183 posts
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Post by tom on Sept 21, 2017 5:48:21 GMT
I'm not sure if I like Kelly Mathieson. I don't think she looks like a Christine. I also think she sounds too mature for the role/too trained/not innocent or sweet enough. At times she sounds like one of those 40 year old Broadway Christines from a few years back. I also don't like that she sings the Broadway cadenza. The one they normally do in London has much more charm I think. When I visit the show I would love to see Amy Manford. I saw Kelly this week and her voice is actually really strong. Was not convinced by her acting though. She overacted in my opinion and it was too much. Agree about the Think of Me cadenza. |
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573 posts
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Post by Dave25 on Sept 21, 2017 11:24:10 GMT
I haven't seen this cast yet and am avoiding spoilers by listening to clips etc, but I precisely feel the exact opposite to you in terms of opinion. I much prefer the better trained, more classical sounding Christines. It's a joy to hear the score sung properly, how Lloyd Webber intended. All of the early Christines were proper singers - Sarah Brightman, Claire Moore, Rebecca Caine. This trend followed right through the 90's and early 00's, brilliant singers like Myrra Malmberg, Lisa Hull, Deborah Dutcher to name just a few. The current fad in theatre, and has been for a decade or more, is for younger, prettier people to get certain roles regardless of technical ability. Style over substance. Drama school leavers are cheaper, for one thing. The best Christine I've ever seen live was Elizabeth Loyacano on Broadway, who definitely falls within "those 40 year old Christines from a few years back". Compared to, say, Robyn North or Leila Benn Harris, she is Maria Callas. As for the Broadway cadenza, do you mean the end of "Think of Me"? Having been involved in the rehearsal process for this show, I can tell you that this is the choice of the MD, who works with the singer to find which version is most appropriate. I've heard the "Broadway" version done numerous times by many Christine's in the West End and not always by the best singers. Also, it is approximately 15 seconds out of a two hour show. Thanks for your reply! I think the role of Christine is hard to cast and both examples you mention are wrong. The sweet young untrained girl (Emmy Rossum) completely ruins the part but also the too mature, almost "housewife" sounding at times Christines ruin the part (Sandra Joseph, Rebecca Pitcher, Elizabeth Loyacano, etc). I feel that Kelly Mathieson has this housewife quality at times. Almost overly trained. I feel that a christine needs to have an aura that reads reasonably young and innocent, but needs to have a strong, very clear, but trained voice. I know what is right when I hear it. It's funny that you mention Maria Callas, because I really don't like her either, she sounds like a drag queen at times, as if her head voice can flip to her chest voice at any time, too forced and affected. I call that walrus soprano's. Now Carlotta can be a walrus soprano but Christine really can't. I much prefer cleaner soprano's, with a clearer, sharper tone. Less hollow or housewife, more clear, bell-like. For example Deanna Durbin. And there are even Walrus soprano's with this clear sound, such as Cristina Deutekom. As for Christine, the best example of a good Christine voice in my opinion is Joke de Kruijf. She sounds young, clear, strong and wonderful. Here she sings as Cinderella: So this is love: And here she plays the role of Christine in Phantom: I also really like Kaley Ann Voorhees, currently on Broadway. |
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449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Sept 21, 2017 11:30:13 GMT
I haven't seen this cast yet and am avoiding spoilers by listening to clips etc, but I precisely feel the exact opposite to you in terms of opinion. I much prefer the better trained, more classical sounding Christines. It's a joy to hear the score sung properly, how Lloyd Webber intended. All of the early Christines were proper singers - Sarah Brightman, Claire Moore, Rebecca Caine. This trend followed right through the 90's and early 00's, brilliant singers like Myrra Malmberg, Lisa Hull, Deborah Dutcher to name just a few. The current fad in theatre, and has been for a decade or more, is for younger, prettier people to get certain roles regardless of technical ability. Style over substance. Drama school leavers are cheaper, for one thing. The best Christine I've ever seen live was Elizabeth Loyacano on Broadway, who definitely falls within "those 40 year old Christines from a few years back". Compared to, say, Robyn North or Leila Benn Harris, she is Maria Callas. As for the Broadway cadenza, do you mean the end of "Think of Me"? Having been involved in the rehearsal process for this show, I can tell you that this is the choice of the MD, who works with the singer to find which version is most appropriate. I've heard the "Broadway" version done numerous times by many Christine's in the West End and not always by the best singers. Also, it is approximately 15 seconds out of a two hour show. Thanks for your reply! I think the role of Christine is hard to cast and both examples you mention are wrong. The sweet young untrained girl (Emmy Rossum) completely ruins the part but also the too mature, almost "housewife" sounding at times Christines ruin the part (Sandra Joseph, Rebecca Pitcher, Elizabeth