoyed/let down. After all, this may be the last time in a while that we Phantom fans (of any stripe or inclination) can geek out in a movie theater. Heck, it might be the last time ALW/RUG does anything like this for Phantom at all. I'm not saying you have to love it and think it the Gold Standard of Phantom performances, far from - you know I have some big misgivings about certain aspects of the production, but I am saying keep an open mind and try to look at the positives.

Man, I hope they can get the kinks ironed out for the first performance. They're likely to have a huge crowd tonight. No pressure or anything.

~Madame~

Ah, gotcha.

Wendy Ferguson has replaced Kiera Duffy as Carlotta, according to Scorp who is in the audience tonight. Now, y'all know I'm not her biggest fan, so I'm kinda.... eeeh about that. I hoped for something spectacular, like Rosemary Ashe, Rebecca Caine or Rebecca Lock. But I'm glad to see someone who knows the part well gets to perform it, at least. Costume wise it also makes a lot of sense to use of the current Carlottas at Her Majesty's (they already have fitted costumes), and through this I'm not surprised the choice was Ferguson. She's the main Carlotta, she's popular amongst fans, and I also think Mackintosh has a weak spot for her.

I wonder if Duffy is out for all performances, or just for the Saturday ones. Will be interesting to see tomorrow.

ETA: Katie Hall twittered two days ago that "...well done to jeremysecomb and Wendy fergusson for stepping in last minute. They're nailing it!!". Does this mean Jeremy Secomb has replaced the celebrity Piangi they had cast? https://twitter.com/#!/katie1hall/status/119417758705397761

Yeah, I thought it might come down to a London Carlotta. Interesting to hear about Secomb, too.

While I suspect that Kiera will not be well enough to perform tomorrow (or at least, if she's feeling better, she won't risk damaging her voice until she's certain she's recovered in full), I do wonder if they'll keep Wendy tomorrow or if they're scrambling around for another 'big name' Carlotta for the Live Broadcast. Hm.

~Madame~

I'm looking forward to the Special Guest line up, tbh. That's one of the main reasons why I'm seeing it in the theatre near me (and probably why I'll buy it, too).

Just cause I'm a major gossip queen tonight (and just got internet connection again), here's a picture someone twittered which was re-twittered which was blogged which was re-blogged (etc) of the auction set when entering RAH:

http://belliole.tumblr.com/post/10897588251/givewhatyoucangive-allthingsphantom

I read the chandelier was huge. That IS huge.

wow, looks like the whole proscenium is lowered there too (well the part with the angel and garlands) a bit bummed out that the chandelier is not starting onstage.

Apparently JOJ's involved somehow as well?

From Katy Treharne's Twitter:

Big up for the welsh men tonight at #phantom25 @wynneevans and @johnowenjones phabulous!!

Miss von Krolock wrote:Apparently JOJ's involved somehow as well?

From Katy Treharne's Twitter:

Big up for the welsh men tonight at #phantom25 @wynneevans and @johnowenjones phabulous!!

He told me not to tell anybody, but yes, he is. Oh, MadameGiry, I'm a lady (not a man).

Scorp talked to me very briefly about this whole concert, this is what he had to say (I'll summarize):


THIS WHOLE PORTION WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS:

Things Scorp Liked:

Even though the chandelier was the movie chandelier, the overture was great and the end of ACT 1 was also spectacular. (However, there is no actual 'chandelier crash', all that happens is that sparks fly out of the chandelier like fireworks.)

Gareth Snook and Barry James are good managers and they were a lot better than their previous time spent as the managers.

The setting of the Palais Garnier, no more Opera Populaire shit. It was set in Palais Garnier. The end.

The 'conductor' idea for the Phantom after 'All I Ask of You' was--thankfully--not present.

Sierra Boggess' 'Wishing' was pleasant and got the biggest round of applause of any song (far exceeding Music of the Night's).

A few original ideas though there weren't enough. One was showing the wall of the managers office by projection, covered in posters of the opera's previous productions. Another was Carlotta changing into her Il Muto's costume behind a screen in the section Prima Donna, in the section where she would be sitting in the rotating chair. (Although, this wouldn't make much sense, because why would she be changing into her Il Muto costume days before the show?)

