25th Anniversary Restaged Tour

Yeah, that's a good point. It just looks awkward onstage - Christine runs away, straight past Raoul and out of the lair and just leaves them both there! It is a nice moment for Raoul, I agree. Just a bit wierd seeing the two rivals both onstage alone in this somewhat tender moment!

Anyway.... new brochure goodness! Enjoy

it (the production) lacks the gothic majesty of the original overall, which is detremental to the story. I hate that so many people interact with the Phantom and he just walks around everywhere, like a normal dude.

This is overnormalisation of the Phantom is what has spoiled the story in so many productions of recent years. How long will it take them to realise that this approach doesn't work?

Scorp wrote:

it (the production) lacks the gothic majesty of the original overall, which is detremental to the story. I hate that so many people interact with the Phantom and he just walks around everywhere, like a normal dude.

This is overnormalisation of the Phantom is what has spoiled the story in so many productions of recent years. How long will it take them to realise that this approach doesn't work?

What do you mean?

did you all watch the timelapse video of the load in?

i'm still not too impressed, looks just as complicated to load in as the original (minus the chandelier rigging and the travelator) but still. It just looks like a complicated touring show and I just cant get past the awful proportions of the side boxes, although i do think it is cool that they spin and the back sides of them are used to accentuate the whole backstage thing.

ANd i just really hate those backdrops, look like highschool backdrops

justin-from-barbados wrote:i'm still not too impressed, looks just as complicated to load in as the original (minus the chandelier rigging and the travelator) but still. It just looks like a complicated touring show and I just cant get past the awful proportions of the side boxes, although i do think it is cool that they spin and the back sides of them are used to accentuate the whole backstage thing.

My personal belief is that it's just as expensive to tour in terms of sets, but they don't have to pay any royalties to the original creative team, which saves them a pretty penny. Also, not having a dropping chandelier also makes things easier in terms of what theatre they can perform in, so it's easier to make a tour schedule and to do shorter stops in medium large cities.

I like some of the ideas behind the new UK tour. But I don't think too many of these good ideas were successfully done on stage. I like some of them on an intellectual level, but they just don't appeal to my emotional level at all. It's pretty much how I've felt about all non-replica productions. I respect the effort and the ideas, but I don't feel it. I have no idea what the original does right, but it goes straight to my heart, always has.

I'll be interested to see the new tour so I can be able to form my own opinions of it. I say this tour relies heavily on the performances of the cast, hence why they cast such stellar leads for the tour down in the UK (JOJ & Earl)

So that makes me wonder who they'll get for the US leg of the tour once it comes around. I'd love to see some unknowns take on the roles on tour this time around! Or maybe some of the really highly praised members for the last tour, like Gary Mauer or John Cudia.

ianjonbourgandethanfreema wrote:I'll be interested to see the new tour so I can be able to form my own opinions of it. I say this tour relies heavily on the performances of the cast, hence why they cast such stellar leads for the tour down in the UK (JOJ & Earl)

So that makes me wonder who they'll get for the US leg of the tour once it comes around. I'd love to see some unknowns take on the roles on tour this time around! Or maybe some of the really highly praised members for the last tour, like Gary Mauer or John Cudia.

A part of me is convinced Sierra Boggess will be associated with it, just to sell it in to die hard "phans". But time will tell if I'm wrong. Cameron Mackintosh do know what it means to cast "Phantom royalty" in it, as I know he's aware of the less stellar elements of the tour as well. It needs a selling point, and in the US the best options I can think of right now is Hugh Panaro as the Phantom or Sierra Boggess as Christine. Not really seeing any one them being up for it, but again.... time will tell.

I have to say the sets and costumes for this tour look horrible and are remodeled too much making them way too different from the original

The theatre that houses most professional/equity tours in my area announced their 2013/20414 season
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130120/ENT12/301200060/Broadway-Cincinnati-plans-blockbuster-season?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

The new re-designed Phantom will be closing out their 2014 season, so there is one set of US tour dates we know for certain

So it really, really, REALLY is happening.

I'd probably see it to give it a fair assessment IF it came to a theatre close enough. Anything more than an hour away and I'm not sure I'd make the effort.

One thing I noticed...this site had a page about the tour a couple of days ago, but now it's gone.

http://bbonyc.com/the-phantom-of-the-opera-tour/

StrangerThanUDreamt wrote:The theatre that houses most professional/equity tours in my area announced their 2013/20414 season
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130120/ENT12/301200060/Broadway-Cincinnati-plans-blockbuster-season?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

The new re-designed Phantom will be closing out their 2014 season, so there is one set of US tour dates we know for certain

A two week stop, though? Isn't that awfully short?

That is short for a new tour. If demand is that low, I can't imagine this tour lasting very long. Hopefully I'm right.

Well to be honest it was added at the LAST minute, like just days before the theatre announced their season, so either my city wasn't originally on there and they shoe-horned the show in at the last minute, or this tour will be doing just a couple of weeks in each city to play as many venues as possible. Either one is a good reason.

Hi, I've attended press night at Mayflower last tuesday. The atmosphere inside the theatre was thrilling and all the performers - not only Earl Carpenter, Katie Hall and Simon Bailey - gave their very best on stage. I still can't make up my mind about this production though. There were ideas that i loved ("memories flowing" during the beginning of ouverture, lively backstage buzz, new direction for the "more human" Phantom) and there were some that I thought were silly and out of Phantom universe (Christine at the end of MOTN fainting without any apparent reason, sucidal Christine at the rooftop, PONR super sexi Christine, Chandelier shaking but not going down, masquerade guests terrified after the Phantom leaves the stage, although he simply WALKS AWAY, doesn't dissapear, so why that panic reaction?? ), even looked cheap (the set at Managers scenes). There were a lot of changes just for the sake of changes, I guess.