Loyacano, etc). I feel that Kelly Mathieson has this housewife quality at times. Almost overly trained. I feel that a christine needs to have an aura that reads reasonably young and innocent, but needs to have a strong, very clear, but trained voice. I know what is right when I hear it. It's funny that you mention Maria Callas, because I really don't like her either, she sounds like a drag queen at times, as if her head voice can flip to her chest voice at any time, too forced and affected. I call that walrus soprano's. Now Carlotta can be a walrus soprano but Christine really can't. I much prefer cleaner soprano's, with a clearer, sharper tone. Less hollow or housewife, more clear, bell-like. For example Deanna Durbin. And there are even Walrus soprano's with this clear sound, such as Cristina Deutekom. As for Christine, the best example of a good Christine voice in my opinion is Joke de Kruijf. She sounds young, clear, strong and wonderful. Here she sings as Cinderella: So this is love: And here she plays the role of Christine in Phantom: I also really like Kaley Ann Voorhees, currently on Broadway. It's good to talk to someone who clearly shares a passion for the show and has the knowledge and erudition to back up their opinion. Even though I disagree with some of your points, it's great fun to actually discuss and share thoughts. Which both examples of mine are wrong? I made a lot of points and not sure which two you particularly disagreed with! |
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Post by Dave25 on Sept 21, 2017 11:45:48 GMT
When it comes to Christine's I'm really critical. The ones you mention:
Robyn North and Leila Ben Harris, I agree with you. Neither one of them has the right look for the part nor the right voice. Both a little too weak.
Myrra Malmberg and Deborah Dutcher were reasonable but still not strong enough in my opinion.
Sarah Brightman distracts me too much with mannerisms, I feel she is putting on a voice that does not sound open at all. Like her nose is stuffed, almost like she is imitating Kate Bush. Even though some notes work well "such as her "soar", she doesn't do it for me. She sounds like a different singer in every concert. Maybe she should have tried one of those other techniques for the role of Christine.
Claire Moore, she is a wonderful singer, perhaps one of the best in the world. Her technique and pronunciation is flawless (I love the way she ends her words), but she is not a Christine. She really shines as Ellen in Miss Saigon and other material. Her strength lies in every other register than the christine notes. Even though she can sing it, it does not feel completely natural. She's not the soprano needed for the role. I compare her to Judy Kuhn, another wonderful singer, but she is just not the right fit for Cosette in les Mis. I want them both to sing "I dreamed a dream", not the last note in "a heart full of love".
Rebecca Caine: Although she has a good voice, it is too "hollow" for my taste. The sound almost goes towards "yawning". Which takes away form the sparkle a Christine should have. It needs to be brighter. So the parts are decently sung but it does not satisfy me.
Ps. About the phantoms, I completely agree.
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573 posts
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Post by Dave25 on Sept 21, 2017 11:50:58 GMT
It's good to talk to someone who clearly shares a passion for the show and has the knowledge and erudition to back up their opinion. Even though I disagree with some of your points, it's great fun to actually discuss and share thoughts. Which both examples of mine are wrong? I made a lot of points and not sure which two you particularly disagreed with! Thank you! I agree, of course it's all a matter of taste and opinion, but it's really nice to talk to someone "who clearly shares a passion for the show and has the knowledge and erudition to back up their opinion" like yourself. The examples I mentioned were either a young untrained/style over substance Christine versus a 40 year old Christine that sounds like a housewife at times. My point was that both examples are not the best choice for the role and that the best option lies somewhere in the middle. Ps. May I ask what your part in the rehearsal process was, or would you rather keep it to yourself? You can also DM me, I'm very discrete, just curious. |
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449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Sept 21, 2017 16:28:30 GMT
Now to address this far too Phan-ish thread again ;-) Emmy Rossum doesn't and shouldn't count... She would be hands down the worst Christine ever, but the movie was and has been basically disowned by everyone. It's not canon  I listed on a previous page all the Phantoms I've seen live in person - I don't count bootlegs and stuff as you never really get a "feel" for a show - as wonderful as the recording may be - it's not like being there. Stage presence counts for loads. Many performers I've seen live have been incredible, because of their acting and charisma - listening to recordings of them I often think "this sounds terrible". Off the top of my head, Phantom wise I loved Gina Beck, but listening to her afterwards she sounds shrill and awful at points. On stage she was terrific. Same with Idina in Wicked, Elena Roger in Evita - it happens a lot with "names". I guess what I'm saying is recordings - even official cast ones - usually either flatter or deceive! Some people don't capture well but are amazing live, others are note perfect to listen to but boring to watch. |
