25th anniversary celebrations

I haven't seen the concert and won't (except for what shows up on youtube) until a DVD I can play on my computer is available in the US. I've read a lot of reviews and think I'll enjoy most of it more than I thought I would. Most people who have seen it seem to think Sierra and Ramin do well, and that Ramin has improved in recent years. He'll probably be a very good Phantom when he grows up.

I am as sure as I can be that I won't like Fraser's Raoul at all.

I'm very disappointed that Michael Crawford neither sang nor spoke (Did anyone other than ALW say anything?). I don't think that there's anything sinister in his not performing, though. It's more likely that he didn't want to spend the time and energy (He's doing eight WOZ shows a week) to rehearse, and he does not at all like to perform ANYthing he hasn't throughly rehearsed.

I would love a copy of the 25th Anniversary Program from RAH. If anyone picked up an extra, I'm willing to pay for it plus postage to the US. Email me (Rhonda) at br3whit@bellsouth.net

Bric wrote:Most people who have seen it seem to think Sierra and Ramin do well, and that Ramin has improved in recent years. He'll probably be a very good Phantom when he grows up.

That last line for the win!

Yeah, I enjoyed the concert a lot more than I expected. But mostly because of the insane good quality of closeups and costume gorgeousness and facial expressions. I think this concert actually was cooler filmed than live (at least judging from clips I've seen and reviews I've read).

That said, Sierra Boggess did extremely well. She was radiant. I also loved drunk!Firmin. And that saved a lot for me.

Bric, the phan world seems to be very divided in their opinion on Hadley Fraser's Raoul. To me his Raoul and the relationship with Christine felt as believable as Javert chasing Cosette. You can't deny he has a lovely voice and all, but his idea of the role, and his acting choices... Oy vey. But that's me. I prefer a Raoul who openly loves Christine, and with a Christine who loves him back. I prefer a Christine who also loves the Phantom. It's these conflicting feelings which makes the story so powerful. I don't see the idea of a loving Raoul contradicting that of a strong Raoul. Steve Barton, anyone? Simon Bailey? Tomas Kofod? But others write they've only seen sissy Raouls in the past, and found Fraser's interpretation refreshing. Either way, I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts when you've seen the concert.

I had very mixed feelings about the concert. Mixed-to-positive, with a dash of genuine negative thrown in. I'm working on a full-ish review to hopefully be posted or linked to soon, but here are a few very random thoughts for now, just to toss some of my own opinions out there or comment on what has already been brought up:


- Did anyone else hear Ramin click the candle on in the Final Lair, and then spot the switch when he turned it the wrong way?

- What happened to Christine's "Masquerade" arm poofs?

- The lack of a Mirror Bride made the sudden appearance of a wedding dress in the Final Lair scene very random to me. Without the explanation provided by the existence of the Mirror Bride it seems a bit like they just happened to find a dress on the way down to the lair. If I didn't know the show, I might think a scene that explained the costume change had been cut.

- Three little bands! I don't think they were all necessary, but they were fun!

- Speaking of unnecessary cast members, I thought the stage was far too crowded in a few scenes. I think it's great that the company was packed with alumni, but did they all have to be onstage at once? I found them all distracting during Hannibal and they didn't really add much to "Masquerade," either.

- I am so, so glad that the Phantom didn't pretend to be the conductor during the rooftop scene.

- I liked Christine breaking down with her head in her hands on the rooftop, and I appreciated seeing a definite transition from a$$hole to comforter from Raoul in that moment. However, I didn't appreciate that he was ever an a$$hole to begin with. I like Raoul to be a little skeptical and confused, but I don't like him to be an outright jerk. The way he delivered "What you heard was a dream and nothing more" made me want to smack him. The line usually sounds comforting. He may as well have just called her a gullible little idiot and rolled his eyes.

- The Phantom choking Christine was...uh, interesting? It doesn't work with my vision of the Phantom, but it was well acted, at least.

- I absolutely hated, with a fiery passion from the depths of my soul, the blocking for Christine's exit from the Final Lair. It was such blatant LND foreshadowing and so out of sync with the way Christine has always been portrayed in the original show - even when she seemed really torn up about leaving, she left of her own volition and sang "All I Ask of You" to Raoul - that seeing it preserved forever in this concert made me want to punch something.

