Rare pictures 2

One of my favorites

THAT is stunning!!! Her wig looks gorgeous. Who is it? I can't tell for sure...

Sarah Brightman.

I thought so... but she looks so different here than usual... Never want to assume.

Thought it was Maria Kesselman.

That's Sarah Brightman, from her Vanity Fair photoshoot in Palais Garnier, from February 1988. I might be wrong, but to my eye it looks like she's using her Broadway wig and Broadway wedding dress, but her West End Wishing dress. I remember reading an anecdote about that particular picture; either Andrew Lloyd Webber or Hal Prince watched her balance herself out on the statue, and whoever watched her almost freaked out and had to turn away. Casue she did it in a grand Victorian dress, with no safety line whatsoever, and a rather long fall should the wind get a hold of her... The photos turned out great, though. Parts of the article is online here:

http://www.early-sarah-brightman.com/1980s_newspapers.htm#The%20Opera%20of%20the%20Phantom

Swanky, pictures of Maria Kesselman in the same style were taken at the rooftop of Her Majesty's Theatre, by Marcus Tylor. Even funnier, Maria Kesselman is wearing Sarah Brightman's blue dress in those photos! She wore another one on stage. I can see why you're confused, hahaha! If you're nerdy like me, you can tell them apart by SB not wearing the cloak, and by MK not wearing earrings.

Here's another one of Sarah Brightman under the same statue:
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wishing/orig19sb.jpg

And Maria Kesselman at the HMT rooftop:
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wishing/orig6kesselman.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wishing/origkesselmanside.jpg

For really, really nerdy persons.... Here's a photoset of Sarah Brightman in her West End run:
http://operafantomet.tumblr.com/post/27071249746/sarah-brightman-west-end

And one of Maria Kesselman (great photos here):
http://operafantomet.tumblr.com/post/27069020890/maria-kesselman-west-end-u-s

The one of Sarah in the catacombs of the opera house with the cobwebs and her wedding dress are so haunting, Has the dress been noticibly altered since, because something about hers looks different from the ones we see now. Im really attached to the original west end costumes.

StrangerThanUDreamt wrote:The one of Sarah in the catacombs of the opera house with the cobwebs and her wedding dress are so haunting, Has the dress been noticibly altered since, because something about hers looks different from the ones we see now. Im really attached to the original west end costumes.

Well... since you asked...


The style of the wedding dresses changed around 1995 in West End. Up until then they kept the long bodices made of ribbed silk and with large basques around the hips and large lace fans over the bust, and there were sparse lace ruffles on the skirt. Sarah Brightman was obviously the first to wear this style (though hers was the only to be front closed), while Lisa Hull, Jill Washington and Nikki Ankara appears to be the last ones. This style was also seen in the original Stockholm, Vienna, Hamburg and Swiss costumes, and it's also how the Japanese costumes has been made since 1988 and until today:
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/orig8moore.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/wedbrightmanwestend.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/wedjillwuk1.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/wedhburg1991.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/wien1chvatal.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/reiseaudun/designlair/wedcphfrost.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/uk17ankara.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/wedjapan1992half.jpg


The next generation of costumes were not too unlike the first ones, but the skirts got enormous amounts of lace - tighter rows, and double layers. Some of the basques were pleated, and some versions has appliqués over the bust. Buttons were also added to the front, something the first versions often didn't have. This style can be seen on Nicky Adams (UK tour), Megan Kelly and Deborah Dutcher, and also on Colby Thomas in Hamburg:
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/uk16curlett.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/wednickyadamsuktour2.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/uk12dutcher.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/uk15dutcher.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/wedthomasbow.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/geranne8.jpg


The version to follow is pretty much what is used today. The double lace layers of the skirt disappeared, but the lace became broader and richer. The bodices are made of a glittering lurex/silk (?) fabric without the ribbed quality of the past. The basque is a plain satin (?) strip with metallic trims, and the lace fans over the bust is back. This was first used by (I think) Deborah Dutcher and Celia Graham, and is still largely the preferred style. I must admit I think the tailoring has gone downhill - the bodices makes the wearer look stout rather than curved - but I love the materials used.
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/uk7barrell.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/uk11evans.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu101/potocostumes/wedding/uk2hall.jpg


I would post pictures as thumbnails, except Photobucket decided to act up and neither load nor upload. So you'll have to settle with the direct links if you need visuals.

