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25th anniversary celebrations

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Post  Raphael Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:28 am

I checked the website for 25th Anniversary merchandise. No souvenir brochure, so maybe it's an event exclusive. Oh well.

TAFKaR
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Post  Raphael Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:49 am

EarlFan wrote:The Phantom didn't use the firestick during Wondering Child, instead they had fire lighting up from different parts of the stage.
The Phantom has become Tim the Enchanter? Epic.

TAFKaR
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Post  Madame Giry Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:57 am

Raphael wrote:I checked the website for 25th Anniversary merchandise. No souvenir brochure, so maybe it's an event exclusive. Oh well.

TAFKaR

It might be really interesting to track one of those brochures down because it would likely feature Kiera Duffy in photos as Carlotta instead of Wendy. There's no way they could have changed the brochure overnight when Kiera bowed out due to that throat infection.

~Madame~

PS - For those just tuning in, see the previous page for two fairly in-depth reviews of the first performance of the Anniversary show. Smile
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Post  EarlFan Sun Oct 02, 2011 2:01 am

Some pictures....Phantom25
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Post  Madame Giry Sun Oct 02, 2011 2:22 am

Thanks for the pics, EarlFan! That 2004 movie chandelier looks great hanging up there. Seems to be a good-sized crowd, too.

A question that's been nagging at me; do you have any idea how many (if any) seats were just handed out to people on the street to get them to fill up the Hall? I know they were (and still are?) selling seats until the very last minute.

~Madame~
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Post  LadyCDaae Sun Oct 02, 2011 4:41 am

Thanks for the reports! It appears that, apart from some acting choices on Sierra's part, there's no aggressive attempt to promote LND or retcon it into plausibility, so I'll be glad to check it out. Hopefully some of the lackluster performances will have improved by tomorrow.

~LCD

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Post  operafantomet Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:34 am

Scorp and EarlFan, thanks for spoiling us rotten with those quick first-hand reviews and photos. That is deeply appreciated! I've read all of it, and it seems to be pretty much what I expected. Which is a bit disappointing, but as many has written - hopefully things will be tighter tomorrow.

Scorp, I am eternally grateful for you picking up that brochure. OMG WHO SIGNED IT??!??! *bounce*bounce*bounce*

Sierra Boggess’ ‘Wishing’ was pleasant and got the biggest round of applause than any song (far exceeding Music of the Night’s).
Actually surprising it was that song bringing down the house. But interesting. I've always felt that if this song is done well, it can be a showstopper (but more often than not it isn't). Glad to hear Sierra Boggess delivered the goods here.


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.
Like and LIIIIKE!


Ramin Karimloo. He practically, for most of the first act, he 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 it’s 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 the II. Played Raoul as an arrogant snob and every line shouted.
Oh no, oooooooh no.... Not good. Not good at all. Neutral Sounds like Hadley Fraser mixed up Javert and Raoul... And Ramin Karimloo.... whyyy... Sometimes his lack of proper voice training is all too apparent. I didn't think it would be for this event, so this makes me sad to hear. Was it really THAT apparent? I X my fingers for tighter performances today.


Masquerade I thought turned out really cool. To 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.
Sounds awesome! The chorus parts is the stuff I'm reeeeaaally looking forward to see.


As for Peter Jƶback... Ack. It's exactly what I expected. I admit it is too early to judge his portrayal based on the small concert stint, but judging from everything I've seen and heard him in the past I fail to see anything Phantom in him. And to follow John Owen Jones... That is asking for trouble. Peter Jƶback is more of a Raoul in my book, and not the Steve Barton/David Shannon kind of Raoul. I'm thinking Oliver Thornton Raoul. Why the PHANTOM? I'm guessing he's another of Mackintosh's favourites. Wikipedia states that Mackintosh was the one "discovering" him, and his previous work in the West End was in Witches of Eastwick and Miss Saigon (Mackintosh shows). He will be something new for sure, but I'm not positive the change is for the better.

PS - you guys have been quoted all over the web/phan world. Every place I go to check latest news contains your reports, or quotes from them. Laughing
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Post  operafantomet Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:28 am

Tabitha Webb has twittered a couple of pictures from the RAH event - mostly costume pictures. And not surprisingly, they have had to take some shortcuts to dress all the cast members. I doubt anyone in the audience will tell the difference, but I wanted to post it none-the-less:

25th anniversary celebrations - Page 13 Tabithawebbrah25
1. Tabitha Webb as "Wild Woman" in Hannibal. I assume the person in the background is one of the dress rehearsal princesses, but the dress she wears looks like a generic, rented Victorian dress and not one of BjĆørnson's creations.