- Did the audience at the RAH seem really flat to anyone else? At the Music Box Tour closing we all cheered and laughed raucously for everything like we were at a rock concert and it was totally euphoric. I don't think such reactions would be appropriate for an event like this, but I expected a lot more than what I heard. Even the cheering after songs like "Music of the Night" and "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" seemed subdued, comparitively. Was it louder there? Maybe the sound just didn't translate well in the broadcast?

- Really, does anyone have any idea why the Phantom took his coat off in the Final Lair? I can't come up with any sensible explanation.

- I fully expected Michael Crawford to sing the final line of "Music of the Night". I was absolutely convinced it would happen. Alas. I loved how visibly moved he was, though.

- Filmed concerts don't do characters like Piangi and Meg any favors. Without being able to watch them in the background, I was hardly able to form an opinion of either.

- What was up with Mr. Featured Dancer being such a big deal? I have to say I was a little offended that he got a bow after Meg.

- Is that the usual Red Death mask and I'm just not used to seeing it up close, or was it different?


...ok, I should really save a few things for my review.

Oh! Hey everyone, something else just came to mind.

What did you guys think of how fast Ramin sang (or, in my opinion, snarled and huffed) 'I have brought you..' My sister and I were like, dear god, slow down!

Also, my older sister went for the very purpose of watching Crawford sing. But, she found herself understanding why I love JOJ and Warlow. (She thought Ramin was overrated and was a copycat Phantom who adblibbed like crazy! Oy!)

Hadley Fraser, wearing far too much eye-liner, played Raoul as a spoilt 30-something public schoolboy. Stiff and wooden, Fraser strikes me as a better choice for Javert in Les Miserablés, the role he is currently playing in the West End, than as a character who is meant to be charming and attractive to Christine. (...) He sang well, but it was hard not to focus on the eye-liner which, amusingly, kept getting topped up throughout the performance. By the curtain call, Raoul resembled a panda.

Every line spoken by Gareth Snook and Liz Robertson’s incredible eyebrow acting spring to mind for all the wrong reasons.

http://chewingthescenery.com/2011/10/03/review-the-phantom-of-the-opera-25th-anniversary-concert-03102011-cinecast/#comment-1020
(amusing and slightly snarky review, very honest and rather well informed)

So, I'm hoping and praying that somehow, for us painfully curious in the US, we get to see Peter in the role. By any means, I'm excited and terrified to see Her Majesty's to hold one of the scariest Phantom's to ever grace the stage. Why, god, could it not be Warlow?

I have to say that I really, really loved the concert. I loved almost everything about it. I would definately have preferred John Owen Jones as the Phantom, but what the heck, Ramin did a decent job. Sierra was gorgeous and did some really good things, especially Wishing. I didn't mind Hadley Fraser that much. Yes, he was arrogant, I prefer Raoul not to be arrogant. On the other hand I also thought he did some development with the role at the end, which could be interesting if it was worked on more.

I loved all the people, the big ballet scenes and the big masquerade with three monkey girls at the beginning. I never thought those scenes looked too crowded. I thought some projections worked well and some not so well (Il Muto backdrop falling down in Hannibal for example), but what didn't work so well never bothered me, because I liked the concert overall. I could have done without Sierra looking so longingly back at the Phantom in the final lair, but even that didn't bother me too much. I must have been in such a good mood yesterday .

The only two things that I really didn't like was Drunk!Firmin. Sorry, but a cross between the movie managers and Thenardier from Les Miserables have no place in my Phantom of the Opera world. He was really annoying. The other was Peter Jöback singing next to the others. He can actually sing, it's unfair to say that he can't. But next to vocal giants like Warlow and JOJ he sounded like an amateur. I kinda felt bad for him.

I went to se the screening with two friends who are pratically Phantom virgins (one of them had seen the movie before). They loved it, but agreed that Peter Jöback sounded really weak compared to the others.

I was really happy to see Michael Crawford. I didn't really expect him to sing, but it would have been nice if he had said something. And what was up with Piangi's high C in Hannibal. Did he try to be funny portraying a tenor who can't hit a high C or did he miss it for real? What was it like in the earlier shows?

