The London production 2

Went to see Phantom in London on Saturday, for the matinée. Understudy galore! Scott Davies (standby) was on as the Phantom, Olivia Brereton (alternate) was on as Christine though it wasn't her regular day, Antony Hansen was on as Raoul, and Layla Harrison was on as Meg Giry.

It was an interesting and solid cast, energetic and for the most very, very good. I was not floored by Olivia Brereton, because her voice sounded rather muted (except a glorious TOM cadenza) and she didn't really stand out any way in the portrayal. She came off as very genuine, but after some time it felt more like "Look how genuine my character is" acting. From there I wanted her to develope, but she didn't. She was good, but IMHO not principal material just yet.

Scott Davies was fantastic. His Final Lair was breathtaking. He does an old school and dangerous Phantom, and though there were moments I felt he went over the edge he still saved it so his portrayal came off as gutsy. Loved it.

As for the rest of the cast, very high level, and so many nuances. Sitting in front row (one of the seats behind the conductor) also made me pick up on a lot of the orchestration, and for the first time I noticed just how much of a difference an actual harp makes. Angel of Music sounded so lush and delicate.

So yeah... This was a GOOD visit to Her Majesty's Theatre.

operafantomet wrote:So apparently Claire Moore has broken her foot and will not be starring as Carlotta after all.

Not and who will be now Carlotta? Thats bad, really bad!

I hope she is ok otherwise, I would have LOVED to have seen her as Carlotta

The official site made an update on the new West End cast of Phantom today.

Claire Moore is still listed as Carlotta, which means
a) Someone just pulled my leg (pun intended) me by telling me that,
b) The news aren't official yet, so they must stick to the original update,
c) Her foot has healed and she will star as Carlotta after all.

Your choice...
http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/news/major-cast-changes-this-september

Anyhow, Hal Prince is in London all week, rehearsing the new cast. That is exciting stuff!
https://twitter.com/Layla_Harrison/status/372324524588818432

From Lara's FB:

Lara Martins
3 hours ago via Mobile
Following Claire More's injury I have agreed to stay on as Carlotta while Claire recovers. I will however honour all my previous engagements, so keep tuned for dates and updates!
Thank you for all the presents and farewell messages.It seams you will have to put up with me for a little bit longer...! Lots of love. Xx

Glad to hear someone confirming it, considering cast change is only a few days away. Also not surprised that the official FB site is not on top of things. Have they ever been?

It sounds like Claire Moore will join when her foot is healed, which is good news. And Lara Martins is a cool Carlotta, so I'm not sad she's staying around for some additional months!

I'll do a full review later on this week, but brief points on tonight's show (new cast):

- Harriet looked very nervous in the First Act, but improved in the Second. Acting unconvincing, but this is her first job out of uni. She'll improve;

- Martin and Andy as the managers were excellent - potential for great rapport there;

- Jacinta will be an excellent Mme Giry;

- Sean Palmer was good as Raoul, but nothing more;

- Generally, lots of missed cues and fluffed lines, but to be expected from a new cast;

- Finally - Geronimo Rauch will be a simply brilliant Phantom. Vocally, it sits perfectly in his range (he did brilliantly well in masking his accent as well). His vocals were stunning, his acting was steady (and will improve). His big physical presence also works in my opinion - just thought he was great.

So, finally Sofía is leaving on October 26th. I wonder who takes the leading role and who the alternate. Any clues?
And this is an interview with Gerónimo.

that was a nice boat pic they showed, well asside from the usual photoshopping, but was nice to see the full boat, all the candelabra and decent lighting around, cant wait to see the production pics

sunsetbue wrote:So, finally Sofía is leaving on October 26th. I wonder who takes the leading role and who the alternate. Any clues?

I think the role of Christine will be split between Olivia Brereton and Harriet Jones, either 50/50 or principal/alternate track. But who's doing what? I have no idea. There were rumours of Olivia Brereton joining the upcoming restaged US tour, but as they are in rehearsals now and Brereton is still in the West End production, it seems less likely she's heading across the pond.

I personally think the West End production is loosing a great Christine. She totally blew me away when I saw her back in January, much stronger and consistent than when she first donned the role. I also saw Olivia Brereton, and wasn't particularly impressed. Low volume voice, and an acting which just didn't change throughout the show. I can't quite envision her as principal, well not quite yet anyway. But I also think Harriet Jones is too unpolished as of now. If I were to guess I would think they'd do a 50/50 split, like Robyn North and Leila Benn Harris.

operafantomet wrote:

sunsetbue wrote:So, finally Sofía is leaving on October 26th. I wonder who takes the leading role and who the alternate. Any clues?

