The London production 1

PMed you!

Brilliant!

Oh God, I'm so glad I'm heading for London when I do.... I totally forgot about the Nobel Price thing. Obama will be in Oslo those days, and I bet most of downtown Oslo will be impossible to access in a normal way. That would probably annoy me endlessly... Yay London!

Got an email from the V&A, I now have an appointment for Tuesday, to study the Bjørnson sketches. Wonderful!

operafantomet wrote:
Scorp, we're meeting on December 9th, seeing Phantom in the evening (YAY!), and we're doing some Phantom nerding, both before and after, oui? When and where? We must buy tickets.

Oui. Up to you about when we do some nerding. We could geek out over dinner? If we did that at 5pm, that'd give us 2 hours before HM's opens its doors. I might text one of the cast members I know to see if it's possible to arrange something else before the show, but since Wednesday is evening performance only I don't know how early they'll get in for. Worth a try. As for buying tickets, I'm thinking TKTS. One of us would need to queue up at the booth to get them...I think it opens at 10am. I'm normally fine to do it, but only problem is I'm all tied up in the morning, so maybe I could leave that to you and pay you back for my ticket?

operafantomet wrote:
Got an email from the V&A, I now have an appointment for Tuesday, to study the Bjørnson sketches. Wonderful!

I want to come I want to come I want to come I want to come!

Scorp wrote:Up to you about when we do some nerding. We could geek out over dinner? If we did that at 5pm, that'd give us 2 hours before HM's opens its doors. I might text one of the cast members I know to see if it's possible to arrange something else before the show, but since Wednesday is evening performance only I don't know how early they'll get in for. Worth a try. As for buying tickets, I'm thinking TKTS. One of us would need to queue up at the booth to get them...I think it opens at 10am. I'm normally fine to do it, but only problem is I'm all tied up in the morning, so maybe I could leave that to you and pay you back for my ticket?

Sounds like an excellent plan. I have your phone number, so I'll text you on further details.

I might text one of the cast members I know to see if it's possible to arrange something else before the show (...)

You mean the international codeword "Tomas!" don't work at HMT? Tee-hee-hee. Seriously though, that sounds very intriguing, please do!

Got an email from the V&A, I now have an appointment for Tuesday, to study the Bjørnson sketches. Wonderful!

I want to come I want to come I want to come I want to come!

If you're serious about it, why don't you email them to ask for an appointment as well? I mean, it IS related to your field (French literature/Leroux) after all. They've been incredibly helpful so far, I'm in awe. Such a difference to for example the Italian museums I've contacted (oy!). Not that the latter is related to Phantom/Bjørnson...

Yay London!

ruthy wrote:Sorry Scorp had meant to take a picture on the way home on Saturday night but didn't get one! You are right, it's identical to the Les Mis one despite the obvious.

I'm not sure how much I really like the Happy Christmas on either of the posters though, Phantom I think can just about get away with it but when I see Happy Christmas on a Les Mis poster I just think... depressing more like lol!

I'm surprised about the Les Mis one; usually they put "Happy Christmiz" or something silly like that, lol.

I really like this year's Christmas poster. I can't find it online anywhere though. I wants it!

Oh, and it seems that Her Majesty's is definitely the place to go if you like seeing understudies at the moment. Because of illness, injury and holidays, if you go to see the show today you won't be seeing David or Nigel as The Phantom, nor Gina as Christine, nor Simon as Raoul, nor Rebecca as Carlotta!

Anyone getting David Cameron off the new Raoul? Fine as a fictional character but not as PM please. Bring back Blair, I say, and let the Proles grumble.

Tonight was the first I'd seen the new Phantom and Christine, too. They both felt somewhat Tim Burtonesque; high, floaty, gothic, detached. If I knew what "emo" meant I'd probably say it was emo. Or do I mean "scene"? Possibly one of the two.

Phantom seemed an amalgam of David Bowie and Robert Smith, with just a hint of Ripper to taste.

I warmed to Christine quite quickly. Very angular and confident enough to submit. I don't know what makes a good singer or actress, technically, but I know what I like and I like this Christine. Had a somewhat opiate edge, I thought, very chic; maybe this Christine has some undesirable friends.


Also a pint of gin and Naomi Cobby dancing in an almost red wig. Pretty much as good as it gets.

I assume you are talking about Will Barrat the Understudy raoul? He reminds me of Piers Morgan from Britains Got Talent if you ask me. I take it you also saw Katy as Christine. Was it David you got as The Phantom? and Scorp yeah good chance of lots of Understudies as both Gina and Simon are on holiday. Sorry on my phone or would have used quote function!

Mandrake wrote:Anyone getting David Cameron off the new Raoul? Fine as a fictional character but not as PM please. Bring back Blair, I say, and let the Proles grumble.

