The London production 2

starryeyed wrote:He's also on the 11th - 18th April And Katy is on this Monday and Thursday and also four performances in June which have gone out my mind at the moment.

Has JOJ got any other holidays apart from the 11th-18th April? As much as I love Scott, I'd rather see JOJ, since he was my first Phantom and I've not seen him since. Do you know what Katy's June dates are, Starryeyed? I've not seen her yet and I'd like to.

starryeyed wrote:Also, operafantomet your comment to Flemming Enevold reminds me of something I said to David Shannon (about his time in Les Mis) "Your Epilogue just took my breath away, so well done." to which he replied "So it was good when I died then?"

Haha! They should all hear our comments about "looking good in the mask" and the likes...

Operafantomet: I thought Flemming said "in Copenhagen they only put the old guys on the stage" to you? "Thank you for calling me old and unattractive" haha. He is one hell of a Phantom.

Yes, that last line was his initial response. Then we got into a discussion about the matter, especially about casting in the US and UK, and that's when he said the thing about old guys in Copenhagen. We agreed it was a good thing.

Has JOJ got any other holidays apart from the 11th-18th April? As much as I love Scott, I'd rather see JOJ, since he was my first Phantom and I've not seen him since. Do you know what Katy's June dates are, Starryeyed? I've not seen her yet and I'd like to.

I dunno about JOJ, apart from the already given dates. Sofia Escobar just announced she has the cold and will be off for some days. I think she'll be off the whole week, or at least until Thursday. She's usually good with both updating on her playing dates, plus answering questions at her official FB site:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sofia-Escobar/269910184709

I will double check but I believe that Katy's dates are the first two Mondays and first two Thursdays of June.

ETA: Monday 6th June, Thursday 9th June, Monday 13th June, Thursday 16th June.

Random question for Londoners: where can I buy a pen with white ink for signing purposes? Does MUJI do them? I know Earlfan has one as she and I used it to get the cast of the Miz tour to sign the new cast recording for us; but I haven't got JOJ's signature on that and it'd be nice to have it on that for completion's sake. It'd be useful to know so I can use it whenever getting people to sign stuff that is dark in colour where the ink wouldn't show up. They have those cool pens on Broadway that they use for people to sign Playbills...I remember using my friend's when I went to see Phantom on Broadway, but I've forgotten what they're called. Sharpies? Or something else?

Yes, they're called sharpies. I usually use one if I want something signed.

Is the Sharpie brand not prevalent over there? It's almost a lower-case non-proper noun replacement for "permanent marker" over here.

SenorSwanky wrote:Is the Sharpie brand not prevalent over there? It's almost a lower-case non-proper noun replacement for "permanent marker" over here.

They're sold but they're neither prevalent nor metonymic for markers.

I looked in Smiths but can't see any Sharpies where the ink is white. Maybe Rymans? Or am I going to have to resort to buying stationery off the Net for a silly thing like this?

I'm not sure if it was Sharpies everyone was using to get their Playbills signed on Broadway... All I remember is that the shop on Shubert Alley sold them in white/silver. Time to Google white pens then...

I know they make white Sharpies, but they're not very opaque. The silver ones are pretty good. You could also look for white gel pens or paint pens, but they tend to be hit-or-miss in terms of flow and opacity.

Scorp wrote:I looked in Smiths but can't see any Sharpies where the ink is white. Maybe Rymans? Or am I going to have to resort to buying stationery off the Net for a silly thing like this?

I'm not sure if it was Sharpies everyone was using to get their Playbills signed on Broadway... All I remember is that the shop on Shubert Alley sold them in white/silver. Time to Google white pens then...

You might be lucky in Rymans. They sell loads of marker pens. I hope you find what you're looking for.

Also look for 'paint pens'. They have quick drying ones, too.

Here come the ex-cast members... again!

Alison Connell is back swinging it until tomorrow evening AND Heather Jackson is on as Madame Giry!

If you find silver Sharpies they work better than the white ones. I see a lot of people using them at signings now since they work so well on both light and dark backgrounds.

Wow, starryeyed - could they possibly lock Heather Jackson in her dressing room after the performance and not let her out until she signs a new contract? Just kidding, I think. I guess that since she did the role for close to ten years (on and off), she probably remembered all the cues. I really quite miss her performance, though who could blame her for moving on to other things?

starryeyed wrote:(...)Heather Jackson is on as Madame Giry!

Cool news. Who is the current Madame Giry, by the way?

I must say that for the role of Madame Giry, most of my favourites comes from the London production. Mary Millar, Heather Jackson, Anette Yeo and u/s Josie Benson comes to mind.

Cheryl McAvoy. I can't remember if she is listed as Cheryl Malone now or not. But she has been understudy for the past... two casts I think.

could they possibly lock Heather Jackson in her dressing room after the performance and not let her out until she signs a new contract? Just kidding, I think. I guess that since she did the role for close to ten years (on and off), she probably remembered all the cues. I really quite miss her performance, though who could blame her for moving on to other things?

