The Broadway production + US tour

operafantomet wrote:Thanks a lot for that! Would love to know the location of the other ones as well, but this is a good start.

New Orleans 1995 was The Saenger Theatre and Tampa Bay in 1993 was The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. The Tampa Bay stop seems to be the last stop for D'Ambrosio before he was transferred to the sit down San Francisco production.

Thanks a bunch for that info!

Oh, and that Hugh Panaro video is cute.

An amusing bit from this afternoon's performance. After the title song, the candles malfunctioned and would not descend beneath the stage so the show had to be stopped for about 20 minutes. This prompted Hugh Panaro, at the end of the show during his Broadway Cares speech, to joke "Thanks for being so patient! Now you guys know what it's like to be at Spider-Man!"

Cape Twirl of Doom wrote:An amusing bit from this afternoon's performance. After the title song, the candles malfunctioned and would not descend beneath the stage so the show had to be stopped for about 20 minutes. This prompted Hugh Panaro, at the end of the show during his Broadway Cares speech, to joke "Thanks for being so patient! Now you guys know what it's like to be at Spider-Man!"

Haaaaahahahaha!!

Apparently Kristen Blodgette was at The Majestic today as well.

Cape Twirl of Doom wrote:An amusing bit from this afternoon's performance. After the title song, the candles malfunctioned and would not descend beneath the stage so the show had to be stopped for about 20 minutes. This prompted Hugh Panaro, at the end of the show during his Broadway Cares speech, to joke "Thanks for being so patient! Now you guys know what it's like to be at Spider-Man!"

I'm pretty sure that if looks could kill--the librarian would have murdered me 3 times over from laughing as loud as I did at this.

Cape Twirl of Doom wrote:An amusing bit from this afternoon's performance. After the title song, the candles malfunctioned and would not descend beneath the stage so the show had to be stopped for about 20 minutes. This prompted Hugh Panaro, at the end of the show during his Broadway Cares speech, to joke "Thanks for being so patient! Now you guys know what it's like to be at Spider-Man!"

Ooooh snap! Hope the audience had as good a humor about it as he did.

~LCD

Saw the show on friday! Oh my WORD. It was like completely re-discovering the show again. I was a mess at the end of the first act--And I promise you I have NEVER cried that hard at the end of the show EVER. Hugh was breathtaking and seeing Marni again as Christine was so lovely. Sean? Oh man. No words. More to come once I'm home from the city.

Christine's Shadow wrote:Saw the show on friday! Oh my WORD. It was like completely re-discovering the show again. I was a mess at the end of the first act--And I promise you I have NEVER cried that hard at the end of the show EVER. Hugh was breathtaking and seeing Marni again as Christine was so lovely. Sean? Oh man. No words. More to come once I'm home from the city.

You know I want details...or else.

I'm posting this here because it counts as a tour thing, even though it could be considered for the Movies you've seen recently thread.

I saw the movie Hop this weekend. There's a shot in it of the Pantages in LA with all the Phantom stuff on the theater. I almost cheered out loud.

Hugh will be out of the show this Friday and Saturday. He's singing (with Ann Runolfsson, actually) in Fort Worth April 8-10.

He told me he was "singing in Texas in April" and promised he'd let me know the details. Only took him about three months....



http://www.fwsymphony.org/concerts/concerts.asp?concert=110

Paula74 wrote:He told me he was "singing in Texas in April" and promised he'd let me know the details. Only took him about three months....

You know you love him for it.

operafantomet wrote:

Paula74 wrote:He told me he was "singing in Texas in April" and promised he'd let me know the details. Only took him about three months....

You know you love him for it.

Oh, heck, yes!

This blog - from a young woman who got to shadow the stage manager at the Majestic - is a nice little read if you have any interest in the behind-the-scenes aspect of the show.

http://sunlightafterrain.blogspot.com/2011/04/this-is-where-i-belong.html

Saw the Broadway production last night.

IT WAS SO GREAT

I know alot of you compare NY to London, but I find the NY production so much better. The theatre is nicer and the set does not seem so squashed in. Not to mention the masks look so much better, London has too much forehead and the mask looks like it just swallowed the phantom.

but anyways.

