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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2021 13:59:03 GMT
Saw this for the 1000th time last night. Incredible as usual. The changes are not too large to worry Phantom fans. The most obvious one to me was the set for All I Ask of You (on the roof). Instead of descending from above, the Phantom swings around to centre stage on one of the statues from the roof set. The cast was great. Carlotta a bit weak on the diction and comedy aspects but with a great singing voice. Christine also great, although as a die-hard Sierra Boggess fan everyone pales in comparison for me. 5/5 - those who have not seen the changes need not worry :-) 1000?
Bravo! I admire you're commitment to the show. I thought I was doing well seeing Les Mis 37 times.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2021 15:03:20 GMT
Saw this for the 1000th time last night. Incredible as usual. The changes are not too large to worry Phantom fans. The most obvious one to me was the set for All I Ask of You (on the roof). Instead of descending from above, the Phantom swings around to centre stage on one of the statues from the roof set. The cast was great. Carlotta a bit weak on the diction and comedy aspects but with a great singing voice. Christine also great, although as a die-hard Sierra Boggess fan everyone pales in comparison for me. 5/5 - those who have not seen the changes need not worry :-) I felt the same! Wonderful and heartwarming that the vast majority of people going to Her Majesty's are enjoying what they find. And great after the sea of negativity about the show over the lockdowns, that it has emerged in such fantastic shape. Did you happen to notice if they are doing a Souvenir Brochure yet? |
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Post by anthony on Aug 10, 2021 16:01:09 GMT
Saw this for the 1000th time last night. Incredible as usual. The changes are not too large to worry Phantom fans. The most obvious one to me was the set for All I Ask of You (on the roof). Instead of descending from above, the Phantom swings around to centre stage on one of the statues from the roof set. The cast was great. Carlotta a bit weak on the diction and comedy aspects but with a great singing voice. Christine also great, although as a die-hard Sierra Boggess fan everyone pales in comparison for me. 5/5 - those who have not seen the changes need not worry :-) I felt the same! Wonderful and heartwarming that the vast majority of people going to Her Majesty's are enjoying what they find. And great after the sea of negativity about the show over the lockdowns, that it has emerged in such fantastic shape. Did you happen to notice if they are doing a Souvenir Brochure yet? They weren't Sat matinee. |
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Post by scarpia on Aug 10, 2021 20:46:58 GMT
Pleased to see that the B'way production remains intact, proscenium, black box effect, curtain, and Björnson chandelier in their full glory (pic taken yesterday - not mine):  IMHO the London one just seems rather plasticky and Disneyfied in comparison now (see below - pic not mine):  |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 10, 2021 21:13:06 GMT
Cameron will rip that Broadway set out and replace with the cheaper version. Just you wait and see.
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Post by steve10086 on Aug 10, 2021 21:15:13 GMT
Pleased to see that the B'way production remains intact, proscenium, black box effect, curtain, and Björnson chandelier in their full glory (pic taken yesterday - not mine): IMHO the London one just seems rather plasticky and Disneyfied in comparison now (see below - pic not mine): London looks cheap by comparison now, and the chandelier is out of proportion. |
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Post by inthenose on Aug 10, 2021 21:33:32 GMT
It really is night and day. Happy that the legacy remains over there at least.
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Post by anthony on Aug 10, 2021 22:18:16 GMT
I forgot to mention the chandelier when I posted after seeing it at the weekend. Whilst it's larger and looked physically impressive, it's very badly done. The paint is uneven (different shades of gold - you can literally see where it's been painted.) It looks like cheap plastic that's been painted with a cheap gold paint - like a children's toy, almost. There is very little detail in it.
