The Broadway production + Original US Replica tour

I kind of liked Barisich. He's no Sean MacLaughlin, but he's kind of in that vein.

I really liked Ryan Silverman as Raoul from a few years back. But then, I liked Tim Martin Gleason!!

I was wondering today how Peter Jobeck would do in the part of Raoul? He seem more that type, though I only base that on his encore performances.

Barisich is a pretty miserable Raoul, in my opinion. I like Sean MacLaughlin, and don't really see much of a comparison there. Barisich was fake the entire show, three shows in a row. Delivered his lines with that overly dramatic/Broadway parody feel, had very little chemistry with Boggess, and overall was adequate vocally. Wasn't genuine at all. I would like my Raoul to at least appear like he's in love with Christine. Would be nice to see someone else who can make that role believable. Without a true, genuine performance from Raoul, the whole show and the ending is sort of lost.

I agree. I've been calling Barisich the "Dudley Do-Right" Raoul--he feels more like a parody of a melodramatic hero than finding the emotional core of the part the way Cudia or Ragone (among others) do. I've heard he was better on the tour, though--maybe he's just gotten burned out on the part.

~LCD

Saw Samantha lastnight and thought she was really quite excellent, there is something about her voice that I just find so refreshing. You can tell she probably is also a kick ass belter if she were to go into another show. She is also really petite and quite a nice person when you get to meet her.

Seems too that Michelle McConnel is on vacation too, Carlotta is currently being split up between 3 ladies depending on what day you go (so sory I cant name them now, don;t have the playbill with me) but the one I saw lastnight was awsome.

Also lastnight Richard Poole was on for Andre, It is really 2 totally different situations when you see the new combo they are going with now, where Andre is MUCH younger than Fermin and plays as inexperienced and star struck by the whole thing, then to see what lastnight was a more 'traditional' relationship between the two, with an older Andre.

InkedAlchemist wrote:Just wanted to pop on and say I had a blast finally being able to get to meet some of you, even if I'm kinda quiet on this board, it's a wonderful feeling putting faces to names. A truly memorable night. I hope all of you had a safe journey home.


J.

It was a pleasure to meet you!

Phantom on a Budget wrote:

It was a pleasure to meet you!

Totally likewise! Shame we didn't get to chat longer.

I'm posting full on reviews eventually but I will share a few thoughts

Saw Sam and Sierra both: Sierra has a gorgeous voice, but Sam won me over by far with how well thought her portrayal was. Not one moment when I saw Sam in the role (twice actually) did I think "oh this is Samantha Hill as Christine". Sierra is still doing that weird thing with her "A's" and to me it seemed she slipped in and out of a British accent. As I said both are insanely talented women, but something about Samantha's portrayal just spoke volumes to me.

I also caught both Greg Mills and Hugh as the Phantom; Greg had a better voice, but I think Hugh had better characterization. Hugh's lower register is wonderful, and I was greatly surprised with how much I did like his Phantom, VERY Kay influenced, which is fine with me..great actually, I love Kay's book. Very unique acting choices, especially in the FL. Although for me Greg's MoTN and PoNR were miles 'darker' than Hugh's, and much more sexual too. I sorely missed Sam and Greg's PoNR after I saw Hugh and Sierras...

Kyle Barisich...hes such a sweet guy, and wonderful to meet; yet somehow none of it translates over to his Raoul. I just couldn't get into his portrayal. AT ALL. It felt very forced and borderline campy, which is a big no no, Hal Prince despises camp.

It was truly wonderful to see all the phans and spend time together, both in and outside of the theatre; the evening of the 25th anniversary was amazing; by some fluke or another my winning tickets were in row AA, yes front row. I was sitting next to the original Broadway Meg Giry, and a Las Vegas/Broadway Carlotta. Sitting right being me? Sarah Brightman herself. I got to have a quick chat with her, which to be honest was a bit awkward, but totally made my evening. We shook hands quickly and her posse shuffled her into hiding, but still it was amazing. Ramin was sitting a few rows back as well, I said I quick hello to him and he was such a genuine guy. Before I got to the Majestic I ran into Peter Joback, and he seemed very surprised that I knew who he was, he said he was running late but still stopped for a quick chat and a picture. I had seen him doing a photo-shoot in a certain iconic tux earlier that day in front of the Majestic, so I kind of knew some big news was coming pertaining to him.