I think the role of Christine will be split between Olivia Brereton and Harriet Jones, either 50/50 or principal/alternate track. But who's doing what? I have no idea. There were rumours of Olivia Brereton joining the upcoming restaged US tour, but as they are in rehearsals now and Brereton is still in the West End production, it seems less likely she's heading across the pond.

I personally think the West End production is loosing a great Christine. She totally blew me away when I saw her back in January, much stronger and consistent than when she first donned the role. I also saw Olivia Brereton, and wasn't particularly impressed. Low volume voice, and an acting which just didn't change throughout the show. I can't quite envision her as principal, well not quite yet anyway. But I also think Harriet Jones is too unpolished as of now. If I were to guess I would think they'd do a 50/50 split, like Robyn North and Leila Benn Harris.

That is possible, we´ll see! I have seen Sofia last Saturday together with Jeremy Secomb as Phantom.
Scott Davies played in the matinee but lost his voice.
So I have seen the premiere from Jeremy. It was amazing to be part of it.
He is really good and if he can play him more often he can show so much more.
He is really dark, really seductive...I understand every word he sang.
I love how he acts with his eyes and hands.

sunsetbue wrote:Sorry to come up with this question a bit off subject, but still London-production related. I am from Argentina and want to buy tickets either B10, B11 and B12 in the stalls (right behind the conductor) because I know they are a bit cheaper. Do you happen to know a website other than Ticketmaster or See Tickets that sell those tickets?

Sorry not to have replied sooner!

Those tickets are sometimes discounted a little, but usually not much. I think they are about £50ish at the box office; most resellers (i.e. the sites below) charge extra. You'd be lucky to find those exact seats, they tend to be prized by fans, but rows B-E are all excellent seats. In my view, the best seats in the house are C3-19: front and centre with plenty of leg room and great view. (Row B has very restricted legroom, it can get uncomfortable even if you're short as there's nowhere to put your feet.)

Seats at the end of rows often have a great view, especially if your seat overlaps that in front and they are much faster to get into & out of (useful at interval, or you have to wait some minutes for others to move).

http://www.londontheatrebookings.com- has very good seats (front stalls), often at short notice or on the day. But you must go to their office next to Covent Garden tube station to collect (almost all other vendors let you collect from the theatre). Their office is about a 15 minute walk from the theatre. In my experience, these guys have the best chance of having B8-16. They are also often pretty cheap, especially if you book on the day or day before (obviously limiting your chances of finding a good seat). For example, they have lots of seats in row C tomorrow for £47 each.

http://www.albemarle-london.com/- usually good seats but marked up, around £85 for good stall seat
same goes for
http://www.lsbo.co.uk/
http://www.boxoffice.co.uk/
http://www.abbeyboxoffice.co.uk/
http://theater-ticket.conciergedesk.co.uk/
http://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/Tickets/ (this is my favourite booking site but has very limited number of Phantom tickets, need to book weeks in advance)

Those are all the sites I use other than Ticketmaster or See. Reason being, there are (very) many different websites that actually all access the same pool of tickets (i.e. all have the same seat availability) and some others that just offer things like "best seats available" which is problematic for the obvious reason.

The sites above all have distinct availablility (different pool of tickets) and they tell you the seat-numbers you'd get in advance.

You can also call See tickets, who are the main reseller, as I think they have direct access to the theatre's database and can sell you any seats still available (especially on the day, when many of the other resellers return their unsold tickets).

Mandrake, thank you!!! thank you!!! thank you very much for your priceless collection of tips and sites!!!!
xxxooo

Decided spontaneously to revisit the production on 4 December. Really hoping to see Gerónimo - does anyone know if he'll be on? Also, I've forgotten what the Christine alternate days are these days. For two decades they were Mondays and Thursdays, but I thought this practice was changed recently...? Anyone know which Christine I'll get?

Scorp wrote:Decided spontaneously to revisit the production on 4 December. Really hoping to see Gerónimo - does anyone know if he'll be on? Also, I've forgotten what the Christine alternate days are these days. For two decades they were Mondays and Thursdays, but I thought this practice was changed recently...? Anyone know which Christine I'll get?

Geronimo should be on. Oliva Brereton and Harriet Jones shares the role of Christine now. Both have 4 shows.
I think you´ll have Olivia, but it change from week to week.
Most Harriet plays on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. So its not so sure.

SweetChristine wrote:

Scorp wrote:Decided spontaneously to revisit the production on 4 December. Really hoping to see Gerónimo - does anyone know if he'll be on? Also, I've forgotten what the Christine alternate days are these days. For two decades they were Mondays and Thursdays, but I thought this practice was changed recently...? Anyone know which Christine I'll get?