Tonight was the first I'd seen the new Phantom and Christine, too. They both felt somewhat Tim Burtonesque; high, floaty, gothic, detached. If I knew what "emo" meant I'd probably say it was emo. Or do I mean "scene"? Possibly one of the two.

Phantom seemed an amalgam of David Bowie and Robert Smith, with just a hint of Ripper to taste.

I warmed to Christine quite quickly. Very angular and confident enough to submit. I don't know what makes a good singer or actress, technically, but I know what I like and I like this Christine. Had a somewhat opiate edge, I thought, very chic; maybe this Christine has some undesirable friends.


Also a pint of gin and Naomi Cobby dancing in an almost red wig. Pretty much as good as it gets.

That pint explains the fact I only understood about half of what you posted.

Mandrake wrote:Anyone getting David Cameron off the new Raoul? Fine as a fictional character but not as PM please. Bring back Blair, I say, and let the Proles grumble.

Tonight was the first I'd seen the new Phantom and Christine, too. They both felt somewhat Tim Burtonesque; high, floaty, gothic, detached. If I knew what "emo" meant I'd probably say it was emo. Or do I mean "scene"? Possibly one of the two.

Phantom seemed an amalgam of David Bowie and Robert Smith, with just a hint of Ripper to taste.

I warmed to Christine quite quickly. Very angular and confident enough to submit. I don't know what makes a good singer or actress, technically, but I know what I like and I like this Christine. Had a somewhat opiate edge, I thought, very chic; maybe this Christine has some undesirable friends.


Also a pint of gin and Naomi Cobby dancing in an almost red wig. Pretty much as good as it gets.

ruthy wrote:I assume you are talking about Will Barrat the Understudy raoul? He reminds me of Piers Morgan from Britains Got Talent if you ask me. I take it you also saw Katy as Christine. Was it David you got as The Phantom? and Scorp yeah good chance of lots of Understudies as both Gina and Simon are on holiday. Sorry on my phone or would have used quote function!

Good grief, a Raoul that is David Cameron and Piers Morgan combined? That thought's just put me right off my dinner.

Oh Scorp that made me laugh! He isn't really your typical Raoul I wouldn't say...

Scorp wrote:
Good grief, a Raoul that is David Cameron and Piers Morgan combined? That thought's just put me right off my dinner.

David Cameron and Peirs Morgan really shouldn't remind anyone of Raoul! Just over 3 weeks until I see Phantom again, really looking forward to it!

I just got back from the show and can't contain my praise for Rebecca Lock. Just really unimaginably good as Carlotta. Hard to describe, how someone can be subtle and overstated at the same time.

Not disimilar to Heather Jackson, I think... Always busy, maintaining her character, even whilst in the background. You can watch her almost all the way through the show and be entirely transported. Prima Donna is now almost the highlight of the show for me.

I want to go back and see her tomorrow. Alas, London is full... No room at any reasonable inn. Humbug.

ETA: Also, I noticed the Raoul I saw last week must indeed have been the understudy as Simon Bailey was on tongiht, whereas DC was relegated to chorus (butler during Masquerade). Still very highly Cameron, I think. Say... None of you are thinking of voting tory, right? I mean, it's a matter of principle... Who do you think all those Hooray Henries and Henriettas in the City are voting for... and why???

Looking forward to seeing Rebecca Lock after reading that! I'm actually surprised by how much better I think the musical is with a genuinely good Carlotta. The times I've seen it with a less good Carlotta I've found myself strangely dissatisfied afterwards.

Yes Mandrake you saw first cover Will Barrat last week, he is actually on as Buquet for the rest of the week, interesting I'd say given his height.

Also Rebecca is on holiday from today so you haven't missed out on her by not going tonight!

ruthy wrote:
Also Rebecca is on holiday from today so you haven't missed out on her by not going tonight!

Will she be back by mid-next week? Certainly hope so.

Mandrake wrote:Still very highly Cameron, I think. Say... None of you are thinking of voting tory, right? I mean, it's a matter of principle... Who do you think all those Hooray Henries and Henriettas in the City are voting for... and why???

Remember when ALW said he'd leave the country if Labour got in back in 1997? Wonder what happened to that idea.

Rebecca is back from next Thursday Scorp

ruthy wrote:Rebecca is back from next Thursday Scorp

Oh wait! So this means I'm seeing two different Carlottas if I'm going Wednesday and Thursday (which I am...)? That's awesome - but maybe not what you hoped for, Scorp?

You'll get Melanie (or Nicola) on Wednesday and Rebecca on Thursday so yes you will see two different Carlotta's. Both Melanie and Nicola are really good though.

ruthy wrote:You'll get Melanie (or Nicola) on Wednesday and Rebecca on Thursday so yes you will see two different Carlotta's. Both Melanie and Nicola are really good though.

Oh good. No worries, I saw Rebecca Lock last time so don't mind if I don't catch her this time.

