The Broadway production + US tour

this full article is much better

http://www.lastagetimes.com/2010/10/phantom-of-the-opera-tour-ends-two-decade-run/


Per Davis Gaines
Last year, Gaines auditioned in London for the lead role in Love Never Dies, the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. “I obviously didn’t get it but it was an amazing opportunity to be in a room with Andrew after all these years. I could look him in the eye and thank him for changing my life all those years ago. He may not have cared or known but his work and what he offered me really made a difference in my life.”

Id so love to hear him sing those songs

Has the overture been re-orchestrated in the last 2 years? I saw the tour in San Deigo a couple years ago and I recall that the overture kinda crept up on you... it didn't really have the in-your-face start that I was used to. Just saw the your last week and it seemed they perked it up a little.

alaron4 wrote:Has the overture been re-orchestrated in the last 2 years? I saw the tour in San Deigo a couple years ago and I recall that the overture kinda crept up on you... it didn't really have the in-your-face start that I was used to. Just saw the your last week and it seemed they perked it up a little.

I know it's been changed in West End at least two times in the 2000's... one right before the 2004 movie came out (a really cool version) and the current one (more percussion towards the end, also cool). But I'm not sure about the US tour.

The US (Tour and Broadway) overture is almost certainly different. The execution of its sound is different....a lot more emphasis on the percussion (which I love), as operafantomet said, and the organ sounds a little more edgy/rock (but not in an overblown way).

justin-from-barbados wrote:David Cassidy

Yeah, I'm glad that never happened. He did take over from MC in EFX, though.

Bad research by the reporter. The tour did not start in LA. If I'm not mistaken, it started in Seattle. The 1st National started in LA with Crawford, but that was a completely separate production that only played two cities, LA and SF.

Dale Kristien, the longest running Christine Daae

Another error, I'm pretty sure, though she did have a healthy run from about '89 to '93.

I can't believe Gaines auditioned for the lead in LND. They should offer him the role in the original again.

SenorSwanky wrote:

justin-from-barbados wrote:David Cassidy

Yeah, I'm glad that never happened. He did take over from MC in EFX, though.

Bad research by the reporter. The tour did not start in LA. If I'm not mistaken, it started in Seattle. The 1st National started in LA with Crawford, but that was a completely separate production that only played two cities, LA and SF..

I guess he was lumping all 3 tours together

Dale Kristien, the longest running Christine Daae

Another error, I'm pretty sure, though she did have a healthy run from about '89 to '93.

I can't believe Gaines auditioned for the lead in LND. They should offer him the role in the original again.[/quote]

Yup, when reading I was sure Sandra Joseph has that record (Or was it Jill Washington)

If when they re-work LND and choose to do the characters "age appropriate" I think Gaines would be excellent, McGillin even.

justin-from-barbados wrote:If when they re-work LND and choose to do the characters "age appropriate" I think Gaines would be excellent, McGillin even.

They would age-wise, but I don't want them anywhere near that piece of crap. And I'm sure Ramin and Sierra will be reprising their roles over here, if it does come here, which I hope it doesn't. If they don't hop the pond, then I'm sure some other "young and sexy" twentysomethings will be cast.

Unless by the time it DOES make it over, they will probably be in the right age range by then

operafantomet wrote:

alaron4 wrote:Has the overture been re-orchestrated in the last 2 years? I saw the tour in San Deigo a couple years ago and I recall that the overture kinda crept up on you... it didn't really have the in-your-face start that I was used to. Just saw the your last week and it seemed they perked it up a little.

I know it's been changed in West End at least two times in the 2000's... one right before the 2004 movie came out (a really cool version) and the current one (more percussion towards the end, also cool). But I'm not sure about the US tour.

The US Tour uses the orchestrations used everywhere now (started in Vegas, then London, then Broadway, then the US Tour, then Argentina). I like the current overture for the most part (especially the extra percussion at the end), but I really think the organ that plays the main melody could be beefed up considerably. The lack of synthesiser makes it sound reedy and thin and not very powerful.

That was a fascinating article to read, I loved it. Though TMG's concluding remark breaks my heart a little, not that I ever saw the US tour production. I am slightly scared of what the future holds. If the expense is mainly down to the costs of moving all the scenery/equipment around from one place to another, does this mean that stationary sit-down productions are at least viable?

David Cassidy!? THE David Cassidy? 'Hey, Hey We're the Monkees!' David Cassidy? ... Excuse me, wtf. Well, at least he has some singing background.

I'm going to miss trolling the thread wondering when Phantom is coming back to MI. I guess that means I *have* to go to Broadway. (As much as I don't like the casts...) I hope when the the show ends on the last night, those who played the show in LA are there for it's final bow.

ML6 wrote:David Cassidy!? THE David Cassidy? 'Hey, Hey We're the Monkees!' David Cassidy? ... Excuse me, wtf. Well, at least he has some singing background.

