Rare pictures 1

Hmmm, OK. What about Corbis and Polfoto? I mean, wooooooot!!

Ok, so in that pic above. Does anyone know whats up with that eyebrow?

I've never been able to figure it out. Is it a dent or a raised bit?

It is only seen in Crawford's London mask, not the Broadway or LA ones.

It looks rather odd to me because it isn't in the middle of the brow where it would make more sense to be.

Surely it is not something that was damaged, although it looks more to me like it got bumped on something and flattened.

Regarding Polfoto did you get those from the editorial section?

Looks like an indentation to me, based on the shadows. I've never seen that in any other pics of him or other early London Phantoms, though. Maybe that was a prototype mask.

I had a listen to Samuelson, and while I liked his voice in MOTN (except his "be," which was weak), he didn't really seem like my cup of tea overall. He might have been better with a combination of visual and aural.

You can see that 'bump' in a lot of the London pics, the one in the Perry book with the orange hands comes to mind.

justin-from-barbados wrote:Ok, so in that pic above. Does anyone know whats up with that eyebrow?

I've never been able to figure it out. Is it a dent or a raised bit?

It is only seen in Crawford's London mask, not the Broadway or LA ones.

It looks rather odd to me because it isn't in the middle of the brow where it would make more sense to be.

Surely it is not something that was damaged, although it looks more to me like it got bumped on something and flattened.

It's an impression, as if someone slid their thumb across the original sculpt before the cast was made. It's a signature of Crawford's mask and I believe the VERY early Phantoms that followed him (or, at least, the heavy defined brow that we are familiar with was not in place yet). Even the ceramic masks that were available for sale in the late 80s early 90s have that.

I rather like it because it essentially makes the mask a "blank," allowing whatever emotion the actor is portraying to come across rather than a furrowed brow that cements a certain expression/emotion in the mask.

operafantomet wrote:
Hey Phantomlove, I've been studying this picture several times in the past. I think it's in fact the same dress as Mia Karlsson wore in Copenhagen. There have been changes for sure; the white upper lace on the cuffs have been removed, and the front panel wasn't as dark in Copenhagen. But look at the shape of the front ("stomacher") and the neck opening. Look at those embroidered peach flowers in front. Look at the golden/black fabric in front skirt and at the cuffs. Look at the rounded shape of the black embroidery. Yes, I do indeed think it's the same dress, or at least a remodeled version of it.

I see what you mean about the dress, but if it is the same one then they have changed a lot of things with it. This makes me a bit doubtful. The stomacher is the same shape, but lot's of details don't add up. The flower fabric doesn't look exactly the same (you can see this on one of the pics that I posted on page four). Elisabeth's strings on the front panel are red, Mia's are black and gold. Mia has red flowers on the front panel, Elisabeth has some black decorations there. The trimmings on the bodice are also different and also the shoulder decorations. I guess all of this could have been exchanged, but it does seem a bit odd. The white detail on the sleeve is gone on Mia's dress and one flounce on the skirt too.

Phantomlove wrote:I see what you mean about the dress, but if it is the same one then they have changed a lot of things with it. This makes me a bit doubtful. The stomacher is the same shape, but lot's of details don't add up. The flower fabric doesn't look exactly the same (you can see this on one of the pics that I posted on page four). Elisabeth's strings on the front panel are red, Mia's are black and gold. Mia has red flowers on the front panel, Elisabeth has some black decorations there. The trimmings on the bodice are also different and also the shoulder decorations. I guess all of this could have been exchanged, but it does seem a bit odd. The white detail on the sleeve is gone on Mia's dress and one flounce on the skirt too.

I agree that there are some differences that are hard to explain. But at the same time, the changes done are cosmetic rather than constructional, with new trims, laces and flowers added. The similarities are so big that I can't quite let the thought go.