Instead of going outside the theatre at the end, I went outside the sort of performer's lounge, which the actors go through to get to the stage door. As well as meeting many a cast member ( including Claire Moore who wrote me a lovely message) I also met Sierra Boggess, and she was lovely. I went total phangirl (I know, I'm a boy!) Immediately saying "You were so amazing!!!!" Anyway, I got a picture and an autograph, and I might post the pic later.
Also my mum met Charles Hart in the foyer and got a signed message for me!
OG

phantomgirl110 wrote:I absolutely hated, with a fiery passion from the depths of my soul, the blocking for Christine's exit from the Final Lair. It was such blatant LND foreshadowing and so out of sync with the way Christine has always been portrayed in the original show - even when she seemed really torn up about leaving, she left of her own volition and sang "All I Ask of You" to Raoul - that seeing it preserved forever in this concert made me want to punch something.

COULD NOT AGREE MORE!

Did the audience at the RAH seem really flat to anyone else? At the Music Box Tour closing we all cheered and laughed raucously for everything like we were at a rock concert and it was totally euphoric. I don't think such reactions would be appropriate for an event like this, but I expected a lot more than what I heard. Even the cheering after songs like "Music of the Night" and "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" seemed subdued, comparitively. Was it louder there? Maybe the sound just didn't translate well in the broadcast?

To be honest it was a bit flat live at the RAH too, I can vouch for that first-hand. It wasn't until Sierra's 'Wishing' that the audience seemed to really react to what they were seeing.

Really, does anyone have any idea why the Phantom took his coat off in the Final Lair? I can't come up with any sensible explanation.

I can't even remember Ramin doing that on Saturday night. If he did I didn't notice, but to be honest by that point in the final lair I just wanted the show to be over so we could get to the aftershow stuff, the acting in that scene being completely uninteresting. I do have a possible explanation: we are going through a ridiculous heatwave at the moment, and I and everyone else around me are sweating like mad. Heat! Intolerable heat! It's worse than Erik's torture chamber.

phantomgirl110 wrote:I had very mixed feelings about the concert. Mixed-to-positive, with a dash of genuine negative thrown in. I'm working on a full-ish review to hopefully be posted or linked to soon, but here are a few very random thoughts for now, just to toss some of my own opinions out there or comment on what has already been brought up:


- Did anyone else hear Ramin click the candle on in the Final Lair, and then spot the switch when he turned it the wrong way?

Yes. I was wondering what in the world he was doing.

phantomgirl110 wrote:- What happened to Christine's "Masquerade" arm poofs?

Dunno, but after the initial shock I kind of liked it without the poofs.

phantomgirl110 wrote:- The lack of a Mirror Bride made the sudden appearance of a wedding dress in the Final Lair scene very random to me. Without the explanation provided by the existence of the Mirror Bride it seems a bit like they just happened to find a dress on the way down to the lair. If I didn't know the show, I might think a scene that explained the costume change had been cut.

No mirror bride. This bugged me to no end, since now the boat-bed was right there, and as Ramin is singing "let the dream begin, let your darkerside give in..." and he's leading Christine to the bed (!) No wonder she fainted! I almost did out of shock

phantomgirl110 wrote:- The Phantom choking Christine was...uh, interesting? It doesn't work with my vision of the Phantom, but it was well acted, at least.

This was definitely different...and I kind of liked it. I'll have to see the concert again and see if I still like it..

phantomgirl110 wrote:- I absolutely hated, with a fiery passion from the depths of my soul, the blocking for Christine's exit from the Final Lair. It was such blatant LND foreshadowing and so out of sync with the way Christine has always been portrayed in the original show - even when she seemed really torn up about leaving, she left of her own volition and sang "All I Ask of You" to Raoul - that seeing it preserved forever in this concert made me want to punch something.

Agreed.

phantomgirl110 wrote:- Did the audience at the RAH seem really flat to anyone else? At the Music Box Tour closing we all cheered and laughed raucously for everything like we were at a rock concert and it was totally euphoric. I don't think such reactions would be appropriate for an event like this, but I expected a lot more than what I heard. Even the cheering after songs like "Music of the Night" and "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" seemed subdued, comparitively. Was it louder there? Maybe the sound just didn't translate well in the broadcast?

I don't think we could hear the audience really well. I'll bet when this goes to DVD the crowd will not only be louder, but other moments on stage that seemed really quiet (ie Mme Giry's thumping her stick) will get louder.

phantomgirl110 wrote:- Really, does anyone have any idea why the Phantom took his coat off in the Final Lair? I can't come up with any sensible explanation.

One of the weirdest moments...unless Ramin was really getting hot under there. I do admit I wasn't too upset since this gave me a chance to see what the shirt underneath looked like... (Who woulda thunk it. It had stripes...)

phantomgirl110 wrote:- I fully expected Michael Crawford to sing the final line of "Music of the Night". I was absolutely convinced it would happen. Alas. I loved how visibly moved he was, though.