Phantom in a few days! *bounce*bounce*bounce*

operafantomet wrote:Phantom in a few days! *bounce*bounce*bounce*

You're not very excited, are you?

Me? Nooooooo....

He-he. Don't misunderstand, I've seen Phantom a LOT this year. But I haven't seen it in London for years. And to be brutally honest, I haven't felt the need to either. Just haven't "felt" the cast. But the current cast is one I'm looking forward to see, and I'm also looking forward to meet Scorp and Josephine.

Are the new brochures out yet?

Was very pissed yesterday (in the American sense, not the British one...). Because of major plane delay I missed my appointment at the V&A. Sooo upset about that! To seek some comfort I went to see Phantom.... Crazy, I know, but it seriously helped on my mood. Bought the cheapest ticket they had, and was surprised by how good that seat were! 1st floor (grand tier?), all towards the right, next to the followspotlightguy... Had a geat view, a bit obstructed at the stage left, but nothing major. And so close to the stage. I like the side views.

Have written a loooong review to be posted later on, but some short comments:

Davis Shannon: actually reminded of Crawford in his singing approach, although just in some places. Had expected a lot more sound from him, but liked him overall. Not very intimidating Phantom, but his "I gave you my music" was beautifully sobbing and heartache-ish.

Gina Beck: did a TOm cadenza that made the audience go wild! So cool! Probably the best TOm cadenza I've heard. A bit uneven in singing and acting; most are marvellous, some are less marvellous, and a few things are awful (her MOTN acting was quite dreadful). Overall a Christine I liked a lot.

It was an understudy galore, with Will Barratt as Raoul, Melaine Gowie as Carlotta and Andrew Keelcon as Piangi. LOVED Will Barrat (hadn't expected to, after reading various reviews). The others were generally good, but didn't stand out in any way.

More to come.... Seeing POTO with Scorp tonight, we have awesome seats in row five, and I'm looking forward to see POTO with him again.

I really like Andrew Keelan's voice but I don't really think he has the right accent therefore don't rate him as Piangi, I would like to see him in another role, maybe not in Phantom but definitely in a role of some description.

Oh glad you liked Will, do you not find his voice really deep for a Raoul though? He certainly has an impressive voice though, I would LOVE to see him as Phantom, I think he is actually around the right age judging by recent Phantom's...

Did you stage door? I was at the stage door last night to ask Gina about something and just wondered if you were maybe one of the people there.

I just want to apologise for insulting Will Barrat in my previous post... he is only 26 *facepalm*

ruthy wrote:Oh glad you liked Will, do you not find his voice really deep for a Raoul though?

In my mind, Raoul ought to be a baritone or at least a tenor with a nice lower register (like a Michael Ball). Steve Barton set the bar awfully high with his warm, rich baritone. No one else has yet brought the top of their head up to the bar, let alone their chin.

I do like his voice, it was just a shock, I thought there seemed something off with the dynamic it seemed to create between him and David. It also meant that in Wandering Child both David and Gina's voices were completely lost, but this seems to be a recurring pattern because to be honest with you I have rarely been able to hear The Phantom and Christine's voices clearly during that song since around April this year...

Phantom high! I'm now in "Club 30" (as Tomas Kofod dubbed it backstage in Copenhagen), as yesterday was my 30th time. I'll post thoughts (thoughts! rambling thoughts, no review, tough) at a later date as I can only type this superquickly. Has anyone else seen David Shannon yet? What did you think of him, ruthy?

Going to the book launch of the new Leroux translation tonight, and I believe operafantomet and Josephine are joining me. Come along if you're in London, it's free! And they're screening the Lon Chaney film afterwards. http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/talks/talks/centenary-gaston-leroux.html

Oh and before I forget -- it's on the centenary Twitter, but in case you're not following it -- Stephen J Davis told us last night that Nigel's left the production and Scott Davies is coming back after all these years to be Phantom standby. I saw him back in 2000. Literally shocking to think that that was almost a decade ago...time flies!

I did know that Nigel was shooting a film or TV series of some description... and did wonder how he was managing to do that plus Phantom, but he hasn't done Phantom that much has he! That's a bit of a shame, I think he could have been a really good Phantom in time... did Scott Davies do the tour or did I make that up?

I have seen David Shannon yes but I don't like to judge too much as it was the Simon/ Will performance and I think we have to take into account the sudden change etc. I thought David was fine for want of a better word in the first act, but I did absolutely love his AIAOY reprise, from my seat I was looking up at him and at one point he turned his head in the direction I was sitting and his face was absolutely broken... he must have saw me start to blub! I thought he greatly improved in the second act and his final lair was fantastic, I was never really a fan of Ramin in the final lair (I preferred Nic's) but I thought David had already brought his own touches to the scene.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts Scorp

P.S very tempted by this book launch!

Congrats Scorp on being in Club 30 and have loads of fun tonight at the book launch. It sounds like a cool thing to go to.