2. Tabitha Webb as the "Bonbon" in Masquerade. Usually this character wears a hat which is a mini-version of the looped skirt. They've dropped it here and put on a lighter wire heargear of some sort. Both mask and head gear (which she also has a closeup of) looks like it was made for this event. They're not particularly detailed or advanced.

http://yfrog.com/user/halfpintsinger/photos


ETA: a video of Brightman singing the title song with Colm Wilkinson, Anthony Warlow, Peter Jƶback, John Owen Jones and Ramin Karimloo. Brightman does her weird arm thing and odd facial expressions, and the title song cadenza is definitely playback - and yet I adore her. I can't explain why. The Phantoms are interesting, all very different. John Owen Jones for the win! The clip ends in the whole cast singing the "I have brought you...." part to Andrew Lloyd Webber. Cute:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfPLg9BKEmA
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Post  operafantomet Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:48 am

Another review, which I admit I stole from a Facebook discussion, booooh me (I just found it too interesting not to share):

(...) The Royal Albert was not meant for full on shows. They did not use actual sets, it was all done on huge screens and because of where we sat, we could only see about 5% of the screens. In essence, we just watched people in costumes running around on a virtually empty stage. I believe it will look and sound fantastic in the cinema though because the cameras will capture everything and show it how it was meant to be seen. I also kept in mind throughout the show that they only did half a dress rehearsal so everyone was pretty much running through the show blind hoping nothing would go wrong.

Don't get me wrong, it was not a disaster or anything, the performances were really good (and I still have much love and respect for Colm even though I had to bury my head into my hubby's shoulder when he flubbed lol), I just think they should have started preparations for the show WAY earlier so they could have taken the time ensure everything would come together properly and then maybe they could have taken into account how it would look to a live audience. It definitely should have been held somewhere else. I'm really excited to see it in the cinema tonight and see how the show is supposed to look instead of straining to see anything in the horrible boiling hot seats we had lol

Makes me even more excited for tonight's screening, as we might benefit more from closeups and editing than the audience in RAH (though live is always cooler as such).
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Post  Scorp Sun Oct 02, 2011 12:20 pm

Don't thank me, thank ML6 for managing to summarise what I had told her beforehand...I was too tired to come online and post.

I think I will keep the identity of the person who signed your brochure secret till you get it, operafantomet... ;-) Although from talking to him/her, I can tell you that s/he knew Maria Bjƶrnson personally as s/he worked with her in another show before Phantom...

Josefine, I also got you a brochure as you requested, so if you're reading this, get in touch!

There were actually slips that accompanied all the brochures with Wendy Ferguson's picture and biography.

They were selling that ridiculously priced boxset, by the way. I really want the book that's in it! Anyone know if it's going to be sold separately?

I'm not sure if any seats were "handed out" to people on the streets, but I do know that staff at the RAH were able to get comps for the show. My flatmate is a steward there and got to sit in the stalls for free. But generally it seemed like a very packed (and very hot!) house.

I hope the fans who were calling everyone "haters" on Facebook for pointing out that this is NOT the stage show as we are accustomed to it realise when they see the screening tonight how naĆÆve they were being. There is no way they could have transplanted the original production into the Albert Hall, and the result is something VERY different...it's not a concert, but it's not the fully staged original production either. Anyone expecting to see what they saw on the misleading trailer, where they used clips from the EPK of the show at Her Majesty's, will be extremely disappointed.

And from Earlfan's pictures it looks like Charlie Hart was there after all. I'm jealous of your camera, Earlfan. What make is it?

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Post  EarlFan Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:15 pm

Scorp wrote:And from Earlfan's pictures it looks like Charlie Hart was there after all. I'm jealous of your camera, Earlfan. What make is it?