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Post by Oleanna on Aug 11, 2021 1:49:40 GMT
Pleased to see that the B'way production remains intact, proscenium, black box effect, curtain, and Björnson chandelier in their full glory (pic taken yesterday - not mine): IMHO the London one just seems rather plasticky and Disneyfied in comparison now (see below - pic not mine): I think we’re all quite clear on the changes by now, aren’t we? Incidentally, I’ve never been a fan of the way the proscenium is integrated into the existing architecture of The Majestic. It seems to go against what is already there, rather than work with it. |
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Post by inthenose on Aug 11, 2021 2:31:31 GMT
Pleased to see that the B'way production remains intact, proscenium, black box effect, curtain, and Björnson chandelier in their full glory (pic taken yesterday - not mine): IMHO the London one just seems rather plasticky and Disneyfied in comparison now (see below - pic not mine): I think we’re all quite clear on the changes by now, aren’t we? Incidentally, I’ve never been a fan of the way the proscenium is integrated into the existing architecture of The Majestic. It seems to go against what is already there, rather than work with it. I think it was more to show that the original production is back on Broadway, not the new production. Which is great news for everybody. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2021 7:42:26 GMT
Pleased to see that the B'way production remains intact, proscenium, black box effect, curtain, and Björnson chandelier in their full glory (pic taken yesterday - not mine): IMHO the London one just seems rather plasticky and Disneyfied in comparison now (see below - pic not mine): I think we’re all quite clear on the changes by now, aren’t we? Incidentally, I’ve never been a fan of the way the proscenium is integrated into the existing architecture of The Majestic. It seems to go against what is already there, rather than work with it. Absolutely. Also, for people that haven't seen either, the top pic contains the red Il Muto curtain, whereas the bottom has the safety curtain cover in the middle. Having seen both, I think this affects the aesthetic of the photo much more than the chandelier or proscenium. Would perhaps be more of a like for like comparison if both photos had the (unchanged in new version) Il Muto red curtain. Also worth mentioning that Her Majesty's has been beautifully restored and and the areas surrounding the proscenium look gorgeous when you are in the theatre. Much better than the dirty, dusty, peeling, off black paint that was there before lockdown. |
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Post by steve10086 on Aug 11, 2021 8:28:37 GMT
I forgot to mention the chandelier when I posted after seeing it at the weekend. Whilst it's larger and looked physically impressive, it's very badly done. The paint is uneven (different shades of gold - you can literally see where it's been painted.) It looks like cheap plastic that's been painted with a cheap gold paint - like a children's toy, almost. There is very little detail in it. When I saw the show I couldn’t work out what it was about the chandelier I didn’t like, but having been reminded of the original one it’s the lack of beads on the globe lights. Without the beading the globes look cheap and tacky. Was the original chandelier not re-usable? If so, why didn’t they just build a replica? Did this new massive thing already exist? |
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Post by ceebee on Aug 11, 2021 9:03:29 GMT
Totally agree. Her Majesty's and the new production are both magnificent, accepting that changes had to happen and have been well executed.
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Post by scarpia on Aug 11, 2021 9:22:08 GMT
I forgot to mention the chandelier when I posted after seeing it at the weekend. Whilst it's larger and looked physically impressive, it's very badly done. The paint is uneven (different shades of gold - you can literally see where it's been painted.) It looks like cheap plastic that's been painted with a cheap gold paint - like a children's toy, almost. There is very little detail in it. When I saw the show I couldn’t work out what it was about the chandelier I didn’t like, but having been reminded of the original one it’s the lack of beads on the globe lights. Without the beading the globes look cheap and tacky. Was the original chandelier not re-usable? If so, why didn’t they just build a replica? Did this new massive thing already exist? I think because the intention was this wouldn't rise/fall in the same way. Hence the bottom of it has been removed (which would have had that protruding element). Though I suppose that doesn't explain why it's not as detailed as the original, other than maybe it's a metaphor for the production as a whole. The red curtain exists but isn't used during the interval or exit playout, which I think is a shame. Also, aside from the fact flat cloth isn't what Hal was going for, if they are going to use it, wouldn't it have been better if they want to replicate the Palais Garnier curtain by keeping its red-and-gold colour scheme, rather than changing it to this strange blue/green that clashes with the rest of the theatre? The theatre definitely was in need of restoration. Though from the photos, the loss of Prince's black box effect doesn't seem to have been beneficial. The vibrant colours of the proscenium ceiling and stage boxes draw attention away from the set and clash with its colour palette. I preferred the black box. |
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Post by TallPaul on Aug 11, 2021 14:01:45 GMT
I've just swung by Her Majesty's on my pushbike. There's a Paul Mathew trailer parked outside the scenery dock that is being used as a carpenters shop. Even though the show reopened a couple of weeks ago, it's a right hive of activity!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2021 17:35:14 GMT
They are doing a press night tonight which passed me by (sorry if this is old news). What's On Stage seem to have got in there early though* and backed up what most of us that have seen it have said. www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/reviews/phantom-opera-majestys-lloyd-webber_54675.htmlAlso some lovely official production photography circulating online. Hoping they do a Souvenir Brochure soon (ditto Cinderella in fact which hadn't got one out by the final week of previews). (*they even liked the proscenium :-)) |
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Post by anthony on Aug 11, 2021 18:24:38 GMT
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Post by Figaro on Aug 11, 2021 18:34:21 GMT
Horse looked great on stage, and in the photo!
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Post by sukhavati on Aug 12, 2021 0:25:49 GMT
The angle that the photo was taken from makes the horse look larger than it actually is. Good lord, my eyes, on the synthetic looking neon Masquerade costumes.
As for the new chandelier - it's missing the festoons of crystals over the bottom layer from the center ring to the bottom ring in addition to the fringes of crystal around each globe. It does look very cheap. I agree that the black box paint job frames the scenery much better. Obv the proscenium in The Majestic is much larger than at Her Majesty's. But the new paint job is distracting, and rather than integrating the theatre into the show, it's just visual clutter.
And the sitzprobe dresses for the ensemble - oy vey. In the past they had the correct structure in the bodices, plus the correct bustle underpinnings so the silhouette was correct. In addition, the fashion fabric has generally been flatlined with a supporting canvas to A) protect from perspiration B) add structure to the fabric. I could demonstrate with Broadway Cyrano costumes I worked on, but slightly off topic. The new dresses look so cheap and wimpy - no support - they look like really bad generic Victorian lady Halloween costumes. Cheap cheap cheap.