While on that note; I really wish the "phans" would chill with this 'anti-peter' attitude. I have Phantoms I like and dislike sure, but to be honest it is all opinion. No 'phans' opinion on a performer is a solid 'holy' truth. Sorry, but I was a bit turned off by the amount of bad mouthing I heard from phans inside and outside the theatre that weekend, when he was announced. Give the guy a chance people! He hasn't even started yet, and I already see people saying things like "He's dreadful.." "I'll be avoiding the Majestic for a few months" etc..just giving a word of caution from the wonderful Kim Stengel...performers are people who are seeking work/jobs, when work comes they aren't exactly always in a position to turn it down. Solid paid work, in the professional theatre world is not something handed out liberally, and as she said, this is their JOB, not a hobby. Just keep that in mind, guys. I am anxious to catch him in the role as I believe he will give a very fresh take, especially opposite Sam Hill, I think their chemistry will be wonderful.

@StrangerThanUDreamt: Can you explain what makes Hugh in FL? What is Kay inspired?

I saw Peter Jöback in London as Phantom. His acting was good.

StrangerThanUDreamt wrote:Hal Prince despises camp.

Then why do they keep bringing back Hugh, the campiest Phantom of them all?

by some fluke or another my winning tickets were in row AA, yes front row. I was sitting next to the original Broadway Meg Giry, and a Las Vegas/Broadway Carlotta. Sitting right being me? Sarah Brightman herself. I got to have a quick chat with her, which to be honest was a bit awkward, but totally made my evening. We shook hands quickly and her posse shuffled her into hiding, but still it was amazing. Ramin was sitting a few rows back as well, I said I quick hello to him and he was such a genuine guy.

Wow, lucky you!

While on that note; I really wish the "phans" would chill with this 'anti-peter' attitude. I have Phantoms I like and dislike sure, but to be honest it is all opinion. No 'phans' opinion on a performer is a solid 'holy' truth. Sorry, but I was a bit turned off by the amount of bad mouthing I heard from phans inside and outside the theatre that weekend, when he was announced. Give the guy a chance people! He hasn't even started yet, and I already see people saying things like "He's dreadful.." "I'll be avoiding the Majestic for a few months" etc..just giving a word of caution from the wonderful Kim Stengel...performers are people who are seeking work/jobs, when work comes they aren't exactly always in a position to turn it down. Solid paid work, in the professional theatre world is not something handed out liberally, and as she said, this is their JOB, not a hobby. Just keep that in mind, guys. I am anxious to catch him in the role as I believe he will give a very fresh take, especially opposite Sam Hill, I think their chemistry will be wonderful.

I don't think anyone has bad-mouthed him for taking a job. Good for him. The only things I've seen expressed are opinions, and we have a right to express those as much as performers have to take jobs and decide how to perform the roles they're given and as much as producers have to give roles to performers in their shows. But being paying customers and fans, we have a right to judge performers and whether or not we want to pay to see them. Granted, my only exposure to the phandom is this board and the occasional jaunt onto the Broadway Phantom FB page, which is occasional because most commenters are loopy, to put it mildly.

STUD: I don't necessarily disagree with you--we can be pretty harsh and free with our opinions. For my own part, I think that's because I know I'm a nobody in Colorado keying off her opinion before dropping the kid off at preschool, and I assume anybody lucky enough to be performing at that level doesn't know who I am and/or (rightly) doesn't care what I think. But I would add that since acting is a job like any other, employment comes with obligation--specifically, convincingly embodying your character to the best of your ability at every show. And speaking as someone who's paid a lot money on travel and hotel and exorbitant ticket prices (even my half-price seats for Drood were seventy-five bucks), I think it's not too much to ask for a high-caliber performance.

Of course with live theater, it can be hard to accurately judge such a thing. Portrayals evolve over time (especially when you've been doing a show for months, or years), and the experience changes depending on where in the house you sit and on what day you see the show. But when you see an actor time and time again and they keep failing to deliver on their part, it's very frustrating--especially when there are so many good actors out there and so few roles.