Another thing Scorp liked was that both Buquet and Piangi's death's were explicit so that they would be both recognized as Buquet and Piangi.

The tempo of Little Lotte is how it was like in the 80's, and not rushed like how it is played now.

Wandering Child WAS a trio.

The orchestra.

They managed to invoke Maria's 101 camp things to do with curtains by projecting the curtains. However, they were clearly projections and the downside was you lost the sense of being able to literally inhale the incense and smell the fabric as Hal Prince intended.

When they hear the Phantom recite his notes you see him projected writing the notes, it is quite cool.

A nice addition to the staging at the end of Point of No Return makes it sense why the police didn't capture the Phantom before he captures Christine again. When they tried to shoot, the Phantom throws a spark pellet which prevents the police from getting to them (like in Vegas, the flames in Wandering Child issue from his hand and not from a skull staff).

The after show was better than the show itself. Andrew came out (and behaved himself), thanked the people he ought to thank (did not talk about a certain OTHER show), also paid tribute to Steve Barton, John Aron, and Mary Millar. Then, he welcomed on to the stage Cameron Mackintosh who was then joined by Gillian Lynne and Andrew Bridge. Scorp didn't remember seeing the lyricists, but if they were there they weren't introduced. Then ALW welcomed on the stage the Original London Cast of Phantom (whoever they could find), THEN he introduced Sarah Brightman. Sarah Brightman then sang the 'Title Song', however, like her recent concerts, she can't sing the high notes at the end... so she mimes to the original cast track (from the high C onwards). The people who take the Phantom's parts are 'past, present and future'. On Saturday night, there was Colm Wilkinson, Anthony Warlow, John Owen Jones, and Peter Joeback. Warlow and John Owen Jones were, by far, the best voices.

The souvenir brochure is gorgeous and everyone should buy it. It is similar to the Les Misérables O2 brochure.

Andrew kept hugging Cameron (yes, this is a positive according to Scorp).

Stephen John Davies as Don Attilio was great fun.


The Things Scorp Didn't Like:

Ramin Karimloo. He practically, for most of the first act, was completely off pitch to the point where it was distracting. Most notes were sharp, except in one instance... in the second act... where he went COMPELTELY flat with the notes at the end of 'and waits for its prey'. Even Sierra had pitch problems and turned the A flat at the end of 'dreams of love' into an A.

Hadley Fraser as Raoul. It is like Tim Martin Gleason II. Played Raoul as an unlikeable arrogant snob and every line shouted.

Bad blocking and directing. For example, there is no mirror in the lair. Christine faints with no apparent reason other than perhaps Ramin's off pitch voice caused her to faint. Another bad staging was the dressing room scene. At the point when Christine calls out for Raoul, Raoul is ascending the staircase and is technically in the same room as her. So it comes across as if he had just ignored her. (There is no dressing room.)

Sound problems in the mirror, mirror looks stupid, whoever the Phantom behind the mirror was appeared in reverse, like a mirror image...mask on wrong side of face etc.

Journey to the Lair is no where near the magical experience that it is in the stage show. Using the doubles do not make any sense and therefore is not useful to the scene (Christine double had blonde hair). They insisted on using projected, but then used real ones later on, resulting in the real candelabra making the fake look silly and artificial.

Very little humor during the show. Wendy Ferguson's Carlotta is humorless. Only Gareth Snook was successful in eliciting laughs from he audience.

Sierra ruined the final lair scene. When Raoul was released from the punjab lasso, she barely seemed to care and stayed still instead of running to him. When she and Raoul left, while singing 'Say you'll share with me', she kept looking at Ramin as if she was desperate to stay with him. So the way it's played comes across as simply, 'why the hell did Raoul bother?' It will tie in nicely for anyone who liked Love Never Dies (if they exist).

Because the orchestra was on view rather than in a pit, some of the theatre-within-a-theatre scenes didn't quite work. For instance, Andre has no one to address when he asks the ACT III ballet.

When singing the 'Title Song' with Sarah Brightman, Colm was the first verse. He was not in time and did not realise it until his verse had ended. Peter Jöback was completely miscast, and if he is going to be singing like that when he comes to Her Majesty's, we're in trouble.