The fabric in the front skirt (the black/golden lace) appears to be identical, when compared to the picture where I'm holding the dress. The bottom flower on the stomacher is the same as at least the brochure picture (though in Denmark covered by netting), and the shape of the stomacher is the same. And an additional flounced layer in Berg's dress can account for why Mia Karlsson's dress is in fact missing a layer - there are four, opposed to five in regular versions, and six in Teresia Bokor's dress. It's an unusual feature possibly due to alternations done. It looks to me like the upper flounce were removed, because Karlosson's skirt has an unusually full upper flounce which I think would match Berg's second flounce:
https://s638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/aminta/sweberg2.jpg
https://s638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/aminta/dmkarlsson2.jpg

And that white lace on top of the cuffs were removed from all versions sometime in the early 90s (the London and Viennese costumes also had them). I would be more surprised if it DID appear in Denmark in the 2000s.

Apart from the cosmetic changes the dresses are really, really similar to my eye. Though it can of course also be a "cut and paste" work, like some of their Elissa skirts. And I also agree that the dresses look less like eachother when compared to that one PONR picture you posted early in this thread. Speaking of which, did they change the front lacing on Berg's dress on some point? Cause it is really red in "your" picture, but definitely not red in the brochure picture. I don't think it's the light causing this either?

Hm, that is weird about the lacing. You are right, it definately doesn't look red in the brochure pic. It looks more like Mia's lacing. I think what is confusing me the most is the flower fabric on the front panel. It's very similar, but it isn't the same. The big flower on the left of the bodice (from the audience viewpoint) is turned in different ways and also placed differently in the two dresses. I guess the placing could be due to differing sizes between the actresses, but the fact that it is turned differently puzzles me. There are also more flowers/details on the fabric used on Elisabeth's dress. But I do see your point. They look very much alike, just that some stuff is quite odd and hard to explain.

Many rare (though small) event pictures from Japan in this site:
http://www.shiki.gr.jp/navi02/news/program/operaza/

Seems like they've had lots of celebrations there these last couple of years, passing 5000 performances, 22 years in total (or so they say, it has been a bit on and off, hasn't it?), 1 year in Nagoya etc. Lots of rehearsals pictures too, as well as the building of the chandelier.

And behold! Way down on the site is even a picture of the statue the Phantom emerges from in "I gave you my music", when they don't use the golden angel!! (look up March 5. 2010)

yay a shot of his magic horsie.

justin-from-barbados wrote:yay a shot of his magic horsie.

I'm not mistaken in thinking it's the same shape as the horse statue in the "regular" rooftop set, right? Except the one in the flat set is seen in profile, while the Japanese sculpted one is seen frontal. Or is the flat set one on two legs, and the other on four legs? I can't quite tell from the tiny Japanese photo.


Anyhow, here's some rare and less rare shots of mother and daughter Giry, before the pimping began...


1. Original Girys Janet Devenish and Mary Millar
2. Canadian Girys
3. Canadian Girys (I've saved it as "Morrow"...)
4. Hamburg Girys
5. McFadden and Caskey, Broadway
6. Heidi Ann O'Brien (right?) and... erm, don't remember, West End



7. Sarah Anne Lewis and ?, US
8. Girys from the Hong Kong part of the Canadian tour
9. Brazilian Girys (Meg is Carolina Puntel)
10. Hamburg Girys
11. Ann Adlem and ?, UK
12. Argentine Girys

operafantomet wrote:

justin-from-barbados wrote:yay a shot of his magic horsie.

I'm not mistaken in thinking it's the same shape as the horse statue in the "regular" rooftop set, right? Except the one in the flat set is seen in profile, while the Japanese sculpted one is seen frontal. Or is the flat set one on two legs, and the other on four legs? I can't quite tell from the tiny Japanese photo.

They also seem to have a radically different roof line drop as well






Wow, I hope no one takes offense but she is way too pretty for Giry.

justin-from-barbados wrote:

Wow, I hope no one takes offense but she is way too pretty for Giry.

Is it of any comfort that she is/was an understudy?

One interesting thing to note about her dress fabric--that is the same fabric they use on the Phantom's waistcoat now. They moved away from the woodgrain looking fabric and went to the ribbed fabric.

And yes, she is a very attractive Giry.