I don't think locking her in her dressing room until she signs a new contract is entirely legal, but it could work! I'm gutted I didn't check this forum earlier. Is Heather likely to be on next week sometime? If she is, I'm thinking about going. I do miss her as Mme Giry. I'd very much like to see her in a role other than Mme Giry, but I've not heard of her in anything else.

A guy over at the official POTO FB site posted this not too long ago:

Gutted the UK tour has just been cancelled It was due to premier and run for a month in Plymouth (my home city). And has been cancelled

I haven't heard anything about this, apart from Earl Carpenter saying ages ago that he had discussed the idea of a new UK tour with Cameron M. Is this guy making it up, or have they in fact cancelled a plan UK tour?

operafantomet wrote:A guy over at the official POTO FB site posted this not too long ago:

Gutted the UK tour has just been cancelled It was due to premier and run for a month in Plymouth (my home city). And has been cancelled

I haven't heard anything about this, apart from Earl Carpenter saying ages ago that he had discussed the idea of a new UK tour with Cameron M. Is this guy making it up, or have they in fact cancelled a plan UK tour?

Not heard anything about this (and wish I'd have lived in ignorance if it's been cancelled), but a quick scan of me old chum google reveals: http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/news/Axed-Phantom-Opera-leaves-theatre-key-summer-period/article-3303995-detail/article.html
Of course it's just the local rag, so if it's anything like mine could be widely inaccurate.

Unless something major happens I wouldn't expect to see Heather back this week unfortunately.

Also, guess what? Her Majesty's now do understudy announcements, well no they don't, they randomly did one for Heather returning... Which shows they know they should do them. So if they could do that all the time would be nice...

starryeyed wrote:Unless something major happens I wouldn't expect to see Heather back this week unfortunately.

Also, guess what? Her Majesty's now do understudy announcements, well no they don't, they randomly did one for Heather returning... Which shows they know they should do them. So if they could do that all the time would be nice...

Shame that. Maybe I'll be really lucky one day. I did consider going last weekend, because I heard Scott was on and I don't know if I'll be able to make his future days. Gutted. Maybe they announced Heather being on because she was an emergency cover and not mentioned in the programme. I guess it's less hassle than making up loads of leaflets saying "for this performance..."

You could be right. They haven't done it for Gina Beck though which is odd or John Addison (when he covered for Simon a week into the new 08 cast) or Elliot Harper (when he covered for Simon a week into the 09 cast.) I also remember getting a Meg cover who wasn't in the cast though and having a separate bio that was slotted in. HM's clearly aren't very consistent.

Scott has a long run in August if that suits you?

It's weird they didn't make a special announcement for Gina, since she played Christine.

Thanks for letting me know about Scott's August dates. I can't plan that far ahead at the moment, but I'll certainly bear it in mind. I didn't have any plans last weekend, so I thought about going. I really wish I'd gone now, I'd have loved to see my favourite Phantom and my favourite Mme Giry at the same performance.

For any fans of Oliver Eyre's Raoul he is on all this week. Also, for those of you who were at/watched the Oliviers did you notice him at the end? I spent the whole time thinking "that looks like Oliver... oh it IS Oliver."

starryeyed wrote:For any fans of Oliver Eyre's Raoul he is on all this week. Also, for those of you who were at/watched the Oliviers did you notice him at the end? I spent the whole time thinking "that looks like Oliver... oh it IS Oliver."

I was facing away from the tv just before the final song but his name caught my attention! I'd love to see Oliver as Raoul again but I only went last week and cannot justify going again so soon. Hopefully I can find out when he's next on as Raoul so I have time to get tickets!

I first saw phantom on stage last September, with Scott Davies, Tabitha Webb and Oliver on as the main three. I went to the Tuesday Matinee last week and got a different three; Brian McCann, Sofia Escobar and Will Barratt. Initially I had been disappointed to find out John Owen Jones wasn't on as phantom but I thought Brian did a marvelous job. His voice probably not so great as John's, or at least how I'd imagine John's to be, but his acting was brilliant. The final lair scene: WOW. I really liked Scott's phantom, he has a nice voice and also very good acting. Tabitha was very good too, but I remember being a bit disappointed by her voice not being as outstanding as I was expecting for a Christine, but I do have high expectations. I prefered Sofia's voice and I thought she was great. Will's Raoul was very good too, but I must say I have a soft spot for Oliver.

It's taking all my restraint to not buy tickets for a while. I'm going to New York in August and if I have time I want to see it on Broadway so I'll try not to see it too many times in London this year!

BTW I'm new here and am just a little bit obsessed with phantom at the moment hehe

Welcome! It's lovely to see a new face around here (not that I don't love all the "oldies" of course!)