It's this camera, click here

Got it for my birthday after my old Olympus gave up on me and only gave me blurry photos, it's a great camera for the amateur as well as the professional. Really recommend!
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Post  Bunvendor Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:22 pm

Hey all!
I saw the performance yesterday and I would post the details on here but I don't know if some people would be angry at that, so if you want to know anything, just PM me. Also, Wendy Ferguson was my Carlotta, and MC wasn't there, but it was still awsome!
Kind Regards
OG
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Post  EarlFan Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:34 pm

If you want to I'm sure you could post some of your thoughts on here. I posted a review earlier myself and wasn't exactly praising the show Razz
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Post  Bunvendor Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:44 pm

To Earlfan, I loved the show, I just meant that I didn't know if I could spill the secrets from the production.
I personally did not like Peter Joback very much at all, he really doesn't suit that part, but I suppose he could change, but I was not impressed. Poor Colm, he got mixed up in music of the night! JOJ was amazing and it was a shame that they didn't really do anything with Anthony Warlow, who was awsome. On the joback subject, I can cope with something new, but I admit that I much prefer when a classic comes back to the role like JOJ did. I would much prefer Karrie or McKerracher for the next phantom to Joback, or for Scott Davies to become principal, which would have been the decent thing to do as he didn't get much principal time this time around. Anyway, if you could have any phantom, which phantom would you want back in west end?
Kind Regards,
OG
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Post  Scorp Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:48 pm

I'd prefer having someone new AND capable of the role as opposed to having someone "back". Scott has already been principal Phantom before about 11 years ago. When I met him a while ago he said he much preferred being the standby since he has kids he prefers to spend time with. If having someone new AND capable is still mission impossible, then I guess I'd rather keep JOJ, he doesn't ever bore me. Having Peter Karrie back would be interesting though as I never saw him the first time round.

EVERYONE keeps recommending this Panasonic Lumix to me. I guess I'll have to get it. My Olympus photos always come out blurry. Neutral
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Post  EarlFan Sun Oct 02, 2011 2:21 pm

Speaking about Peter Jƶback's voice. The swedish magazine Expressen did an interview with him today. The interviewer asks about Jƶback's voice, if he believes his voice is suitable for the role and if it will be a difficult role to play. Jƶback says that he needs to sing in a lower register than he usually is used to but that he can do it and will be able to do it even better if he gets to practise a bit more.

Hmm, he better start practising, and then we will see how it turns out....at least he seems excited about the role.

http://www.expressen.se/noje/1.2578945/peter-joback-folk-har-respekt-for-mig

After Jƶback's run as the Phantom I would love to see someone brand new. There must be people out there who we haven't heard much of yet! Somebody who are capable of doing this role, a great singer and actor.
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Post  operafantomet Sun Oct 02, 2011 2:30 pm

I dunno... It not so much his register I have issues with, as his timbre. But I would be thrilled if he wowed the socks of my feet. Nothing would make me happier.

I hear Gillian Lynne put her stamp on the ending of the first act, by adding the Il Muto ballet girls to the applause before the chandelier "crash". That makes a lot of sense. Not just because the stage looks awfully bare in photos and could use a fill-out of people, but also because it makes sense story wise. Were there other Gillian Lynne moments, where you actually noticed her presence in the changes?

Scorp, you're killing me with that brochure hint. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!!! But in a good way. Laughing

ML6, thank you for the write-up on Scorp's initial thoughts, I should have credited you too.
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Post  Madame Giry Sun Oct 02, 2011 2:34 pm

At the risk of getting rotten fruit thrown at me for encouraging even more LND cross-pollination, I think that Ben Lewis from the Melbourne production of LND could make a pretty decent principal Phantom in the original production. I like him a lot better than Ramin; he has the physicality, elegance, and stage presence, and a pretty nice voice to boot. His big scene from LND can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0qnP0pASpI

I also really think that the woefully underused and underappreciated William Michals, best known for his turn as Chauvlin in the American Tour of The Scarlet Pimpernel, would be a good choice - but I don't know that his voice goes high enough to handle the Phantom's voice part. His Falcon in the Dive can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw809ERDkmk

Ok, reeling it back in to the 25h Anniversary celebration, Only a few more hours until showtime for us Americans! I'll be crossing my fingers and hoping that things go better than the first performance, and I really hope that someone *cough*MC*cough* makes an appearance at the end. Very Happy

~Madame~
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Post  operafantomet Sun Oct 02, 2011 2:43 pm

Madame Giry wrote:At the risk of getting rotten fruit thrown at me for encouraging even more LND cross-pollination, I think that Ben Lewis from the Melbourne production of LND could make a pretty decent principal Phantom in the original production. I like him a lot better than Ramin; he has the physicality, elegance, and stage presence, and a pretty nice voice to boot.
I agree, I think he would make a good Phantom. Reeeeaaaally random side note, but from what I understood Ben Lewis is the brother of Alexander Lewis, who starred as Raoul in the Aussie stops of the World Tour back in 2008/09. Haven't read it through official sources, but when I checked Wikipedia it does state Ben Lewis has a brother named Alexander.
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Post  operafantomet Sun Oct 02, 2011 3:18 pm