I'm going to miss trolling the thread wondering when Phantom is coming back to MI. I guess that means I *have* to go to Broadway. (As much as I don't like the casts...) I hope when the the show ends on the last night, those who played the show in LA are there for it's final bow.

Wrong show. He was on the Partridge Family. Either way it's a definite if that is the Cassidy that the article mentions. I saw him in EFX in Las Vegas and could never have imagined him in Phantom.

Staff lady going all fan girly at the EFX store in Vegas: "Oh David is very, very good. Who knows, you might like him even more than Michael Crawford."
Me: *gives knife like stare* "Um, I don't think so."

MasqPhan wrote:

ML6 wrote:David Cassidy!? THE David Cassidy? 'Hey, Hey We're the Monkees!' David Cassidy? ... Excuse me, wtf. Well, at least he has some singing background.

I'm going to miss trolling the thread wondering when Phantom is coming back to MI. I guess that means I *have* to go to Broadway. (As much as I don't like the casts...) I hope when the the show ends on the last night, those who played the show in LA are there for it's final bow.

Wrong show. He was on the Partridge Family. Either way it's a definite if that is the Cassidy that the article mentions. I saw him in EFX in Las Vegas and could never have imagined him in Phantom.

Staff lady going all fan girly at the EFX store in Vegas: "Oh David is very, very good. Who knows, you might like him even more than Michael Crawford."
Me: *gives knife like stare* "Um, I don't think so."

LOL. Thanks for setting my mind straight! I knew it was one of those shows. Wait, he was Crawford's replacement for the show? Help me lord.

ML6 wrote:LOL. Thanks for setting my mind straight! I knew it was one of those shows. Wait, he was Crawford's replacement for the show? Help me lord.

Yes. However in the Cassidy version of EFX there was A LOT of changes. Basically all the stunts MC did in the show were gone. It was a very different, toned down version of EFX.

MasqPhan wrote:

ML6 wrote:LOL. Thanks for setting my mind straight! I knew it was one of those shows. Wait, he was Crawford's replacement for the show? Help me lord.

Yes. However in the Cassidy version of EFX there was A LOT of changes. Basically all the stunts MC did in the show were gone. It was a very different, toned down version of EFX.

From what I've seen of EFX, it was one weird show.

So, anyone planning to be on the very last performance of the US tour?

operafantomet wrote:So, anyone planning to be on the very last performance of the US tour?

My sister is. Since I can't go myself, I told her to go so she can tell me all about it. And she's a fan, so she doesn't mind.

operafantomet wrote:So, anyone planning to be on the very last performance of the US tour?

I am, going to be at the last two actually.

Hey...I just discovered that the official FB page for the Broadway and US Tour productions has changed that incredibly ugly and embarrassing logo they insisted on using in the last couple of years to this:



Do you reckon they must have been aware of the negative reactions to that image and decided to replace it with the original Dewynters mask? I'm glad that they've done it though; I'm even liking how the mask looks like it's been given a bit of an update in a GOOD way. Still not keen on the lettering or the amateur-looking mist effect though. Maybe they'll give up and change it entirely back to the original. I don't mind them differentiating the Broadway production from the others, but can't they do it in a less tacky way? This is Phantom of the Opera after all, not Love Never Dies...

Yeah, other than the mist, I don't really mind that logo. The font could be more cracked, but it's not a big issue.

OoOooooh, that is SOOO much better than the Ken!Phantom! Reminds of the design/style they had going for the Argentine production, which I really fancied. But seeing the once-again new logo for LND in Australia makes me wonder if it's done to please the fans or just make the two musicals appear very similar...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2HHOgHYO2s

11 minutes backstage with Paloma Garcia-Lee (US tour Meg). Very worth watching! First part is from the actual stage, second part is interviewing cast members (D.C. Anderson, u/s Carlotta, Luke Groom and Trista Moldovan). Too little about the costumes, I think ( ), but still a good glimpse into the backstage world. And she really is a natural born in front of the camera. Very sweet gal.

She say she's the youngest ever cast in Phantom, I think she was 17 when she joined the B'way company. She must mean in the US? Cause I seem to remember Neve Campbell was only 16 when she understudied Meg in Canada, and I also think Amy Nuttall was 16 when she was cast as u/s Christine in the UK tour (but 17 when performing). But I do like her comment about some people performing Phantom longer than she's lived.

The price of the (Carlotta?) costumes is said to be from $40,000 to $70,000 a piece. Holy moly!

ETA: another one, where sets are being loaded, orchestra is rehearsing and costumes and wigs are being unwrapped:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKqQEMevJp8

operafantomet wrote:So, anyone planning to be on the very last performance of the US tour?

Yep!

operafantomet wrote:She say she's the youngest ever cast in Phantom, I think she was 17 when she joined the B'way company. She must mean in the US? Cause I seem to remember Neve Campbell was only 16 when she understudied Meg in Canada, and I also think Amy Nuttall was 16 when she was cast as u/s Christine in the UK tour (but 17 when performing). But I do like her comment about some people performing Phantom longer than she's lived.