Hubby and I talked about that afterwards why he didn't sing. Perhaps, since he's in the Wizard of Oz right now, he couldn't get away to practice for this...? Or maybe he was too emotional to sing? (That was my guess since I thought for sure he was gonna burst into tears when he came on stage)

phantomgirl110 wrote:- Filmed concerts don't do characters like Piangi and Meg any favors. Without being able to watch them in the background, I was hardly able to form an opinion of either.

Yeah. Whomever was directing the cameras sure as heck liked Carlotta in most of those scenes....

phantomgirl110 wrote:- What was up with Mr. Featured Dancer being such a big deal? I have to say I was a little offended that he got a bow after Meg.

Again, Yeah. Who the heck was the director for this thing...?

phantomgirl110 wrote:- Is that the usual Red Death mask and I'm just not used to seeing it up close, or was it different?

The Red Death mask was missing the fabric hanging from it and I thought the eyeholes were originally covered over, too. I didn't really like what was done with the mask..although I'm sure the actor was happy he could see for once..

ETA:
Firmin was supposed to be drunk...? Well that explains it then. I couldn't figure out what the heck he was doing...
Another random thought. No Chinese robe and hat during STYDI...That made me sad. I found I had been looking forward to seeing how this would look in the DVD...and then it's not there.

So according to: http://www.phantom25th.com/press/dvd-bluray-cd-releasedates.pdf

The 25th Anniversary CD/DVD/Blu-Ray/Download release will be on my Birthday, February 7, in 2012.

Pretty nice birthday present, but I think I would've preferred a Christmas present... or a Thanksgiving present.

The link also has release dates for other countries.

~Madame~

I just read a blog post on Tumblr regarding Ramin taking off his jacket in the Final Lair was because he got caught on the wires for the punjuab lasso and couldn't untangle himself...Anyone know anything about that...? Ahh, live performances. Gotta love them

PhantomsGhost wrote:I just read a blog post on Tumblr regarding Ramin taking off his jacket in the Final Lair was because he got caught on the wires for the punjuab lasso and couldn't untangle himself...Anyone know anything about that...? Ahh, live performances. Gotta love them

Oh yes, the Punjab Lasso scene was awful. It looked hilarious on screen. Let's start backing up this staircase, give the rope some slack.

I propose that Phantoms get "tangled in the wires" more often. Mmmhmm.

If that's the case than bravo to him for keeping his cool and soldiering on with his singing and acting! It must've happened when he cut the lasso line.

ETA: LOL, oh PoAB, you kill me.

~Madame~

It did cross my mind that it might have been a technical hitch, though I would never have guessed it was the wires. Guess we'll sadly never get to see that on the official DVD though, since they're probably going to pick clean footage from the other performances...

But yeah, if he really got caught up in the wires, major kudos to him for reacting quickly and making it look like nothing serious had happened!

The idea that they'd pick footage without wire issues from a previous show did not occur to me.

That's one technical blooper I'd prefer to keep for the DVD release!

~Madame~

Miss von Krolock wrote:It did cross my mind that it might have been a technical hitch, though I would never have guessed it was the wires. Guess we'll sadly never get to see that on the official DVD though, since they're probably going to pick clean footage from the other performances...

But yeah, if he really got caught up in the wires, major kudos to him for reacting quickly and making it look like nothing serious had happened!

I'm wondering about that. It looked like they were filming all three performances..from of the pics I had seen from the first & second performances, but then I remember the Les Miz 10th concert when a light exploded behind poor Cosette who was singing Castle on a Cloud and loud popping noise was left in. I don't know if they did more than one concert, though.

Maybe it's me, but I wouldn't mind if they left in the gaffes here and there. It adds to the experience.

I'll be seeing the replay again on Wednesday night, so I'll be watching to see of there were any edits made.

PhantomsGhost wrote:I'm wondering about that. It looked like they were filming all three performances..from of the pics I had seen from the first & second performances, but then I remember the Les Miz 10th concert when a light exploded behind poor Cosette who was singing Castle on a Cloud and loud popping noise was left in. I don't know if they did more than one concert, though.

^^That was a one off concert, so there was nothing they could do about it.

I too wouldn't mind they kept the no-jacket footage in the DVD though I doubt that'll happen...