Hugh and Marni were on, great vioces all round, I've heard people say that Hugh has changed since his last run, I can totally agree, he seems more mature and his voice sounds so much better. (I'm wondering if they made new click tracks for his notes scenes or if they are using the old ones, for those familiar with his voice, the tracks used in the notes scene sound more like how he did back on 2004.

I was totally suprised by Sean's Raoul. Such a deep voice, I am so accustomed to a whiny high pitch Raoul. He did however have his moments of aristocratic flare that made him out to be a total prat, but his vocals and performance were solid, one of the best Raouls I;ve seen (usually i dont even notice Raoul)

Michele McConnell is on for Carlotta this week, totally phenominal. So confident, so funny, such a vocal powerhouse, you would never know she was an understudy.

Something needs to be said for the banter between the managers, nothing verbal, just gestures and grunts, those 2 are so funny together.

Marilyn is back too as Mme Giry, very ominous, I love to watch how she interacts with Raoul in the dance break in masquerade.

Now on to the show itself. I love the set, I love set design, I spend more time looking at the set than watching the show. Lastnight I sat in a box (was hopeing for house left but got house right) I STRONGLY RECOMEND SEEING THIS SHOW IN NY FROM A BOX. It's way cheaper than the orchestra tickets, the view is excellent (particularly if you get the box closer to the mez rather than the one closer to the stage) you can see faces, you can watch the orchestra fiddling away, you can see the audience in the dark watching the show. at times the music sounds like it is coming from behind you. and you can see the set doing its thing. I particularly like watching the travelator miving back and forth over the dressing room and back again after don juan (it seems that in don juan it is in between the 2 backdrops. also if you watch closely during the final lair (the "have you gorged your self" bit) you can see the 'mob' get into position on it and get taken up to get ready to climb down the portcullis. during the lair scenes the eyes and mouths of the proscenium statues (not the angel) light up and they are so close to you it is really something else.

I noticed the new sound system, I will have to rate it after i see the show again later this week from the house (mid mez) I was expecting booming, but it was really more just crisp and clear, you could hear every string, and there seemed to be alot more organ music now, particularly in the final lair. And they are using the new overture track like the one in vegas that has the intense booming towards the end. And the funky title song trach with the twangy guitar and rock riffs.

Hello, I am planning on seeing Phantom on Broadway for the first time and was wondering where the best seats at seeing it would be? I have seen it many times before on Tour. I was also wondering if the Majestic does backstage tours as well. I am taking my husband with me and he is seeing it for the first time but was also wondering about the backstage tours.

@justin-from-barbados I have seen Sean MacLaughlin as Raoul numerous times and he is definetely one of my favorites. I never use to pay much attention to Raouls either until I saw him. Absolutely phenomenal. He is also very nice.

I dont know of any backstage tours, I guess you need to know someone who knows someone kind of thing. Wish i did.

really the best places to sit depend on your $$$ and whats available.
I've found that in the centre orchestra, there is a row (cant remember the letter) but it is right opposite the side asiles leading into the auditorium, basically that is the first row that starts to go up a step so you are actually a bit higher that the people infront of you, also anything in the front mez is good. Don't go orchestra too far back because you wont see the angel or chandelier.





another thing I had not noticed before last night. In the past I remember the cross in the grave being covered with ivy but you could see a dark area in the middle (basically it was just a black cloth the phantom hid behind, but last night the cross was totally covered with ivy, and when thephantom emerged, he did so slowly and for a good while was covered with vines as he sang. I thought it was a very cool change.

justin-from-barbados wrote:Saw the Broadway production last night.

IT WAS SO GREAT

I know alot of you compare NY to London, but I find the NY production so much better. The theatre is nicer and the set does not seem so squashed in.

Interesting. I'm reading a review over at The POTO forum now, and that person seems to think the opposite - he/she seems to have seen POTO in the US a couple of times and leans towards the West End production. Or, to quote:

I've been in London for a while and have seen the show a couple of times while here. I am in love with it. I think I like it better than the US version. Jury's still out on that one.
http://www.phantomoftheopera.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=665935#forumpost665935

I'm guessing it's refreshing to see the differences another place when you're used to seeing one production. I know many who's seen the West End production multiple times tend to find the Broadway one more professional and smooth, while people going the opposite way find the West End one more alive and... well, not genuine, but less polished, with all that includes.

