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Post by ceebee on Feb 14, 2021 16:49:51 GMT
I think the Christine mannequin wobble can be replicated with some pneumatics and one or two finely placed baffles.
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6,328 posts
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Post by danb on Feb 14, 2021 16:59:15 GMT
Failing that they could just replace her with one of the Masquerade dummies.
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Post by 141920grm on Feb 14, 2021 18:07:27 GMT
The Vegas production was only 95 minutes long. It seems to get a lot of love despite the fact that it was butchered to the extent that it couldn’t really be the same show. The chandelier looked pretty spectacular though. That's because it 100% wasn't the same show and owned the fact. I believe that version was clearly marketed the "Las Vegas Spectacular", which gave people a pretty good idea of what kind of show they were getting, and so everyone appreciated the condensed runtime, outrageous chandelier (which I love), even the Raoul cage. You would probably have been annoyed if they'd kept on calling that the Brilliant Original and you went all the way to Vegas only to discover a "butchered", Vegas-fied version.
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18,800 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 14, 2021 18:37:11 GMT
I suspect that hundreds of thousands of people saw the Vegas show and consider themselves to have seen “The Phantom of the Opera”. Most regular people really don’t go into the semantics. Or care about them.
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Post by 141920grm on Feb 14, 2021 18:55:23 GMT
I suspect that hundreds of thousands of people saw the Vegas show and consider themselves to have seen “The Phantom of the Opera”. Most regular people really don’t go into the semantics. Or care about them. That's very likely! They probably wouldn't be repeat visitors either, or bother checking out other versions after that; unlike you and I who do know better, and have enough knowledge about the obvious differences to willingly and endlessly go back and forth about it in an online forum.
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1,210 posts
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Post by musicalmarge on Feb 14, 2021 19:15:04 GMT
Although I am pro the updates and am excited to see what is unveiled at Her Majesty's, I do understand people's loyal attachment to the original. I was the same with Starlight Express. But that has been chopped and changed like nothing on earth over the years so guess I am just used to shows changing and developing. I think Phantom is unusual that it remained totally unchanged for so long. I am excited and intrigued to experience the whole new show though - literally keeping EVERYTHING crossed - in June! Starlight in Germany is destroyed. I’ll never go and see it again. They actually took out the 6 goosebump moments in the show, ridiculous. Not that it’s running at the moment. Sad, Back to Phantom, I’m interested to see how the “action can be morphed into the audience” I hope cast members aren’t going to running up and down the aisles. Ugh.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2021 19:20:48 GMT
Although I am pro the updates and am excited to see what is unveiled at Her Majesty's, I do understand people's loyal attachment to the original. I was the same with Starlight Express. But that has been chopped and changed like nothing on earth over the years so guess I am just used to shows changing and developing. I think Phantom is unusual that it remained totally unchanged for so long. I am excited and intrigued to experience the whole new show though - literally keeping EVERYTHING crossed - in June! Starlight in Germany is destroyed. I’ll never go and see it again. They actually took out the 6 goosebump moments in the show, ridiculous. Not that it’s running at the moment.Certainly it has lost an awful lot of what made it special which is a great shame. Though I still derive great enjoyment from it. But yes they have changed the whole feel of the thing and the goosebumps moments and pure emotional connection has indeed gone. Sad, as you say. Praying that when it re-opens they will re-instate some of these key elements!
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528 posts
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Post by drowseychap on Feb 15, 2021 2:21:31 GMT
The Vegas production was only 95 minutes long. It seems to get a lot of love despite the fact that it was butchered to the extent that it couldn’t really be the same show. The chandelier looked pretty spectacular though. I didn't enjoy the cuts to the show. I refer to it only to describe the set designs and what would constitute an example of 'scaling up' with new technology as opposed to scaling down (though, unlike many, I didn't like the chandelier in it - it looked like a UFO). I saw the Vegas show and can say it was spectacular to watch I didn’t mind the cuts really. It flowed pretty well. It worked in Vegas .... I sat under the chandelier seeing it in person with the music and lighting really was something to behold. Moving right round the auditorium before coming together and rising up did give goosebumps. And when it fell It came down so quick you could feel the rush and whoosh of air as it came down then rose up after blackout 👍
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2021 8:11:42 GMT
Although I am pro the updates and am excited to see what is unveiled at Her Majesty's, I do understand people's loyal attachment to the original. I was the same with Starlight Express. But that has been chopped and changed like nothing on earth over the years so guess I am just used to shows changing and developing. I think Phantom is unusual that it remained totally unchanged for so long. I am excited and intrigued to experience the whole new show though - literally keeping EVERYTHING crossed - in June! Starlight in Germany is destroyed. I’ll never go and see it again. They actually took out the 6 goosebump moments in the show, ridiculous. Not that it’s running at the moment. Sad, Back to Phantom, I’m interested to see how the “action can be morphed into the audience” I hope cast members aren’t going to running up and down the aisles. Ugh. No, but they're bringing back the rats and they will be. The only change being they're not mechanical anymore, as they've taken up residence in the empty theatre during its closure.