Geronimo should be on. Oliva Brereton and Harriet Jones shares the role of Christine now. Both have 4 shows.
I think you´ll have Olivia, but it change from week to week.
Most Harriet plays on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. So its not so sure.

Thanks. Looking forward to it!

Is Claire Moore still expected to eventually go on as Carlotta?

Lara Martins tweeted yesterday that she's been confirmed as Carlotta until the next cast change due to happen in August 2014

Just saw the current cast for the first time. Gerónimo is a v impressive Phantom considering he's not spent much time in the role. He's vocally very strong and easily the strongest Phantom London has had in that department for a while -- at least since JOJ left. Sometimes a little flat but no biggie. I was amazed when I checked the board afterwards that it was Olivia I saw as Christine. Saw her in the last tour and she was fine in it -- but she's developed a lot and seems a lot more confident both vocally and acting-wise. My last few visits to the production in London and NYC have been dull affairs, so this was a very welcome change!

Scorp wrote:Just saw the current cast for the first time. Gerónimo is a v impressive Phantom considering he's not spent much time in the role. He's vocally very strong and easily the strongest Phantom London has had in that department for a while -- at least since JOJ left. Sometimes a little flat but no biggie. I was amazed when I checked the board afterwards that it was Olivia I saw as Christine. Saw her in the last tour and she was fine in it -- but she's developed a lot and seems a lot more confident both vocally and acting-wise. My last few visits to the production in London and NYC have been dull affairs, so this was a very welcome change!

Glad to hear that you were impressed by Mr Rauch, Scorp.

I am visiting the Brilliant Original this thursday, and I haven't been since Peter Jobaeck- who for me was a pleasant surprise. I am hoping for the same reaction to Geronimo's performance- we shall see!

Just came back from the matinee performance of Phantom in London, and I had a very good time.

I had a bit of a problem to start with however, because I actually forgot to check the cast list, and therefore had to guess who the Christine and the Phantom were, despite having not heard some of them.

I soon worked out that it was Olivia Brereton as Christine on my performance, and I must say that she really was excellent. She definitely grew throughout the performance, which may seem like an obvious requirement for the part- but many Christines I have seen have shown very little notice of this. She also has a lovely voice, and there were many nice acting touches to see. At the final lair (for example) after Christine kissed the Phantom, he reacted almost a bit scared/ashamed, and her hand gestures suggested that she could see this in him and it was almost an attempt at comfort. Very interesting to watch.

However I got a bit confused when it came to working out who the Phantom was. I haven't heard much of Geronimo apart from a couple of clips, and I could tell that it wasn't Scott Davies- and so I naturally assumed that it was Mr Rauch.
I was pleasantly surprised by his performance, as I also found him excellent, and I wasn't sure of Geronimo as I had only heard some brief snippets.

I went to stage door to meet some cast members, and I did which was great fun, but I noticed that there seemed to be little trace of Mr Rauch. I came to Jeremy Secomb (unbeknownst to me had been my Phantom) asking for an autograph and complimenting him on his Piangi, to which he naturally corrected me. I knew he was a comedy actor, and for some reason assumed that he was pulling my leg, so it ended up an odd back and forth 'yes I was'/'no you weren't!' kind of situation! Eventually I realised that he was quite serious, and went on to compliment him on his Phantom instead!

Still great fun though. I even had a nice brief chat with the legendary Philip Griffiths.

I was sitting in E 13, with my friends in E12-11. All three were great seats, almost exactly central (despite how it looks on seating plans) and directly under the chandelier when it fell! I thought that the Phantom would be obscured when in the proscenium and in the angel, but he was always clearly visible.

I even gave a miniature standing ovation with my friends.

Overall a fine visit to Her Majesty's!

Hi everyone. I saw the show on Thursday, it was my 29th time and my first time of seeing the current cast. Overall I thought the new cast are pretty good, although Sean Palmer and Martin Ball were off. The person I was most impressed with was Olivia, I thought she was awesome she's a very good Christine. She's got such a lovely voice and her acting is very good, she does some nice little things I really want to see her again. Anthony Hansen was on as Raoul, he is good he does a really good and convincing job of coming out of the lake in the Final lair, most Raouls just sort of appear and stand straight up but Anthony looks like he has actually just swam the whole length of the lake. Geronimo has got an awesome voice it fits the part well, I was very impressed with his vocals. His acting was good but I wasn't blown away, he is good in the role though and you can see he is putting a lot into his performance. The rest of the cast were good, Tim Laurenti was on as André but I had seen him before he's good but I miss Gareth's André. Hopefully next time I go Sean and Martin will be on and I would really like to see Jeremy Secomb as the Phantom. I would like to see Harriet as Christine but would be more than happy if Olivia was on again.
There was a funny bit during Masquerade when the Phantom signals Christine to come over to him, I was watching the Phantom and then thought why isn't Christine coming and as I looked over to start with it looked like Raoul was pulling her back by her hair, what happened was her hair had got caught on his costume and as she walked away it pulled her back so he had to rip the hair from his costume. Olivia was very close to bursting out with laughter you could see her holding it in, but she managed to compose herself ha.
Also does anyone know if they've stopped using the trap door for the phantoms exit during Masquerade because he just ran off stage and I've heard someone else say that Geronimo did this when they saw him.

