2,302 posts
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Post by Tibidabo on Jul 27, 2017 15:41:02 GMT
Heard a rumour that Jeremy Secomb could be replacing Ben Forster as the Phantom. You do realise that we will now be relentless in asking who what where when how .....  ?? Do tell.  |
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2,778 posts
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Post by daniel on Jul 27, 2017 16:11:42 GMT
Heard a rumour that Jeremy Secomb could be replacing Ben Forster as the Phantom. Yaaaaaas. So hope it's true. Totally called it yonks ago 😎 |
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Post by lovingtheatre2k17 on Jul 27, 2017 16:21:04 GMT
I reckon it will be Suzie Mathers as Christine because she has just finished with Wicked and has said before that she wanted to play that role
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Post by SageStageMgr on Jul 27, 2017 17:18:48 GMT
Hope not on Secomb. Seen him several times over the years in the role. Someone new (and good) please
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Post by djp on Jul 27, 2017 17:45:58 GMT
I reckon it will be Suzie Mathers as Christine because she has just finished with Wicked and has said before that she wanted to play that role She 33- another Christine who would be old enough to play herself in LND. It works best with someone who can actually play the role - and sound, and look like a stressed, out novice, teen. I can't remember one of those since Katie Hall and Olivia Brereton did so well, and sounded so good, on the tour. Thta really was worth multiple visits. Katie must have finished Shikanader by now- please God they will get her to have another run, before she is old enough to play LND too. |
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2,452 posts
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Post by theatremadness on Jul 27, 2017 18:12:44 GMT
Rehearsals for new cast begin on Monday, so I assume an announcement can't be that far away!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2017 18:13:17 GMT
Heard a rumour that Jeremy Secomb could be replacing Ben Forster as the Phantom. You do realise that we will now be relentless in asking who what where when how ..... ?? Do tell. I saw it on a Tumblr blog and that was also one of those "Heard a rumour" things so it's far from a reliable source. But the reason they had for thinking so was because of his recent departure from Les Mis so they're connecting that with having been cast as the new Phantom. |
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Post by indis on Jul 27, 2017 22:05:01 GMT
i heard the rumour Ben Lewis is the next Phantom, and 2 young actresses will share Christine like Harriet and Olivia once did
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2017 7:59:25 GMT
Suzie Mathers as Christine maybe? She said in an interview it's a role she's always wanted to do but I don't know if she's sticking around or not. That would be fantastic! I love Suzie. |
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1,933 posts
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Post by LaLuPone on Jul 28, 2017 8:13:57 GMT
Suzie Mathers as Christine maybe? She said in an interview it's a role she's always wanted to do but I don't know if she's sticking around or not. That would be fantastic! I love Suzie. Me too and by casting her they'd bring in some more trade; knowing how crazy Wicked fans are they'd probably follow her over to Phantom and start going twice-monthly to watch her. Obviously it wouldn't make a staggering difference but there's a fair few big Wicked fans out there that they could cash in on, myself included. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2017 10:11:02 GMT
I'd be tempted to make a return visit if Suzie was cast as well - I hated the London production of Phantom when I saw it (it was miles better on tour), though that may have been partly to do with the awful sightlines in the theatre and irritating tourists chatting, but for the right cast I'd be willing to give it another go as I do love the score.
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2,778 posts
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Post by daniel on Jul 28, 2017 11:26:12 GMT
I'd be tempted to make a return visit if Suzie was cast as well - I hated the London production of Phantom when I saw it (it was miles better on tour), though that may have been partly to do with the awful sightlines in the theatre and irritating tourists chatting, but for the right cast I'd be willing to give it another go as I do love the score. I agree with you poster J. I loved the tour. I hate Her Majesty's, I swear more seats have a crap view than a good one. The tourists don't shut up, and the show feels unbelievably dated. All the tour needed to make it perfect was a slightly more exciting chandelier. It's casting that will get me back to the London production now, not the show itself. |
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3,057 posts
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Post by ali973 on Jul 28, 2017 11:28:30 GMT
Oh, gawed. The new Lawrence O'Connor tour is so tacky and inferior. The Hal Prince version is a hallmark in design and direction.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2017 11:39:02 GMT
Being Belgian I still have some hope that someday soon Hans Peter Janssens will play the Phantom in London. He played it in Belgium and The Netherlands years ago. And he also played Valjean and Javert in London for a combined 5 or 6 years, so we know his English is alright. I love his voice and his stage presence.