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Post by 10642 on Feb 15, 2021 9:44:19 GMT
Starlight in Germany is destroyed. I’ll never go and see it again. They actually took out the 6 goosebump moments in the show, ridiculous. Not that it’s running at the moment. Sad, Back to Phantom, I’m interested to see how the “action can be morphed into the audience” I hope cast members aren’t going to running up and down the aisles. Ugh. No, but they're bringing back the rats and they will be. The only change being they're not mechanical anymore, as they've taken up residence in the empty theatre during its closure. The only acceptable audience/cast interaction is if during the Title Song the boat with the Phantom and Christine appears over the circle and floats across the auditorium to the stage...
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211 posts
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Post by sprampster on Feb 15, 2021 10:34:36 GMT
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18,800 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 15, 2021 18:58:19 GMT
That’s the effect we’ll get if the chandelier doesn’t land on the actual stage then. Colour me happy! Audience seemed happy too!
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6,328 posts
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Post by danb on Feb 15, 2021 19:20:22 GMT
I’d rather that sort of speed was left to computers to control, rather than Roy & Old Joe who wheezes after a flight of stairs and some creaky pre 1900 machinery.
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42ndBlvd
Ensemble
come and meet those dancing feet!
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Post by 42ndBlvd on Feb 15, 2021 19:37:04 GMT
That’s the effect we’ll get if the chandelier doesn’t land on the actual stage then. Colour me happy! Audience seemed happy too! Unfortunately that effect required a ridiculous amount of wires and hidden mechanics in the domed ceiling as the Las Vegas chandelier rose up in pieces to form one body and 'crashed" with each tier falling separately at precise timings. I don't Cam would want to invest in something like that!
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Post by scarpia on Feb 15, 2021 20:12:56 GMT
Yeah, Cameron is not putting in the Vegas effect. It seems like it'll be more akin to the Laurence Connor tour (save that the rather ugly design of that chandelier will be replaced with something more appropriate). I was holding out hope we'd still get the old-school effect of swinging out over the audience in the stalls, which is far more theatrical...and would have thought ALW would want that retained given that he even says in his autobiography that it is the single most theatrical effect he'd ever conceived. The design used in the planning application though is simply the small chandelier they would have used (had it worked) in the 2020 tour, which is disappointing.
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42ndBlvd
Ensemble
come and meet those dancing feet!
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Post by 42ndBlvd on Feb 15, 2021 23:12:41 GMT
Yeah, Cameron is not putting in the Vegas effect. It seems like it'll be more akin to the Laurence Connor tour (save that the rather ugly design of that chandelier will be replaced with something more appropriate). I was holding out hope we'd still get the old-school effect of swinging out over the audience in the stalls, which is far more theatrical...and would have thought ALW would want that retained given that he even says in his autobiography that it is the single most theatrical effect he'd ever conceived. The design used in the planning application though is simply the small chandelier they would have used (had it worked) in the 2020 tour, which is disappointing. I'm guessing the phantom shoots the chandelier causing it to fall just like the us/uk tours did.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2021 7:35:08 GMT
I'm wondering if when they say 'blur the line' between stage and audience, the Phantom won't appear up on the proscenium will be but instead be in one of the theatres upper boxes as they said these have been cleared of sound equipment.
Also just wondering how many of the pre-pandemic crew/orchestra/cast will have jobs to go back to when this reopens. Will any of the original production's long-standing musicians be retained? Or will we see a pit of postgraduates? Will Phillip Griffiths (the longest running cast member) return to his role? Will the awesome, charismatic male usher who's super at getting people to put their phones away return to the Dress Circle?
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6,328 posts
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Post by danb on Feb 16, 2021 10:09:22 GMT
Love the idea of the running time though. Was there an interval to go and fill up on the buffet?
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18,800 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 16, 2021 19:46:53 GMT
Yeah, Cameron is not putting in the Vegas effect. It seems like it'll be more akin to the Laurence Connor tour (save that the rather ugly design of that chandelier will be replaced with something more appropriate). I was holding out hope we'd still get the old-school effect of swinging out over the audience in the stalls, which is far more theatrical...and would have thought ALW would want that retained given that he even says in his autobiography that it is the single most theatrical effect he'd ever conceived. The design used in the planning application though is simply the small chandelier they would have used (had it worked) in the 2020 tour, which is disappointing. Eh? Absolutely no evidence to support that statement. We established months ago that the cancelled U.K. tour version of the chandelier (after the curve run and starting at the Palace Manchester because the effect wasn’t ready) is that it drops from the ceiling and suspends dramatically over the front stalls. Which is effectively what the Vegas clip shows but without the mid-air assembly. If the new Her Majesty’s version of this effect does not include the drop over the audience then I’ll run down Haymarket in nothing but my undercrackers. And believe me you don’t wanna see that.
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2,145 posts
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Post by richey on Feb 16, 2021 20:15:20 GMT
So the POTO page on Facebook is taking a bit of a battering. They've posted a picture in memory of Maria who would have been 72 today and everyone's commenting about thw hypocrisy of posting that whilst removing her set pieces from the show.