I was at the Sunday evening performance. I enjoyed it very much. I was surprised at how much I liked Sierra Boggess, as I wasn't fond of her in LND. Her voice is gorgeous, I particularly liked her Wishing... and her Think of Me was good too. I've never been a huge fan of Ramin's Phantom. I find he's a bit young for the role, and he doesn't have the stage presence required for the role. I found myself getting a bit bored at MOTN. I thought Hadley Fraser was nothing special as Raoul. There were plenty of former Raouls in the ensemble.

Supporting cast wise, I absolutely adore Barry James as Firmin. I'm so pleased he was chosen to play the role. I like Gareth Snook too. Massive congratulations to Wendy Ferguson on her performance. I thought she was amazing. Her voice is stunning. Prima Donna was a real highlight for me. Liz Robertson was OK as Mme Giry, better than she was in LND. She didn't really do anything with the role. I felt she sang and spoke a little to quietly, I'd have liked her to project her voice more. I loved Rosie Ashe as the Confindente.

I'm working on my review, but I thought I'd post this excerpt (subject to revision), just to get it off my chest:

Hadley Fraser (Raoul): About 90% of what soured me on the 25th Anniversary performance was Fraser’s Raoul, which emphasizes why Raoul is a vital role to get right (or at least in the ballpark) for the story to work. Because it is an underwritten role to start with, actors have a number of options in which to play him. When played with warmth, love and a protective strength, he serves as a perfect foil to the Phantom’s more possessive/obsessive love and manipulative ways and creates a stronger dynamic in the love triangle. Stronger love triangle equals stronger conflict. Stronger conflict equals stronger drama. Fraser’s Raoul, which I can ony describe as “prickish arsehole,” does none of these things and actually skews the story to more of a Phantom/Christine angle, and makes Christine seem more easily manipulated and simple-minded if the actress attempts to maintain a love triangle in her performance. In my opinion, portraying Raoul in this manner undermines the story. And for me, story is paramount.

From start to finish, Fraser’s Raoul did not change, he had no character arc. In the prologue, he sat and intensely stared directly ahead (looking more like a young man in a fake beard than a sick and elderly man) and his first line, “Boy,” is delivered without looking or even turning towards the porter – like an arrogant aristocrat speaking to a lowly servant. And while he was more toned down in his first meeting with Christine, his dismissive wave-off when she calls after him belayed his underlying nature. In Act 2 he expressed irritation at the secret engagement and frustration/impatience later, even audibly growling as he addressed the unseen Phantom after laying out his plan to capture him and snapping at Firmin while directing the police prior to Don Juan Triumphant. Anger and rudeness should not be misconstrued as assertiveness. And if you do, my advice it to take a good hard look at your relationships.

But the crux of my complete and utter hatred of Fraser’s Raoul was the rooftop scene. This is the only scene that gives the actor playing Raoul a chance to show the audience the love Raoul has for Christine and solidify that part of the triangle. If the audience is convinced that these two characters really love each other, then the rest of the show is stronger for it. But Fraser’s attempt at connecting with the audience started off with him grabbing Christine roughly by the arms as he sings, “There is no Phantom of the Opera” with all the warmth of, ‘B!TCH, WILL YOU SHUT THE F%CLK UP?!?” Even his simple line, “Christine” as she is weeping on the opposite side of the stage is delivered in such a way that is more impatient and irritated at her behavior than concerned. The rest of the song felt to me, like he was simply saying these words of love to placate Christine – that he didn’t mean a word of it. This, my friends, is the rich arsehole character from all those 80s teen comedies, only in 1880s garb.

This is not to say that the interpretation is all Fraser’s fault. As a complete newcomer to the role, he had no prior experience to draw on. I suspect as a blank slate, his performance was influenced primarily by the director and ALW. And as it stands, it is clear that this particular Raoul would plausibly develop into the alcoholic, gambling Raoul of LND.

TAFKaR

See that post above mine? Yeah, check that shit out because that sums up everything about Hadley Fraiser's Raoul to a T. My god, Tumblr is going insane over his Raoul. There are some interesting lines like, "I really like Raoul as an asshole" or "Raoul was so angry, I loved it".

No... just no. This concert has done something new to the fandom, now they actually like their Raoul's to be abusive! THE WORLD HAS GONE INSANE, PEOPLE.

I guess I really need to see this again. I didn't mind Hadley's Raoul in the least Husband and I talked it over afterward and although he's not a phan in any way, shape or form, he's seen the show a number of times with me and he didn't mind Hadley's Raoul either...I didn't hate him, and he's no way my favorite, but he's well, a Raoul.