I am willing to give Joback the benefit of the doubt, for now--I do see potential in him. But if he's going to be a good Phantom, potential isn't nearly enough.

~LCD

Also, as someone who can only afford to see Phantom once in a blue moon, having only seen it five times over 22 or 23 years of phandom, I expect or at least hope that when I do see it, I'm getting the best possible performers in the roles. I'd love for them to experiment more and try out some new people in the roles, which they've been doing more with Christine and less with the Phantom and other roles, but when they do try on a new Phantom, I'd like it to be someone with a rich voice and gravitas who is convincingly a cloistered older man, not a thin-voiced belter who comes off as a pop star.

StrangerThanUDreamt wrote:I'm posting full on reviews eventually but I will share a few thoughts

Saw Sam and Sierra both: Sierra has a gorgeous voice, but Sam won me over by far with how well thought her portrayal was. Not one moment when I saw Sam in the role (twice actually) did I think "oh this is Samantha Hill as Christine". Sierra is still doing that weird thing with her "A's" and to me it seemed she slipped in and out of a British accent. As I said both are insanely talented women, but something about Samantha's portrayal just spoke volumes to me.

I also caught both Greg Mills and Hugh as the Phantom; Greg had a better voice, but I think Hugh had better characterization. Hugh's lower register is wonderful, and I was greatly surprised with how much I did like his Phantom, VERY Kay influenced, which is fine with me..great actually, I love Kay's book. Very unique acting choices, especially in the FL. Although for me Greg's MoTN and PoNR were miles 'darker' than Hugh's, and much more sexual too. I sorely missed Sam and Greg's PoNR after I saw Hugh and Sierras...

Kyle Barisich...hes such a sweet guy, and wonderful to meet; yet somehow none of it translates over to his Raoul. I just couldn't get into his portrayal. AT ALL. It felt very forced and borderline campy, which is a big no no, Hal Prince despises camp.

It was truly wonderful to see all the phans and spend time together, both in and outside of the theatre; the evening of the 25th anniversary was amazing; by some fluke or another my winning tickets were in row AA, yes front row. I was sitting next to the original Broadway Meg Giry, and a Las Vegas/Broadway Carlotta. Sitting right being me? Sarah Brightman herself. I got to have a quick chat with her, which to be honest was a bit awkward, but totally made my evening. We shook hands quickly and her posse shuffled her into hiding, but still it was amazing. Ramin was sitting a few rows back as well, I said I quick hello to him and he was such a genuine guy. Before I got to the Majestic I ran into Peter Joback, and he seemed very surprised that I knew who he was, he said he was running late but still stopped for a quick chat and a picture. I had seen him doing a photo-shoot in a certain iconic tux earlier that day in front of the Majestic, so I kind of knew some big news was coming pertaining to him.

While on that note; I really wish the "phans" would chill with this 'anti-peter' attitude. I have Phantoms I like and dislike sure, but to be honest it is all opinion. No 'phans' opinion on a performer is a solid 'holy' truth. Sorry, but I was a bit turned off by the amount of bad mouthing I heard from phans inside and outside the theatre that weekend, when he was announced. Give the guy a chance people! He hasn't even started yet, and I already see people saying things like "He's dreadful.." "I'll be avoiding the Majestic for a few months" etc..just giving a word of caution from the wonderful Kim Stengel...performers are people who are seeking work/jobs, when work comes they aren't exactly always in a position to turn it down. Solid paid work, in the professional theatre world is not something handed out liberally, and as she said, this is their JOB, not a hobby. Just keep that in mind, guys. I am anxious to catch him in the role as I believe he will give a very fresh take, especially opposite Sam Hill, I think their chemistry will be wonderful.

so cool you met Sarah Brightman and Ramin Karmiloo gosh i wish i could be so lucky

StrangerThanUDreamt wrote:I'm posting full on reviews eventually but I will share a few thoughts

Saw Sam and Sierra both: Sierra has a gorgeous voice, but Sam won me over by far with how well thought her portrayal was. Not one moment when I saw Sam in the role (twice actually) did I think "oh this is Samantha Hill as Christine". Sierra is still doing that weird thing with her "A's" and to me it seemed she slipped in and out of a British accent. As I said both are insanely talented women, but something about Samantha's portrayal just spoke volumes to me.