Thanks for elaborating your thoughts on the production!

So I'm planning a trip to NY the last week of July and will probably see the show on the 27th (between the Yankees on the 26th and KISS on the 28th ). Anyone interested in seeing the show with me or meeting up for the stage door or anything like that?

Also, I haven't seen it in over 5.5 years on Broadway. What's the best discount ticket site nowadays?

Broadwaybox.com is still your best option. The current featured code is through June 30, so expect it to update within the month. Phantom does wonderful business in NY, of course, but you don't necessarily have to buy a good ticket MONTHS in advance.

Thanks. I actually still get BroadwayBox's emails pretty much every day, but I always immediately delete them because I never have a need for tickets. Seems like TheaterMania was another site when I bought tickets in 2005, so thought I'd check with you guys.

Another site to keep an eye on is travelzoo.com. They often have promo codes for the NY and Vegas versions of the show.

Hope your NY plans work out for you.

I've used BroadwayBox a lot for Phantom tickets and I've been pretty happy with it. If I don't care about a good seat, I go with a rear mezzanine ticket from the box office, but if I actually want a decent seat at a good price, I almost always use BroadwayBox.

Sean MacLaughlin (who is not only a good Raoul, it's clear that he is an AMAZING actor) is leaving the NY production after only 6 months...same with Liz McCartney. I like the replacement prospects, though. Kyle Barisch and Michele McConnell have been around before, but haven't played the roles too often in the past, so good for them for being promoted!

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/151237-Broadways-Phantom-Will-Get-New-Raoul-Meg-and-Carlotta-

MajesticPhantom wrote:Sean MacLaughlin (who is not only a good Raoul, it's clear that he is an AMAZING actor) is leaving the NY production after only 6 months...same with Liz McCartney. I like the replacement prospects, though. Kyle Barisch and Michele McConnell have been around before, but haven't played the roles too often in the past, so good for them for being promoted!

https://desertedphans.forumotion.net/post?t=26&mode=reply

Saw Kyle six times. Personally I thought he was a much better Raoul then Sean.

I haven't seen Kyle yet. What was it, for you, that made him much better than Sean? (My reasons for loving Sean's portrayal are epic in size...I find him to be a rather dangerous Raoul who goes on a very exciting journey of self discovery, and moves from a superficial man to a man who is moved and more in tune with what love is all about...he seemed, to me, to be an actor who is not afraid of being disliked...which what I also loved about John Cudia's Phantom. They don't apologize for what their characters' actions are).

I'm always psyched to see new people.. I'll probably see it in NY again at the end of the year.

MajesticPhantom wrote:I haven't seen Kyle yet. What was it, for you, that made him much better than Sean? (My reasons for loving Sean's portrayal are epic in size...I find him to be a rather dangerous Raoul who goes on a very exciting journey of self discovery, and moves from a superficial man to a man who is moved and more in tune with what love is all about...he seemed, to me, to be an actor who is not afraid of being disliked...which what I also loved about John Cudia's Phantom. They don't apologize for what their characters' actions are).

I'm always psyched to see new people.. I'll probably see it in NY again at the end of the year.

I found Kyle's performance to be a bit more of the puppy dog type, which is a quality i like in Raoul. I found Sean to be on the bit pompous side for most of the show. Don't get me wrong, i thought Sean did a good turn, but my personal preference is more suited to Kyle's Raoul.

Totally gotcha!

Exciting cast changes on Broadway! Thanks for sharing.

Was bummed to see Sean go. Loved his Raoul. Fantastic voice and great stage presence. In both those senses, he reminded me somewhat of Steve Barton. Great guy too. Now if I want a backstage tour in July, I'll have to connect with another cast member. Anyone got any suggestions?

Swanky, I agree with the Steve Barton comment...I definitely got that impression with Sean's Raoul, too.

I'm very sad to see Sean go and, well, since Phantom does have a bit of revolving door, I really hope to see him back there again eventually.

Paula74 wrote:I'm very sad to see Sean go and, well, since Phantom does have a bit of revolving door, I really hope to see him back there again eventually.

Yes, as the Phantom.