Scorp wrote:I hope the fans who were calling everyone "haters" on Facebook for pointing out that this is NOT the stage show as we are accustomed to it realise when they see the screening tonight how naĆÆve they were being. There is no way they could have transplanted the original production into the Albert Hall, and the result is something VERY different...it's not a concert, but it's not the fully staged original production either. Anyone expecting to see what they saw on the misleading trailer, where they used clips from the EPK of the show at Her Majesty's, will be extremely disappointed.
I think their response will rather be "See? They DID wear costumes and have sets, almost exactly like in the theatre, I told you so!"... I gave up on trying to explain the difference.

As for happier things, I just checked tickets available for the screening here in Oslo. They're screening it on two different theatres; an intimate 260 seater with wine bar, and a 978 seater with a giant dome. Both are sold out. Me like! I'm going to the latter, as it is one of the coolest cinemas in Norway (and also in my neighborhood...).
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Post  ML6 Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:13 pm

Aw, its perfectly fine Anea.

Wow, Scorp's words have been imortalized on the internet? Along with my horrible grammar? Shit. lol

I'm going to see it in an hour. I got my Phantom tee on. I'm praying to god that Crawford will make his appearance. I need him to sing the title song with Sarah. Its what I truly desire. I'm scared about hearing Peter sing... but I'm so excited to hear JOJ and Warlow! Hopefully Colm is on the ball tonight.

As for Ramin, Sierra, and Hadley... well, ... I am so dissapointed that Raoul is a snob and a shouter.
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Post  MajesticPhantom Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:39 pm

I went to the matinee today (had an excellent seat) and must say that my expectations were surpassed. I had originally planned on not going because of the casting, but Ramin Karimloo's Phantom is totally different from his days at Her Majesty's. Always a talented fellow whom I respect greatly, BUT NOW his voice and acting have matured wondrously. He seemed to be working with so much more ease than ever before, and his voice was so much more open...less metallic, and a lot more vibrato. No vocal issues at the matinee in any way, shape, or form. His interpretation is definitely different... much more old-school Phantom (I mean this in a good, yet progressive way).

The first act was weaker than the second because I found the story to not be well told. The focus seemed fuzzy, and it wasn't until Act II that I felt the director was really able to get a handle on highlighting the journey of Christine and her two men. That being said, the acting in this production was, for the most part, outstanding. Sierra Boggess was simply ravishing as Christine. Her journey is thrilling, and she really brings a three-dimensional life to her, often taking the time to react in disgust to things (ie Buquet's death) rather than just fear. Her "Wishing..." was the best I've seen...ever (and I've seen this song performed beautifully by several incredible actresses). It was absolutely spell-bounding, and she received the most amazing ovation at the end of it... definitely a minute-long ovation.

Hadley Fraser- I can't help but feel that they should have cast a former Raoul... Fraser is a great performer, but I think that an alum would have been more appropriate for not just posterity, but also the time limitation!

Wendy Ferguson is a wondrous Carlotta... I think that she goes on a great journey, and is a very instinctual actress. I am so glad that she gets to be in this DVD recording!

The new staging sometimes lent itself to new ways of looking at a scene. "Down Once More..." was sung on the bridge, and because oft he new physical interaction, there were new layers to be discovered... The same can especially be said for the "All I Ask of You" reprise at the end of the Final Lair... it was quite powerful, actually (even if it was a little pro-LND).

There were some major technical issues during Act I, and a few other mishaps in Act II, but oh, well. There was something wonderful about the slight hot mess!

Colm was fine with timing, and amazing! I wish more had been done with Warlow... but seeing/hearing him live, if only briefly, was worth most of my ticket!


Last edited by MajesticPhantom on Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Post  Phantour Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:04 pm

EarlFan wrote:
Scorp wrote:And from Earlfan's pictures it looks like Charlie Hart was there after all. I'm jealous of your camera, Earlfan. What make is it?

It's this camera, click here

Got it for my birthday after my old Olympus gave up on me and only gave me blurry photos, it's a great camera for the amateur as well as the professional. Really recommend!

EarlFan, I have the same camera! I love it. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's harder to take photos inside when there isn't proper lighting. The photos can have a lot of noise with a grainy quality to them. But I'm sure if I could operate the manual settings, they would be better.