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Post by ilovewemusicals on Jul 28, 2017 18:43:56 GMT
I would love Claire Moore to play Carlotta like she was meant to a couple of years back. Perfect timing now The Girls has closed but you never know. Would be a real treat to finally see an original cast member in the show.
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Post by zermatt on Jul 29, 2017 0:09:09 GMT
Oh, gawed. The new Lawrence O'Connor tour is so tacky and inferior. The Hal Prince version is a hallmark in design and direction. Quite right. That tour was dreadful. I'll never forget it. In Point of No Return the Phantom looked like a Benidorm waiter, and Christine a beginner at a Salsa class, on the biggest table ever seen on a stage. All I Ask of You was upstaged by a giant sculpture, and any opportunity to show the love triangle - Mausoleum, Final Lair etc - they just put poor Simon Bailey upstage in the corner. There's a reason it only graced our shores for a short time, whilst the original has lasted 31 years. Casting wise, as someone mentioned earlier I've also heard that Ben Lewis is The Phantom and Christine is a recent graduate at the start of her career. They start rehearsals next week so can't be long until we hear. |
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Post by ali973 on Jul 29, 2017 5:21:06 GMT
^ I can't say that I didn't enjoy the tour. I did, but purely out of curiosity and novelty. It looked like an excellent regional adaptation. But it's no Cameron Mackintosh standard, and certainly not the Hal Prince standard.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 29, 2017 8:00:50 GMT
I enjoyed the tour!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 9:22:34 GMT
i heard the rumour Ben Lewis is the next Phantom, and 2 young actresses will share Christine like Harriet and Olivia once did Confirmed. Ben Lewis will take over from Ben Forster in the title role of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera in September... Also joining the cast from 4 September will be Kelly Mathieson as Christine Daaé and Jeremy Taylor as Raoul. Amy Manford will join as alternate Christine Daaé. Completing the company are continuing members: Lara Martins (Carlotta Giudicelli), Siôn Lloyd (Monsieur Firmin), Mark Oxtoby (Monsieur Andre), Jacinta Mulcahy (Madame Giry), Paul Ettore Tabone (Ubaldo Piangi), Georgia Ware (Meg Giry) and Scott Davies (standby Phantom). www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/casting-phantom-opera-west-end-ben-lewis_44269.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=03aug2017 |
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Post by Tibidabo on Aug 3, 2017 9:27:06 GMT
Wonder what Jeremy S is doing next then......
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Post by Dave25 on Aug 3, 2017 9:58:50 GMT
Amy Manford seems great, judging by her youtube clips. I can't find anything online about Kelly Mathieson.
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Post by zermatt on Aug 3, 2017 10:13:47 GMT
Ben Lewis has a phenomenal voice - really looking forward to seeing him. And I liked Jeremy Taylor as Fiyero a few years ago. Actually I remember him taking over from Nadim before, as Rolf in The Sound of Music about 8 years back! Delighted that Scott Davies stays, too.
Don't know either of the Christines, but they sound like they are of the Harriet Jones mould - relatively recent graduates, classically trained, which is the kind of Christine I like.
Best get booking!
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Post by msopr on Aug 3, 2017 14:30:40 GMT
Both Kelly and Amy are classically trained sopranos, both trained at the RCM in London, and both will be FAB. Amy is a bit more active woth her online presence than Kelly but both voices are exquisite.
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Post by Kim_Bahorel on Aug 3, 2017 19:54:17 GMT
Luke is staying 🙌
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 21:06:05 GMT
Buh-bye Mr Forster.
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