I think she might have meant that she's the first person who was younger than the production was at the time of her hiring.

Anybody else think that Paloma looks like Mini-Cameron Diaz?

R.

Raphael wrote:

operafantomet wrote:She say she's the youngest ever cast in Phantom, I think she was 17 when she joined the B'way company. She must mean in the US? Cause I seem to remember Neve Campbell was only 16 when she understudied Meg in Canada, and I also think Amy Nuttall was 16 when she was cast as u/s Christine in the UK tour (but 17 when performing). But I do like her comment about some people performing Phantom longer than she's lived.

I think she might have meant that she's the first person who was younger than the production was at the time of her hiring.

I think that was her point number two. Earlier she say she was the youngest ever. Unless I misunderstood her.

I hope you going to the very last performance will take lots of pictures! Booooh, it breaks my heart that the tour is closing.

operafantomet wrote:

Raphael wrote:

operafantomet wrote:She say she's the youngest ever cast in Phantom, I think she was 17 when she joined the B'way company. She must mean in the US? Cause I seem to remember Neve Campbell was only 16 when she understudied Meg in Canada, and I also think Amy Nuttall was 16 when she was cast as u/s Christine in the UK tour (but 17 when performing). But I do like her comment about some people performing Phantom longer than she's lived.

I think she might have meant that she's the first person who was younger than the production was at the time of her hiring.

I think that was her point number two. Earlier she say she was the youngest ever. Unless I misunderstood her.

Yeah, she said both. She was probably just told she was the youngest. She was a little misinformed on how long Phantom has been running (not quite 23 years yet on Broadway and 24, not 25, in London). So probably someone just told her she was the youngest they'd ever cast, and that probably meant in the US.

I hope all of you attending the US tour's final performance today have a wonderful time. Such an end of an era...

I had forgotten. So sad. This is it. I remember growing up as a phan, hoping the tour would come around (though it rarely did, I was able to see it three times in three nearby cities), and assuming it would always be around because it had already run so long. But I guess nothing lasts forever.

I remember waiting years for Phantom to come here as a tour.

When the Knickerbocker Arena (later the Pepsi Arena and, now, the Times Union Center) was built in the late 80s, there was a lot of talk of how it would bring in big tours like Phantom that were too large to play the older local theatres. That didn't happen, partly because the tours that did come here were just a little disappointing...I saw Cats and Starlight Express there and they both proved that the acoustics, seating, and sight-lines were just terrible for musicals.

Still, every now and then, there were rumors that it was coming to the Palace or Proctors, but the reality was that those houses just couldn't accommodate a show that big. Even when Les Miserables played the latter, it was a logistical nightmare. Quarters were so cramped that some of the wardrobe/prop areas and dressing rooms were just partitions right in the lobby (which, to me, was awesome because I managed to ogle some hats and touched Marius' wedding tailcoat )

I used to say that I'd probably manage to see the show on Broadway before it ever came here on tour. Which was exactly what happened.

But when Proctors underwent a massive renovation a few years back, one major goal was to expand the stage house and backstage areas so they could finally handle large shows like Phantom...and Phantom was THE crown jewel of the season when they finished that expansion. And it was a big deal here...I remember seeing the giant mask image on the exterior wall of the stage house. It was all over the local media in a market where, unfortunately, except for really major happenings, musical theatre doesn't get much coverage. Pretty much every local news station had a crew at the box office opening...live radio broadcast, too. There were some good cast interviews, too, once it opened.

I saw the tour twice here...once with a friend who'd never seen a musical before and once on my own.

Needless to say, I was looking forward to a return engagement in a few years. And really hoping for a chance to see Sean as Raoul

I have a feeling some of the cast members will make their way into the Broadway and Vegas productions in no time. Sean, in particular, deserves to be Raoul on a bigger stage, and I can see D.C. Anderson taking over for George Lee Andrews if he ever permanently leaves. Then there's Kim Stengel; it wouldn't be surprising to see her as Carlotta again.

It would be great if people could share their thoughts and experiences with Music Box Company here to honor its finale.

My first experience with Phantom onstage was actually with the 2nd National Tour (Raoul Company), but after the San Francisco production closed, my Phantom fixes mostly came from Music Box Company rolling into town every five years or so. It was with that company that I was introduced to the likes of Brad Little, Kim Stengel, D.C. Anderson, Bruce Winant, Kelly Jean Grant, and many other fantastic actors. It was also with that particular company that my fandom really flourished - they were the first production that I sent special artwork to, the first time I got a backstage tour, the first time I really started interacting with the actors, and the first time I introduced friends to the show. I don't think I'd be the phan I am now if not for the 3rd National Tour.





Happy Trails, Music Box Company!

R.