Back on topic, I'm so glad to hear all the reviews. I look forward to seeing it when it comes out on DVD.
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Post  ML6 Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:50 pm

Okay. I just got back from the 'live' viewing and I'm ready to spoil you all with my thoughts and feelings.


Cast:

Ramin: ... I'm sorry, I still don't like his Phantom. There was a lot of things that turned me off about his Phantom, his constant twitching and his head tilting is two. I noticed that during the 'All I Ask of You (Reprise)' he shot either snot or spit, so I got to watch that glorious sucker fly out of his nose/mouth in high def. Then on the catwalk during 'Down Once More', I got to see him spit a huge wad at Sierra when singing the word 'sin' or 'face'. He also decided to shoot in an adlib, especially during the unveiling of his face to the audience after 'Point of No Return'. As soon as Christine lifted the hood he goes, 'damn'. ... damn? The phantom saying the word 'damn' like that sounds, to me, un characteristic. Didn't care for it.

Sierra: I think her Christine was lovely, and I was very pleased with it. At times, I felt like she was giving a link to her performance with her performance in Love Never Dies. I do think the chemistry between her and Hadley was non existant, so I could see why anybody watching it would automatically ship her with the Phantom. (Though that is clearly not my case, as you all know from my avatar.) Otherwise, Scorp was right: her 'Wishing' was gorgeous and truly deserved more praise than Ramin. I had to go 'ew' for a third time that night because when Sierra returned to him during the final lair, she kissed his hand and a HUGE line of spit came dribbing out of her mouth... it stuck to her hand and became some kind of bond between his hand and her mouth and I just ... ewwww.

Hadley: WOW. WHAT A TOTAL MISCAST RIGHT THERE. Tim Martin Gleason the II is right! He is one of the worst Raoul's I've EVER had the pleasure of hearing and seeing. I was very turned off by TMG's Raoul, I was even more turned off by Hadley. He's not very good looking, nor is he very kind-hearted. I could totally see why Christine would not want to go with him at the end, his overall attitude was 'Hey Christine, you're pretty, let's shag'. Thankfully, he did not spit or drool on anyone, but he did get a little too frisky with Christine after 'All I Ask of You', he kissed her to the point where she was pulling away from him like mad.

The only highlights of the entire night came from the Managers! They were amazing and I truly enjoyed Andre! Liz Robertson was an awful Madame Giry, but then, what can you really do with the character?

SET: The set was, as Scorp said, very bland. It's a concert, so you can't do much. I'm very glad that Hannibal was not interrupted, so you got the feel of how a show is in it's (somewhat) entirety to an audience. Same thing with Masquerade, the addition of the 'musicians' having a bit longer of a cue was cute too. The stairs were annoying. Sometimes they were used for a scene, sometimes they weren't. If it were me, I wouldn't have used them all that much.

SONGS: The sound wasn't all that good, I guess that's what you get when something is broadcasted live. I noticed that Sierra sang, during Think of Me, 'think of August when the world was green'. Is that something new? I also noticed that they kept the new London lyrics as well, some of the changes from the film that shall not be named.

AFTER THE SHOW: Andrew did his same speech as he had previously, making sure to give ~Ramin and Sierra~ some extra praise. When he brought on the Original London Cast, it seemed bare without Steve Barton being there. Sad I wanted to cry. When he brought Michael out, I was very sad to see him NOT in a tux. So my heart was dampened by the fact he would NOT be singing with the boys. Peter IS as bad as Scorp and Earlfan have warned us he was. I'm sorry, if you liked Paul Stanley's Phantom then you will like Peter's. If you didn't like Paul's, then CONGRATS, you will be certainly getting a taste of Paul Stanley coming your way. John Owen Jones, Anthony Warlow and Colm Wilkinson were FLAWLESS. Ramin and Peter stuck out like sore thumbs alongside their gorgeous voices... it made me long to see Michael coming out from the back of the crowd singing a note or two. But he did not. HOWEVER, when everyone came to the front of the stage to take their bows, Michael and Sarah came out and Michael sang the 'help me make the music of the night' line with everyone. That's it.

Little things: Side eyed Ramin hugging Crawford, side eyed Andrew hugging and thanking everyone, side eyed Crawford not singing. Kept burrying my head into my hand during some things that Ramin did, can't remember them all. My theatre really liked the leads, and I just said, 'it's probably because it's Phantom and they haven't seen anybody else, everyone has their own opinions, etc'. It made me crushed, deep down, there will never be a filmed version of Phantom out there of the actual stage show with SOME cast other than the one in the concert.