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Post by inthenose on Feb 17, 2021 10:26:13 GMT
I am hearing some interesting news on casting. Expect a very diverse cast coming in for this; very specific casting calls went out for Christine , for example. Like when Les Mis moved, they want a "UK first" for the marketing copy and posters outside of the theatre. No word if they found the right person though.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2021 11:24:12 GMT
Great. All for seeing a production of Phantom in the UK that isn't whitewashed (cue the woke screamers). Phantom has a huge Asian following, even in London and I'd be keen to see a more reflective cast. Hopefully Phantom can help pave the way for a bigger pool of performers careers.
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327 posts
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Post by Figaro on Feb 17, 2021 11:44:07 GMT
Do we think this will still open in just over 3 months?!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2021 17:43:18 GMT
Yeah, Cameron is not putting in the Vegas effect. It seems like it'll be more akin to the Laurence Connor tour (save that the rather ugly design of that chandelier will be replaced with something more appropriate). I was holding out hope we'd still get the old-school effect of swinging out over the audience in the stalls, which is far more theatrical...and would have thought ALW would want that retained given that he even says in his autobiography that it is the single most theatrical effect he'd ever conceived. The design used in the planning application though is simply the small chandelier they would have used (had it worked) in the 2020 tour, which is disappointing. Eh? Absolutely no evidence to support that statement. We established months ago that the cancelled U.K. tour version of the chandelier (after the curve run and starting at the Palace Manchester because the effect wasn’t ready) is that it drops from the ceiling and suspends dramatically over the front stalls. Which is effectively what the Vegas clip shows but without the mid-air assembly. If the new Her Majesty’s version of this effect does not include the drop over the audience then I’ll run down Haymarket in nothing but my undercrackers. And believe me you don’t wanna see that. Maybe I've misunderstood you but the Laurence Connor chandelier dropped over the audience in the US tour. I'm completely against the Connor version, if you're going to change the show make it better not turn it into a Bill Kenwright HAM. Close it and do a redesigned version. It remains to be seen what this will be but at this stage Cameron is ruining his own reputation from his actions with this and other shows. He should take a step back, The shows will live long after him, he's 74, worth over £1 billion.
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Post by scarpia on Feb 17, 2021 22:53:35 GMT
Yeah, Cameron is not putting in the Vegas effect. It seems like it'll be more akin to the Laurence Connor tour (save that the rather ugly design of that chandelier will be replaced with something more appropriate). I was holding out hope we'd still get the old-school effect of swinging out over the audience in the stalls, which is far more theatrical...and would have thought ALW would want that retained given that he even says in his autobiography that it is the single most theatrical effect he'd ever conceived. The design used in the planning application though is simply the small chandelier they would have used (had it worked) in the 2020 tour, which is disappointing. Eh? Absolutely no evidence to support that statement. We established months ago that the cancelled U.K. tour version of the chandelier (after the curve run and starting at the Palace Manchester because the effect wasn’t ready) is that it drops from the ceiling and suspends dramatically over the front stalls. Which is effectively what the Vegas clip shows but without the mid-air assembly. If the new Her Majesty’s version of this effect does not include the drop over the audience then I’ll run down Haymarket in nothing but my undercrackers. And believe me you don’t wanna see that. You've misunderstood. The UK tour chandelier that was intended (but never materialised) was more akin to the Laurence Connor chandelier in terms of the effect than the Vegas chandelier. As in, it rises (briefly, but not from the stage) and the drapes get sucked in to the chandelier (since they are not removed by stagehands on the stage as in the original). The design they have used in the planning application features that chandelier intended for the 2020 tour, not the 1986 original. In terms of mechanics and the effect, it owes much more to the 2012 tour chandelier than to Vegas.
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Post by scarpia on Feb 17, 2021 22:55:08 GMT
Do we think this will still open in just over 3 months?! Nope. But Cameron is intent on these unrealistic dates and considers social distancing "nonsense"...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2021 17:40:29 GMT
How crazy is it that a high school production can raise the chandelier from the stage and fly it out over the audience but they can’t continue to do this in the West End?
The prologue is funny and the music is piercing but I love the chandelier. They must hire it, it’s a near replica.
Just googled and yes there are companies hiring chandeliers this one looks like flying by Troy. I’m well impressed. School productions weren’t like this when I was in school.
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1,445 posts
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Post by steve10086 on Feb 18, 2021 18:24:06 GMT
How crazy is it that a high school production can raise the chandelier from the stage and fly it out over the audience but they can’t continue to do this in the West End? The prologue is funny and the music is piercing but I love the chandelier. They must hire it, it’s a near replica. Just googled and yes there are companies hiring chandeliers this one looks like flying by Troy. I’m well impressed. School productions weren’t like this when I was in school. Bloody hell! That’s a school? Blown away!
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4,958 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 18, 2021 18:27:25 GMT
As a past master in tab pulling, I'm sure I could have turned my hand to chandelier raising. 🙂
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7,502 posts
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Post by alece10 on Feb 18, 2021 18:49:13 GMT
Bloody hell! When I went to school we didn't have any drama classes or school productions. You could either belong to the recorder group or the choir who sang once a year at the school Carol service in the church. I can still sing the descant to Oh Come All Ye Faithful but in a much lower voice.
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