^Thanks for the wealth of information! Again, Im very partial to the original design, also are we certain Brightman wore a wig in that photoshoot at the Paris Opera? It looks alot like her natural hair, and I couldve sworn Sarah used her real hair early in the original west end run, but I could be mistaken.

Another lovely Her Majesty's photoshoot, this time of understudy Claire Doyle:

photos here, here and here

Oh, yay! So glad he captured her... I'm a broken record in saying how wonderful her acting is for this role. I hope she gets promoted eventually.

MajesticPhantom wrote:Oh, yay! So glad he captured her... I'm a broken record in saying how wonderful her acting is for this role. I hope she gets promoted eventually.

I hope I see her some day before she leaves the show! She looks so wonderful as Christine.
Now I must see her sing and act like her. Her interpretation of the role...

Does anyone have the uncropped pictures of these:

Hey there,
I've had some pretty rare pictures from ages ago sitting on my computer, figured i'de share em with you guys!
Thomas James O'Leary



Marcus Lovvett


Personal Favs:


Ciaran Sheehan:


Rick Hilsabeck



Enjoy!

I think of those, the only one I hadn't seen was the last. Great pic.

SenorSwanky wrote:I think of those, the only one I hadn't seen was the last. Great pic.

im a huge fan of the Marcus pictures, always found him to be a very good looking Phantom.
The last Rick picture's pretty cool though eh, can't remember where i found it, but it's definitely a keeper

i've always loved how Rick's mask fits in those shots

justin-from-barbados wrote:i've always loved how Rick's mask fits in those shots

agreed, thats definitely one of my favourite style's of masks, from the mid-early 90's. Seemed to have almost a "leather" texture look, with a "thicker" part near the mouth/cheek.

just found this as well,
not sure who it is, looks like it could be Kevin Grey, correct me if I'm wrong.

I think Gray and Karen Culliver, yes.

I've had this magazine for some years, but I don't recall ever posting it here...or, if I did, it was probably at the old POL incarnation.

Paula74 wrote:I've had this magazine for some years, but I don't recall ever posting it here...or, if I did, it was probably at the old POL incarnation.

WHAAAT? Hahahaha, I love that cover! Never seen it before. Is that Sally Williams as Madame Giry?

I've actually had that last shot of Hilsabeck in my stuff since 1994. He sent it to me as a signed 8x10. His mask was awesome! It is from the same series that I like the most: Gray, Jacoby, Norman, Hilsabeck--they all had the pronounced eyebrow, but not the high arch version.

Yup, it all sort of went haywire after that in the set with O'Leary, Panaro, Little, Schulman, Keegan and Bohmer.

Mind you i am in the minority of being a HUGE fan of the current version in the U.S. with McGillin, Cudia, Mills, Martin-Gleason, Todd-Adams, Barrett & Crivello. While not as nice as the original, I do like the more organic look to it, but sometimes it does come accross forehead heavy.

Though similar, the Vegas masks were slightly different than the other US masks. A little more jawbone, so to speak.

We've talked about this in several different threads before, but my favorite remains the late Toronto masks (Karrie, Simard, Stanley, et al), then the early '90s Broadway/tour masks, then the UK version that started being used in the mid- to late 90s.

*cough* same mold *cough*

phantomfett wrote:*cough* same mold *cough*

Huh?

I was under the impression that the Vegas mask was one of the last to be of an original mold; I could be mistaken, but I have yet to see a mask with the intense jaw bone/line that the Vegas mask had; which is why it's one of my favorites, it has a much more gaunt look to it. I never understood the pull of the softly "rounded" masks...

No, it's definitely not like the originals. To me, it looks less gaunt.