So, over all, IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER, but at least we got something. For those looking for a stable tribute to a 25th year, you might get it from this show... but you will feel like something is missing.
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Post  Raphael Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:06 pm

Just got back from the live broadcast. I will be coming out of retirement to post a review about it. You have been warned.

TAFKaR
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Post  Phantom on a Budget Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:22 pm

I actually really enjoyed the concert. Could have been better, but it wasn't terrible either. I always complain about change, and I know I have stated disappointment at the continued casting of certain individuals, but overall I was pleased with this production. My observations:

- Despite some minor annoyances, I really enjoyed Ramin's Phantom. Didn't think I would, but some of the small displays of emotion were very touching.
- Sierra really impressed me here. Good performance.
- Hadley...yeah, no. Very intense, almost "angry all the time" feel. Now that ML6 said it, I can definitely see how his portrayal of the character would lead to a LND!Raoul. Liked his voice, didn't care for his characterization.
- Didn't love the idea of projection instead of actual sets, but in a concert setting it's perfect. Worked surprisingly well, and with the exception of the Don Juan set, most of them looked quite decent. I could probably accept it if this was the plan for new tour productions. Not ideal, but still better than a hacked-down and cheaper physical set.
- I love men in tailcoats. I love love love love love love LOVE men in tailcoats. Cool (I'm also not opposed to them taking them off...so a coatless Ramin in Final Lair was ok by me too!)
- Disliked drunk!Firmin. Really distracting.
- Red Death needs a cowl. Looks ridiculous without it. And that mask looked pretty ridiculous anyway.
- Could have done without ALW showing up at the end.
- Thought the five-Phantom ensemble at the end was a little silly. Even though JOJ and Andrew were incredible (and I'll even say Colm looked good)....but yeah. It was terribly cheesy. In fact the whole ending seemed to be way too "ALW ALW ALW" for me.
- Maybe it was because of the proximity of the cameras, but that was one of the best Final Lairs I have ever seen. Except for Hadley, of course. There were some incredible acting choices on behalf of Sierra and Ramin. But I did notice during the AIAOY bit a little extra hesitation on Sierra's part that could feel like a lead in to LND. That bit was distracting to me.
- Masquerade was nice with a lot of people (especially at the end), but during most of the song it looked almost chaotic.
- ALW who????
- Why did MC not sing at all in the end? What the hell!?


I also try to keep my trap shut when attending the show or something of this nature. Especially when I'm not in costume, so I can blend in and just enjoy the show. Turns out that know-it-all phans are REALLY obnoxious! I sat near some and they were very vocal in their "knowledge" and opinions, to the point I wanted to throttle them. Goes to show you just never know who you're sitting next to at the theatre! Wink

I'm glad they did this. I'll definitely be attending the extra screenings later in the week.
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Post  Miss von Krolock Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:43 pm

From what I've been watching on YouTube, I'm finding the idea that Peter Joback will be playing the Phantom just shocking... I doubt his voice will ever become more suitable to the role, no matter how hard he practises... Evil or Very Mad Just not right...

And did Sarah Brightman actually sing live? Because her parts kind of sound all playback to me...

ETA: LOVE how the audience cheers when JOJ starts to sing Very Happy
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Post  ML6 Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:55 pm

Miss von Krolock wrote:From what I've been watching on YouTube, I'm finding the idea that Peter Joback will be playing the Phantom just shocking... I doubt his voice will ever become more suitable to the role, no matter how hard he practises... Evil or Very Mad Just not right...

And did Sarah Brightman actually sing live? Because her parts kind of sound all playback to me...

ETA: LOVE how the audience cheers when JOJ starts to sing Very Happy

Peter is going to be the return of Paul Stanley, only this time in London. Did Cameron hit his head, why does he think Peter can sing the role of the Phantom? Oh well.

Sarah Brightman sang 3/4 of the song live, most of her high notes in the end was looped with the OLC cadenza.

John Owen Jones and Anthony Warlow are flawless human beings. I only wish they were the Phantom that entire night.
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Post  Miss von Krolock Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:00 pm

ML6 wrote:Peter is going to be the return of Paul Stanley, only this time in London. Did Cameron hit his head, why does he think Peter can sing the role of the Phantom? Oh well.
Probably for the same reason he thought Nick Jonas could sing or act... at all... Rolling Eyes
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Post  Phantom on a Budget Sun Oct 02, 2011 11:01 pm

So that random guy who was particularly bad compared to the other three is the one taking over in London then? Shocked
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