Glad that you enjoyed the show London-Phan,

I did notice that the Phantom doesn't go through the trap door, and I actually saw Jeremy Secomb which suggests that they're all doing it. I know that Geronimo Rauch hurt his back, so maybe they've just disabled the trap permanently until he leaves.

I also noticed that Sean Palmer didn't jump into the lake in my show, but I gather that he has chosen not to and never will.

Bunvendor wrote:Glad that you enjoyed the show London-Phan,

I did notice that the Phantom doesn't go through the trap door, and I actually saw Jeremy Secomb which suggests that they're all doing it. I know that Geronimo Rauch hurt his back, so maybe they've just disabled the trap permanently until he leaves.

I also noticed that Sean Palmer didn't jump into the lake in my show, but I gather that he has chosen not to and never will.

Thanks. Yeah I had heard that Sean doesn't jump off the bridge, Anthony did so I guess it's a personal thing. Whereas with the trap door I guess if Geronimo hurt his back, and you said Jeremy didn't use it then they might have decided to stop using it like on Broadway? It's a shame though, it looks lots better than just running off stage.

Have seen the show last on NYE (my 30th time) and there the Phantom also didn't use the trapdoor. We got told, too that Gero hurt himself and also that there would be a technical problem with that door (so it doesn't stop the fall correctly).
Sean Palmer doesn't jump off the bridge (and never will) because he has a bad knee.

It's that time of year again. VOTE for Phantom to win the Olivier Audience Award, which it hasn't done since 2002. I don't think, based on recent years, we have the strength these days to beat the Mis and Wicked fans, but...

So, based on the info given so far and a bit of deduction, the new West End cast appears to be:

PHANTOM: Gerónimo Rauch (standby: Scott Davies) (u/s: Kieran Brown)
CHRISTINE: Harriet Jones (alt: Emmi Christensson) (u/s: Lisa-Anne Wood)
RAOUL: Lian Tamne (u/s: Oliver Savile)
CARLOTTA: Lara Martins (u/s: Fiona Finsbury)
FIRMIN: Andy Hockley (u/s: Tim Morgan?)
ANDRÉ: Martin Ball (u/s: Philip Griffiths)
MADAME GIRY: Jacinta Mulcahy (u/s: Elizabeth Holmes)
MEG GIRY: Alicia Beck (u/s: Layla Harrison)
PIANGI: Johnny/John Ellis
BUQUET: Hadrien Delacey
AUCTIONEER/REYER: Philip Griffiths
WARDROBE MISTRESS: Ellen Jackson
PRINCESS/MIRROR BRIDE: Lisa-Anne Wood
POLICEMAN IN PIT: Richard Munday
CONFIDANTE: Fiona Finsbury
SLAVEMASTER: Simon Rackley
PAGE: Meshell Dillon
LEFEVRE: Tim Laurenti
MADAME FIRMIN: Shena Sanders
HAIRDRESSER: Joseph Claus
MALE DANCER: Ryan Goscinski
CHORUS: Elizabeth Holmes, Joanna O'Hare

CORPS DE BALLET: Claire Tilling, Layla Harrison, Georgia Ware, Danielle Stephens, Fiona Morley, Zoe Arshamian, Daisy Hulbert
SWINGS: Fiona Morley, Lyndsey Gardiner, Emma Barr, Leo Miles, Tim Morgan, Ryan O'Gorman

Hi everyone!
In the curremt cast The Phantom's u/s is Jeremy Secomb who also plays Piangi. Do you have any clue if Kieran Brown and Oliver Savile will play any fixed role?

sunsetbue wrote:Hi everyone!
In the curremt cast The Phantom's u/s is Jeremy Secomb who also plays Piangi. Do you have any clue if Kieran Brown and Oliver Savile will play any fixed role?

It's not too common for the West End production to have a principal/supporting role understudying a lead role. There have been cases of it (like Jeremy Secomb) but it can make things rather complicated if many is off sick and every single principal is needed. Kieran Brown and Oliver Savile is not cast in any leading roles this time around. I know current u/s Raoul has been soldier in Hannibal and the Toy Soldier in Masquerade, for example.

I guess the rumors about about Simon Bowman coming back were't true after all. Thanks for the update