IN CONCLUSION:


It was a well organized celebration with the sort of spectacle that is very rarely seen in a venue like the Albert Hall. However, the show itself did drag in parts and this is probably down to some bad casting choices. The principal trio are all lacking, as were Carlotta and Piangi. With a better cast, this could have been something magical. The after show event was far more interesting than the show itself. It would be terrible if the release on the DVD of this event precluded any release of the original production, which although older, actually lends itself to being filmed much more than this inferior substitute.

PS: Piangi was NOT replaced, it was Wynne Evans.

PPS: Scorp says to tell Operafantomet that he has her brochure specially signed by one of her idols.

My apologies, mademoiselle ML6.

*digests Scorp's account of the show*

Seems like a mixed bag. Sounds like it looks great and the music itself will be wonderful. Hopefully, there will be fewer pitch problems tomorrow. I can sort of live with all the other issues. There's not much that can be done about the actors' interpretations, alas. Maybe now that the cast has gotten one show under its belt they'll loosen up a bit tomorrow and be a bit more expressive and humorous?

*crosses fingers*

Thanks for the info, ML6 and Scorp.

~Madame~

Madame Giry wrote:My apologies, mademoiselle ML6.

Oh, you are most certainly excused Madame. ;D

This is what you do at night when you can't sleep, write a review Saw the show and I must say I've got mixed feelings about it. Will try to just write down as much as I can remember at the moment. Before the show I was not too excited about the cast but was more interested in what the scenery would actually be like and how they would manage to stage this at the RAH. Ok, the cast was not overall great and some things were rubbish but they did pretty well.

They used a lot of projections in the show, which sometimes worked really well and sometimes not.
During the overture they showed a projection of the Phantom (Maybe JOJ as it didn't look like Ramin) playing the organ, like he was playing the overture. Earl Carpenter was the auctioneer. He was not bad, but I can't say he really did anything special with the role either. Wendy Ferguson replaced Kiera Duffy and I must admit this made me a bit disappointed. I liked Wendy the first few times I saw her, but by now I think she's a bit boring so I would rather have seen someone else.

Hadley Fraser as Raoul didn't really work for me. His voice was strong and clear (shouted way to much during several parts of the show though) but he seemed to keep insisting on making Raoul appear as a really posh snob all way throughout the show. The Dressing Room Scene was a bit disappointing staging wise. A little table and a stool came up from the floor and that was it. They had nothing more, which made the scene feel a bit strange. It was not really a room at all so when Raoul left he had no door to walk through and Christine had no door to close.

During the title song it was way too obvious that they used doubles. The Christine double had a more blonde wig while Sierra's was very dark, someone messed up there. The bit were Christine faints during MOTN was not very good. No mirror bride, instead The Phantom grabbed Christine hard by the arm (at least I think this is what happened, it happened fast and if you blinked you would have missed it) and apparently she didn't like the Phantom trying to twist her arm so she fainted.

The projection they used for Il Muto actually worked very well, it showed a room with walls and a big door. They had two maids apart from Christine, who walked around dusting the mirrors and paintings on the walls. After all I Ask of You the Phantom did not turn out to be the conductor so I guessed they ditched that idea if there ever was a real plan to use it.

Masquerade I thought turned out really cool. Too see so many people dance at the same time was great, it really looked like a big party. They had no dummies since they had such a big ensemble that it was more than enough to fill the stage. The Phantom didn't use the firestick during Wondering Child, instead they had fire lighting up from different parts of the stage. I actually liked that.

The Grand Finale was probably what I was most looking forward to. Andrew came out on stage first and said a little speech. Then he was joined by Cameron, Gillian Lynne and others, and also the original cast. Sarah Brightman sang the Title Song with Anthony Warlow, Colm Wilkinson, JOJ, Ramin and Peter Jöback. Unfortunately, I must say that Peter was not very good. His voice was clearly much weaker than the others and after hearing that I'm not sure he will actually be able to do a really good Phantom for 8 shows a week. He's got a voice suited for popsongs, not the voice needed for Phantom.

Me and Scorp went to the stage door afterwards but it was so many people there it was difficult to see who came out the stage door and to get them to sign the brochures. A lot of people where clearly only there for Ramin, but they had to wait, when we left the stage door Ramin or Sierra had not yet appeared. Bet they were in there drinking champagne with Andrew all night since they are his little pets.