Also, as a frequent visitor of Madach Theatre in Budapest, I couldn't help but notice too much inspiration with their non replica version. (Christine dancing with "Phantom" during masquerade, cemetery setting and most obvious, Phantom's dissapearance in his black cloak at the very end) I feel there should be a credit where credit is due, and there isn't one...

Overall, It has it's strong and weak moments and I wouldn't mind seeing this version again, but It doesn't look nearly as good as the original. For me, It simply doesn't have that... magic WOW factor

Another US city added; Minneapolis (Orpheum Theatre) Dec 13, 2013 thru Jan 5, 2014

http://minneapolis.broadway.com/shows/phantom-opera-baa/also-playing-in/

Minneapolis is the first stop of the North American Tour.

No, not exactly. The tour kicks off in November (from what I've been told) Minneapolis is just the most recent addition of tour dates to leak. The tour will kick off in a major city (as of now signs point to D.C. at the Kennedy center)

http://www.hennepintheatretrust.org/events/phantom-opera-musical-orpheum-theatre-2013
Unless their rhetoric is meaning their own local premiere. They didn't write that very clearly... Perhaps writing "will have its Minneapolis premiere" would have been clearer. Sorry about that.

The same wording on the announcement was made for the Cincinnati engagement as well, and that isn't until Spring 2014. The description/synopsis going around is as follows:

Following an acclaimed sell-out tour of the United Kingdom, Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s phenomenal musical success, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, will make its premiere in your city as part of a brand new US National Tour. Hailed as “Stunning, intense and spectacular” by the Sunday Express, this production features a brilliant new design by Paul Brown, costumes by the much missed Maria Björnson, a new staging by Laurence Connor – director of the recent acclaimed 25th anniversary celebration at the Royal Albert Hall – and new choreography by Scott Ambler. The production is overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh.

What I've noticed is both Cincinnati and Minneapolis have put their names in place of "your city"; I believe it is because this version has not toured in the US before so every city it hits is it's premier in THAT city. As far as I'm told from my sources the tour begins in November. City yet to be announced.

Just edited my post while you were posting... Minneapolis wrote it in an awkward way. Thank you.

No problem, I sensed something was off a month ago when my city worded it as "its premier" knowing it started this fall. However Minneapolis will be one of the first cities to get it, which is lucky for them. Cameron kicked off his new Les Mis tour in November at the Kennedy Center in D.C. (and it was in my city that following spring, almost to the same exact dates for Phantom) so I wouldn't be surprised if his teams repeating a similar tour schedule for Phantom. I imagine a full tour schedule will be announced by this coming Spring, and casting hopefully by late summer. Although I have a keen suspicion on who will be the US tours first Phantom...

Oh, you're being a tease with that keen suspicion!

It's just a theory really, but if you put the pieces together it makes sense. Who's the only actor to be featured in both 25th anniversary encores, did a run at HMT and soon to do a run on Broadway. There is a reason CamMac is building this actors name in with the production.

z

ravnquest1 wrote:The current Les Miz tour launched at the Papermill Playhouse well before the Kennedy Center stop. Its first move was from the Papermill to the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.

I have worked a lot for the company managing the production of the upcoming Phantom 25 tour. They also manage Les Miz. Phantom is launching late this year and doing production (what we call technical and dress rehearsals) in the Northeastern USA. I'm currently pursuing a job on this tour, so that's all I can say for now. And yes, it's the production currently touring the UK, not a replica of the Hal Prince original.

In regards to Les Mis,I was referencing to what was publicized as the actual kick-off of the U.S. tour, which was indeed the Kennedy Center.

We were aware that it was launching later this year, it's been posted on several articles (one even on the official site) for a while now. Cameron also mentioned it the night of Broadways 25th anniversary. And I don't believe there was any doubt it was the redesigned tour. The marketing alone in my city gave that away, Proctor & Gamble Hall already have the red/gold posters that were used in the UK tour on their official 2013-2014 season billboard.

I hope you land a job on the tour, ravnquest1. We'd love to hear anything you can tell us about the new US tour (hopefully things will have been improved from the UK version).

R.

So the re-staged tour has been officially announced, or at least on Playbill:

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/175367-Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-and-Cameron-Mackintosh-to-Bring-Revised-Phantom-to-US-in-November

The only confirmed stop I've found so far is Minneapolis December/January, and Cincinnatti April/May. Apparently the tour starts up in November, should be in the Midwest or north somewhere. not too long stops, around three weeks in each place. Will be interesting to see how it's received.

"The new show will retain the late Maria Björnson's original Tony Award-winning costume design."
"With an exciting new design and staging, retaining amazing costumes"

Is it allowed to hope the US costumes will not be butchered like the UK ones were? The God-awful Masquerade ones, the even more God-awful Sylphides, Christine's watered-down wedding dress, Carlotta's hideous Countess dress... UGH!

The tour will officially open in November in Providence, RI

and yes, let's hope the costume are TRULY retained and not the hack-jobs they were in the UK tour

I suspect we won't see this in Denver until mid-late 2014, then. I still think if they work the kinks out, this could be a worthy interpretation, but that requires them to recognize the kinks that exist...

~LCD