You're in luck, Will still has quite a bit of holiday to take this cast so I'm sure there will be a date suitable for you to go and see Oliver. I'm not sure on exact dates he's on at the minute though (well apart from now) but if I hear I'll let you know.

Wow! That's a completely different cast! I've never went and seen such a varied cast, I'm very jealous. I admit I've still never seen Tabitha's Christine but the reports I hear on her I don't think she sounds like my cup of tea anyway. You'll quickly learn I'm in the minority here on *blasphemy* not being that impressed by JOJ. Scott is definitely my favourite Phantom though I always admit I have never actually been overly impressed with many Phantom's, so odd considering it's the title role.

As I said, it's lovely to see some new faces around here bringing some new viewpoints too. I look forward to hearing about your future Phantom experiences!

ifonlyidont wrote:I first saw phantom on stage last September, with Scott Davies, Tabitha Webb and Oliver on as the main three. I went to the Tuesday Matinee last week and got a different three; Brian McCann, Sofia Escobar and Will Barratt. (...)

BTW I'm new here and am just a little bit obsessed with phantom at the moment hehe

Wow, that's two very different casts. How cool! I would be thrilled if that happened to me. I tend to get the main leads, for the most, but I love seeing different people in the roles. Heck, that's why I keep seeing POTO over and over again...

Welcome to the forum, by the way! You're not alone in being "a little bit obsessed" with Phantom here.

I first saw phantom on stage last September, with Scott Davies, Tabitha Webb and Oliver on as the main three. I went to the Tuesday Matinee last week and got a different three; Brian McCann, Sofia Escobar and Will Barratt. Initially I had been disappointed to find out John Owen Jones wasn't on as phantom but I thought Brian did a marvelous job. His voice probably not so great as John's, or at least how I'd imagine John's to be, but his acting was brilliant. The final lair scene: WOW. I really liked Scott's phantom, he has a nice voice and also very good acting. Tabitha was very good too, but I remember being a bit disappointed by her voice not being as outstanding as I was expecting for a Christine, but I do have high expectations. I prefered Sofia's voice and I thought she was great. Will's Raoul was very good too, but I must say I have a soft spot for Oliver.

Welcome to the forum! It's fantastic that you saw two completely different trios. I'd love to see Scott and Tabitha together. Scott's my favourite Phantom (tied with Earl Carpenter), and I like Tabitha a lot as well and it's been ages since I've seen her. I haven't seen Oliver yet, but I'd like to. It's great to hear that Brian McCann is good as the Phantom. Oooh, all this talk is making me want to go again. I must resist!

Thank you for your welcomes

starryeyed, that'd be great if you can let me know if you find out when Oliver's Raoul next. What is it about JOJ that doesn't impress you? Scott was great, my favourite scene of Scott and Tabithas' was PONR. some chemistry there!

operafantomet, how many different main casts have you seen? As I've only seen it since the most recent cast I keep reading about previous casts and wishing I had seen them!

Helen, don't try and resist, do again!

Does anyone think that seeing it too many times can spoil it? Admitedly, during the first act of my second viewing, I couldn't stop comparing things and didn't feel very into it and was wondering if I regretted going again within 6 months of the first viewing. But then the 2nd act started and I knew I had not made a mistake in going again!

Oh, I didn't mean JOJ didn't impress me, he is a good Phantom but I just find I don't quite get the hype around him. I know a lot of people could praise him endlessly but I just didn't get a sense of him being above all other Phantoms that I've seen. I was the same about his Valjean so perhaps there is something in his acting style I don't like.

There are things about him I don't like: I find he "growls" a lot, I don't know how to describe what he does other than growling and I find him quite shouty (but certainly not as shouty as Ramin.) I like understated Phantoms more and I just feel that JOJ is quite an overpowering and overbearing Phantom. My favourite is Scott Davies so I think if you compare how different they are you'd see why I wouldn't like JOJ as much I will say I do rate JOJ very highly though so I wouldn't say I categorically hate or dislike his Phantom.

starryeyed wrote:Oh, I didn't mean JOJ didn't impress me, he is a good Phantom but I just find I don't quite get the hype around him. I know a lot of people could praise him endlessly but I just didn't get a sense of him being above all other Phantoms that I've seen. I was the same about his Valjean so perhaps there is something in his acting style I don't like.

There are things about him I don't like: I find he "growls" a lot, I don't know how to describe what he does other than growling and I find him quite shouty (but certainly not as shouty as Ramin.) I like understated Phantoms more and I just feel that JOJ is quite an overpowering and overbearing Phantom. My favourite is Scott Davies so I think if you compare how different they are you'd see why I wouldn't like JOJ as much I will say I do rate JOJ very highly though so I wouldn't say I categorically hate or dislike his Phantom.

Ah ok I think I understand what you mean. I prefer the idea of an understated phantom but I'd like to see JOJ so I have more phantoms to compare.