LND never even entered my thoughts that perhaps this is the way ALW and director were setting up this Raoul. And I guess since I don't consider LND to even really exist, I still don't see it. (although I do not mind the Australian version too much, and can't wait to see the DVD of it in February)

Anyway. If I had to gripe about one thing about the 25th anniversary it's effing projections. I hate them. With a passion. I find them a cop out for real set design. Maybe I'm showing my age, but projections just don't add anything to a production. It's just CGI for theatre. I was glad to see Bjornson's designs still being used, but c'mon! We don't need to see a phantom sitting at his organ playing while the theatre is being transformed in to the Palais Garnier, nor do we need to see him writing out notes, nor the big Red Death head showing up on the top of the screen.

I get why some things were done the way they were in this production, such as the orchestra onstage, since there were cameras in the pit, the chandelier really couldn't drop because again the cameras above, below, and the ceiling in RAH may not be able to support a falling and rising chandelier, and the make up for the Phantom and other actors subdued since this was going to be filmed. but the projections. Ugh.

Although I liked this production for the most part, I really appreciate even more than I did what Bjornson, Prince, Bridge and Lynn did on the production side of the original stage version.

*waves* Hello, everyone!

*ouch* at Raphael ripping Hadley's Raoul apart... lol can't wait to read your whole review!

I managed to see the concert with four * * phans, I've known 3 of them since my newbie h.s. years.

I do love the concert and of course there are always some moments I do not like being a critical phan..

Things I dislike
Projections/LCD screens.. Why? Why?
Chandelier did not fall..
Angst! Raoul
No elephant in the Hannibal scene
Ramin looked too cute/adorable in the Final Lair (I've seen him live in London but seeing him up close this time was like.. no... Phantom is not supposed to be adorable looking)
Ramin choking Sierra.. !! A Major No NO! Erik would never do that.
MC did not sing =/

Things I like
Sierra's acting & singing (I thought she overacted, however, in retrospect, nah she's just passionate.)
Seeing MC, JOJ, Anthony Warlow, & SB!
I like the Carlotta in the concert *(surprising)
Multiple monkey girls
Able to see costumes up close.

Overall, I am ecstatic they managed to put this concert together, I mean Phantom is 25, it's a celebration!

Anger and rudeness should not be misconstrued as assertiveness. And if you do, my advice it to take a good hard look at your relationships.

Where is the applause button?? I can't believe people find his conduct towards Christine OK. He treats her like a servant. And I agree with everything you wrote. The love triangle simply didn't work with arrogant-prick-Raoul. Still not sure if the actor or director is the one to blame.

Even Rebecca Caine commented on the LND vibes over at Twitter:
#phantom25 very slick. Thought it was played with the knowledge of what was going to happen in Love Never Dies. Lovely performance.
https://twitter.com/#!/RebeccaCaine/status/120619506019205120

Helen, I totally agree about Sierra Bogges and Barry James. Those were the definitive highlights for me. I can see why people didn't like drunk!Firmin, and as I wrote previously, I'm not sure I want anyone to play him like that ever again... But I thoroughly enjoyed what James did during the show.

thephanfullerton, you met some awesome people after the show! Wow, jealous. Do post that picture!

PhantomsGhost, that explains the weird jacket thing (and why Scorp didn't see it on Saturday). It seems so unmotivated to remove it, and he played it out like it was planned from the start. Major kudos to him if it was a mishap. He solved it in a quite flawless way.

Did anyone else find the cheek microphones a bit annoying? Why couldn't they stick to the forehead mics we usually see in the theatre?

Miss von Krolock wrote:Did anyone else find the cheek microphones a bit annoying? Why couldn't they stick to the forehead mics we usually see in the theatre?

Yes. They were HIGHLY distracting. (I forgot about those when I wrote my annoyances up above) But, I think it's the way theatre is going. I'm REALLY hoping this was just what had to be done due to the space and this was more of a concert than a regular performance. and I'm really hoping the 2012 tour will NOT have them.

Ramin did have a forehead mic as a backup (as that role usually wears two anyway). Not sure why they couldn't do that with everyone else, though.

Seeing Sarah Brightman perform at the concert made me realize why they put in that scarf in "Think of Me"... And in WYWSHA, for that matter. She looks like she's knitting mid-air

I love her still. But I think the scarves was a good move...