(...)

Kyle Barisich...hes such a sweet guy, and wonderful to meet; yet somehow none of it translates over to his Raoul. I just couldn't get into his portrayal. AT ALL. It felt very forced and borderline campy, which is a big no no, Hal Prince despises camp.

It was truly wonderful to see all the phans and spend time together, both in and outside of the theatre; the evening of the 25th anniversary was amazing; by some fluke or another my winning tickets were in row AA, yes front row. I was sitting next to the original Broadway Meg Giry, and a Las Vegas/Broadway Carlotta. Sitting right being me? Sarah Brightman herself. I got to have a quick chat with her, which to be honest was a bit awkward, but totally made my evening. We shook hands quickly and her posse shuffled her into hiding, but still it was amazing. Ramin was sitting a few rows back as well, I said I quick hello to him and he was such a genuine guy. Before I got to the Majestic I ran into Peter Joback, and he seemed very surprised that I knew who he was, he said he was running late but still stopped for a quick chat and a picture. I had seen him doing a photo-shoot in a certain iconic tux earlier that day in front of the Majestic, so I kind of knew some big news was coming pertaining to him.

While on that note; I really wish the "phans" would chill with this 'anti-peter' attitude. I have Phantoms I like and dislike sure, but to be honest it is all opinion. No 'phans' opinion on a performer is a solid 'holy' truth. Sorry, but I was a bit turned off by the amount of bad mouthing I heard from phans inside and outside the theatre that weekend, when he was announced. Give the guy a chance people! He hasn't even started yet, and I already see people saying things like "He's dreadful.." "I'll be avoiding the Majestic for a few months" etc..just giving a word of caution from the wonderful Kim Stengel...performers are people who are seeking work/jobs, when work comes they aren't exactly always in a position to turn it down. Solid paid work, in the professional theatre world is not something handed out liberally, and as she said, this is their JOB, not a hobby. Just keep that in mind, guys. I am anxious to catch him in the role as I believe he will give a very fresh take, especially opposite Sam Hill, I think their chemistry will be wonderful.

I've heard several go gaga over Samantha Hill's portrayal. Cool to see a brand new Christine steps on stage and delivers THAT well. I have only heard clips of her voice, so I am in no position to judge, but she's definitely one I hope to see.

I feel kinda bad I started this whole "Bash Kyle Barisich" thing. Because SO many people say he's the sweetest guy in real life, and he seems like one. But like you say, it doesn't translate into his portrayal at all. Camp I can deal with (hellooooo Oliver Thornton), but the wooden Raoul Barisich did when I saw the production in 2011 placed him at the very bottom of my list. Just no energy, no charisma, nothing that made him stand out in any way. I was surprised they let several cast members go while he was kept for the 25th anniversary. And I hate myself for saying that. What annoys me more is that I think he only need some mild adjustments to improve a lot. He just needs to decide WHY Raoul is on stage and then act up on that.

As for Peter Jöback, I think he scared the crap out of the Phan world with his lackluster RAH performance. He really wasn't good, especially not when put next to Anthony Warlow, John Owen Jones and Colm Wilkinson. That was broadcasted live, worldwide, and he stunk. Remember how many who's just seen this and not how good he actually was when he donned the mask half a year later, at Her Majesty's Theatre.

So yes, I usually defend him when the bashers enters the scene (read: Facebook). But at the same time I can understand where they're coming from. I would never have given Jöback a chance either if all I knew was his RAH performance. But on the plus side, he'll probably be a positive surprise to most of them.

But to sum up - holy crap, what a night! It's kinda wild you ended up in front of Sarah Brightman, and next to Elisa Heinsohn. Again, I'm so glad so many of you were able to attend and had such a blast. I was there in spirit with y'all!

In regards to Hugh being 'campy' all I can say is that from the night Hal was in the audience, Hugh really toned down his performance (in a good way) There really wasnt anything camp related in his 25th anniversary performance.