BTW, not to belabour a point, but for those people complaining about negativity - the world is not all rainbows and lollipops. At the end of the day this is still a lower tier cast that was working for half price compared to seasoned West End performers. After seeing bits and pieces of bootlegs, I find Killian mediocre at best - yet people are being charged full price for a tour experience. IF they get positive reviews from professional theatre critics who are not under obligation from Cammack or ALW due to advertising revenue, and they actually understand dramatrugy, then ok that is legitimate. I don't trust reviews from people who demand that everything be "positive." If you want positive, talk to mummy. Good reviews have to be earned - not handed out like prizes for participation. If I see the show again, it will be in NYC again, provided that the original production stays in place. I like Meghan Picerno, have seen her live, and know her singing to be off the charts good in the theatrical space (as a musician friend of mine says, audio equipment doesn't pick up the real live experience at all). But I've already seen the show so many times in multiple places that it's kind of a moot point now - other than Norway/Greece, I hate the restaged tours.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2021 10:10:17 GMT
Not sure it's really complaining about negativity anymore, think it's more asking people to give it a chance and actually SEE it before forming such strong opinions.
Every Facebook still, grasped point proving googled image, poor quality recording from someone's phone - it's no way to judge a production. The whole of being there and experiencing it for 2+ hours is infinitesimally larger than the (incorrectly added up) sum of these scrambled parts.
Vast majority of the positive comments are from people that have actually SEEN the new show.
Vast majority of the negativity is from people that haven't.
As ever, with exceptions.
Just saying!
And. Once again. For those at the back. These-are-standard-2021-West-End-prices. You pay the same at Come From Away, for one act, a few chairs and a cast and band half the size. It's the ultimate non argument when aimed specifically at Phantom. If we wanna talk prices, it's a wider discussion about the whole West End in 2021.
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Post by ceebee on Aug 12, 2021 11:10:14 GMT
Well said Joe, couldn't agree more. There will always be folk who don't like the new version, but I think it was won over more doubters than it has created.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2021 11:16:19 GMT
Well said Joe, couldn't agree more. There will always be folk who don't like the new version, but I think it was won over more doubters than it has created. Absolutely! |
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Post by scarpia on Aug 12, 2021 11:26:52 GMT
I don't mind the Pegasus, to be honest, but I wish they had kept the Angel fixed on the proscenium rather than omitting it entirely, particularly given it was Maria's favourite part of her design. It's a bit disingenuous to say 'oh, this is what she had conceived' when clearly that idea was discarded in 1986 in favour of something else.
I'm sure there are many things to commend about the new production. But I don't buy that it is in any way an enhancement or an improvement, or that it is 'bigger and better', as the producers and some cast members have suggested. For a start, there's no way it can be with half the orchestra, and I've heard the 14-piece version before in Hamburg. I think it's disingenuous to say the proscenium will look any better in person, or that by seeing this live the title song will be better staged (instead of having that long gap that ruins the momentum) and that the candelabra will move as they did before. None of this would matter if this had been marketed as a revival rather than a continuation of the same.
I'm hopeful that some things might be addressed (especially since I hear they have now put the horizontal beads on the chandelier), in which case I might take a punt on it. Until then, I don't really fancy giving my money to a producer who's treated loyal staff terribly and gaslighted both them and the audiences, and certainly not to see a show that misses out so many moments I rather cherished in the original. But that's just me. I'm sure the majority who don't know the finer details of the original production and don't care either way will have a nice time.
It reminds me of what Hal Prince said a few years ago, when he told a story about how he went to the London production, was appalled by what he saw, re-rehearsed everyone, only to find the ovation was exactly the same as the audiences had given the show the night before. He said (his words not mine): 'You want the audience to be more discerning but they're not.'
I'm just sad that it had to come at the expense of the 10-15% that really elevated this show. Especially when some of the crude simplifications/downscales have been to the sets and costumes and then the producers try and justify it by saying this is what Bjornson etc wanted. I've briefly heard from people who worked with her on the show and...well, you can guess what they think.
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Post by inthenose on Aug 12, 2021 11:49:22 GMT
Well said Joe, couldn't agree more. There will always be folk who don't like the new version, but I think it was won over more doubters than it has created. I think I'd like it just fine personally speaking as a "Phan", but I know the orchestra would annoy me. I don't need to plonk down £90 to find that out. If others want to that's fair enough. I imagine I'll go one day in the coming years on a comp/excellent value ticket or if they brought in a cast which really inspired me/piqued my curiosity. Assuming it runs and runs as the original production did, of course. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Aug 12, 2021 18:57:32 GMT
Good lord, my eyes, on the synthetic looking neon Masquerade costumes.
When I saw the new production photos yesterday I thought the Masquerade costumes looked different, & not in a good way, but as I've not seen the show since 2016 I didn't want to say anything in case it was me misremembering how the costumes used to look, but evidently it isn't. It's a shame because the costumes used to be so gorgeous. |
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