For the most part most Girys are played by women who in person out of Giry look decades younger, for the most part the costume the hair (Mrs Danvers inspired from Rebecca) are meant to give an almost hard look to Giry, some of the early Girys used a very light foundation some added grey to their foundation to look harsh on stage. (It works) and yes that Giry looks very young even with the harsh hair do.

Atleast she doesnt look like a drag queen like some of the recent ones in London. I cant remember which I saw but I could not stop staring at her eyebrows that were way up on her forehead.

operafantomet wrote:

justin-from-barbados wrote:yay a shot of his magic horsie.

I'm not mistaken in thinking it's the same shape as the horse statue in the "regular" rooftop set, right? Except the one in the flat set is seen in profile, while the Japanese sculpted one is seen frontal. Or is the flat set one on two legs, and the other on four legs? I can't quite tell from the tiny Japanese photo.

Just for fun, here is a nice Palais Garnier roof picture from a Hamburg brochure. You can see both the horse statue and Apollo's lyre well here, as well as the magnificent dome.



From the same brochure: Decorating large gold appliquées for the Hannibal costumes (these rosettas, in different sizes, were used on various tabs. They were placed on a contrasting fabric, and lots of "gems" were sewn to them. I won't claim these tabs are made of the exact same appliquée, but it's the same process:
https://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v323/reiseaudun/designhannibal/elissaceu0b.jpg

I'm looking for any old Sandra Joseph pics. Like from the late 90s or early 2000s.

Anyone got any Jan Hartley Morris? Very hard to find pics of her.

Callie Daae wrote:Anyone got any Jan Hartley Morris? Very hard to find pics of her.

She was only briefly principal, and not one of the original Christines (who seems well documented), so few pictures exist of her. And the brochure she's featured in have many Brightman pics. But here's some:

https://s638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/dressing/orig10.jpg
https://s638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/starprincess/ukjhm1.jpg
https://s638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wishing/uk13jhm.jpg

And for some reason I have saved this as Irén Bartók, but the brochure say it's Jan Hartley-Morris. The picture of Bartók is very similar, but they don't look too much alike in terms of features. I'll dig up the other one, and hopefully get the credits right...
https://s638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wishing/uk1bartok.jpg

[quote="operafantomet"]

Callie Daae wrote:And for some reason I have saved this as Irén Bartók, but the brochure say it's Jan Hartley-Morris. The picture of Bartók is very similar, but they don't look too much alike in terms of features. I'll dig up the other one, and hopefully get the credits right...
https://s638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wishing/uk1bartok.jpg

I know what you mean, they are similar pics, but that one is Jan

justin-from-barbados wrote:

operafantomet wrote:And for some reason I have saved this as Irén Bartók, but the brochure say it's Jan Hartley-Morris. The picture of Bartók is very similar, but they don't look too much alike in terms of features. I'll dig up the other one, and hopefully get the credits right...
https://s638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wishing/uk1bartok.jpg

I know what you mean, they are similar pics, but that one is Jan

That's what I said... But badly phrased perhaps.

Thanks operafantomet!

Does anyone have a production shot of Ron Bohmer in the fedora? I haven't been able to find one.

I don't think there is one of him in the fedora. I think that was around the time they stopped doing that shot in the cape and fedora as the main Phantom shot, and moved toward doing the organ shot instead.

I rememer those Bohmer shots, he really looked odd. His mask was way too big for his face. He did a concert here a few years ago with Sandra and came on in costume with the mast (a better fitting mask) so it looked nicer than in the photos, it could have even been a totally different one, who knows. Needles to say i started freaking out as I didnt expect he would have travelled all the way here with it for a concert.

Callie Daae wrote:I'm looking for any old Sandra Joseph pics. Like from the late 90s or early 2000s.

I probably have that... But give me some clues. Which Phantoms did she perform opposite? And any particular scenes?

I remember seeing some whth Craig Shulman and I think Tom Oleary.

Did she ever perform with her husband? Im sure they met while doing the show together.

Yeah, they met in the 2NT. I don't think she ever performed with O'Leary, who was in the 3NT prior to Joseph being in the 2NT, as well as Broadway (and I don't think Joseph made it to Broadway while he was Phantom there, but I may be wrong).