I also learned Hugh swears by Kay's book for his guide to the character; and yes it really showed through. Kays phantom has this dark but entertaining sarcastic streak to him, that is almost like an angry teenager at points; the way he mockingly delivered "raise up your hands to the level of your eyes!" and his feet stopping like an angry child while sitting on his throne, just screamed Kay to me. Also during WC he the way he said "Im here..Im herer..The angel of death!" was almost like someone beckoning you to come find them in a very clever hiding spot.

Did I love everything he did? No. But he was not as bad as I was fearing, I will say he is one Phantom that just doesnt translate well to 'shoes' unless you see him live. I prefered Greg Mills over Hugh, but Hugh did go up in my personal rankings of 'Phantoms'

As for the Joback comment, it's moreso the fact that the London phans flipped when he was cast, then after he was in the role loved him. I feel people judge him too quickly. He is also not well known in the US so I dont think this is a stunt casting gimmick, obviously someone likes him; Hal is mainly in charge of the Broadway production so Im sure he gave his apporval somewhere along the line. Although if my sources are true, Broadway isnt the last we will see of Joback here in the states...but thats all Im saying in regards to that.

I didn't like Hugh any better live than I did otherwise. I generally don't have any more than slightly better impressions of performers live than I formed from "shoes," and in some cases have liked them less. One exception was the first time I saw Phantom on Broadway in '05. I really liked Stephen Buntrock as the Phantom then, and I enjoyed Sandra Joseph and George Lee Andrews more than I had previously. But I think part of it, at least with Buntrock, was the excitement of seeing the show for the first time in that venue, and in the 3rd row.

So Joback will be the Phantom on the US tour, rather than Hugh, who will probably be returning to the role on Broadway after some time off? Not surprising. Another reason to not see the tour though.

Stranger, who is that in your avatar and where can I find a larger pic?

I was wondering the same thing.

It was already announced that Joback will only be at the Majestic for four months, Hugh will be coming back after Jobacks contract ends; in regards to the US tour it is only small talk really, but it was being thrown around in conversation the night of the 25th anniversary.

With that said, I am going to give the 'new' tour a shot to impress me; I dont know what changes will be made when it comes to the US this fall from the UK version(if any), but Im not going to close myself off from it just yet, before I even see it for myself.

My avatar is a shot of Hugh, from a photoset that was taken during the 25th anniversary performance.

Love the intensity

No one posted that announcement here, so hadn't heard that.

Where's the photoset?

justin-from-barbados wrote:Stranger, who is that in your avatar and where can I find a larger pic?

It's Hugh Panaro, by Kyle Froman: http://www.kylefromanphotography.com/#at=0

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/i-wanted-to-post-this-one-by-itself-because-it's-honestly-one-of-the-coolest-pictures-i've-ever-seen

The first link just leads to his homepage, and the second doesn't work for me.

SenorSwanky wrote:The first link just leads to his homepage, and the second doesn't work for me.

Well, going to the source is a good thing, don't ya think? The photos and the photoset you asked for is in the homepage of the photographer... Check the Broadway section, there's lots of photos of Hugh Panaro and Samantha Hill there, number 21-32.

These two are worth posting as well

Didn't see how to get to his photos at first. Should be a link at the top. But beautiful set. I love the lair shots particularly. His lighting and editing makes the colors less garish and the mask less glossy than it usually appears. He should be the regular photographer.

SenorSwanky wrote:Didn't see how to get to his photos at first. Should be a link at the top. But beautiful set. I love the lair shots particularly. His lighting and editing makes the colors less garish and the mask less glossy than it usually appears. He should be the regular photographer.

He also has an eye for angles and moments, I think it's the first photo I've seen of Carlotta storming in the door in Notes. But have in mind that he's taken photos during an actual performance, while Joan Marcus is usually set to photograph three or four posed scenes. There's always a huge difference between performance photos and posed photos. The "Longest Running" brochure Joan Marcus did was beautiful, that was also from a performance.

Yeah, that was a nice brochure. Though were these actually all from a performance? The shot of the chandelier with David Caddick in the pit was before an empty house. Doesn't look like the pit orchestra was there either.