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Post by indis on Sept 21, 2017 17:24:45 GMT
would have loved to see Kaley Ann Vorhees as Christine, all videos and audios are amazing. My fave is Harriet Jones and i also love Emmi Christensson in the role 😍
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573 posts
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Post by Dave25 on Sept 21, 2017 20:19:09 GMT
Now to address this far too Phan-ish thread again ;-) Emmy Rossum doesn't and shouldn't count... She would be hands down the worst Christine ever, but the movie was and has been basically disowned by everyone. It's not canon I listed on a previous page all the Phantoms I've seen live in person - I don't count bootlegs and stuff as you never really get a "feel" for a show - as wonderful as the recording may be - it's not like being there. Stage presence counts for loads. Many performers I've seen live have been incredible, because of their acting and charisma - listening to recordings of them I often think "this sounds terrible". Off the top of my head, Phantom wise I loved Gina Beck, but listening to her afterwards she sounds shrill and awful at points. On stage she was terrific. Same with Idina in Wicked, Elena Roger in Evita - it happens a lot with "names". I guess what I'm saying is recordings - even official cast ones - usually either flatter or deceive! Some people don't capture well but are amazing live, others are note perfect to listen to but boring to watch. You are right about Emmy Rossum, she should stay out of it.  About the stage presence, you have a point there too, but it could also be that whenever you are in the moment of a performance, or the first time you see/hear something it just impresses you more and you tend to hear less detail then when you hear it afterwards and see it in perspective? For example, when I watched the 25th Phantom performance in the cinema I thought Ramin Karimloo was horrible, singing off key and everything felt forced about his performance, and I thought Sierra gave a wonderful performance. When I watched it again a few months later, I thought Ramin's performance was equally horrible but Sierra's was actually quite off key as well. She still had a nice stage presence though. About Gina Beck, I had a discussion with a friend lately, I thought she is very natural and a wonderful sounding Christine and my friend said she was awful and sounds shrill. I see what he (and you) mean but I still like her. We have both seen her live and seen the youtube clips. Idina in Wicked was a mismatch if you ask me, the material is out of her league, but I loved Elena Roger in Evita, I thought she was very authentic and interesting. |
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Post by SageStageMgr on Sept 21, 2017 22:43:41 GMT
As I say I loved Idina in Wicked, such star power, something a little different vocally (love or hate, she's unique!), but can't stand only listening to her.
All this discussion FORCED me to see the new cast tonight. Overall, very impressed.
The show looked really stale last time I went, I actually left before the end to get an earlier train, as I could tell things weren't going to get any better. I was engaged throughout tonight, however.
Got a cheap last minute (7:29pm) seat from the box office (£23 in the upper circle, excellent value) and my view was great most of the time, except Masquerade and a few fairly inconsequential downstage left moments. G2, Monkey, if you're reading!
Changes:
A surprising number actually, nothing earth shattering, but just a few new directions and changes of emphasis/meaning of scenes. A slight change here, a sight gag there, just a general freshening up that the show has needed for a while. Most notable was "All I Ask of You", which is the one song in the show which I usually mentally tune out for. But tonight it was really excellent. The cast (discussed below) had excellent chemistry together and there were some lovely touches. It actually felt genuine in emotion, not a genetic, melodramatic heightened love song as I usually find it to be. Partly because it was so well sung, but also just a little bit of nuance can go a long way in this show. It is a tiny thing, but a tiny variation in the blocking, a change of tone of expression of face and voice, and a scene takes a whole different meaning. It was the highlight of the show, something I never thought I'd say.
Christine is a lot happier than usual; she actually laughs and smiles. It's much easier to see her as more of a real person, rather than the doe-eyed, slightly simple waif she so often reads as. Raoul is stoic and masculine; a sort of posh action man. It works, despite my description. BUT he doesn't jump into the lake (trapdoor), he just runs off to the side. I'll try and find out why this is.
Cast wise, Ben Lewis played the Phantom very straight. A lot straighter than Forster or Jöback anyway (*ducks*). He has a very deep, booming voice which sounds perfectly suited for Javert (has he ever done it?). Unusually, he is at his best when belting out the hardest parts of the show. "Down Once More", his "It's over now, the music of the night", the hard top notes in "Music of the Night" all powerfully and flawlessly executed. Where he falls down a bit for me is in his light and shade. He's very boomy and bassy, which is awesome in the "Mirror", but not so much at other times. He really, really struggled with the final note of "Music of the Night", he went flat, then clipped the note off very early, which was a bit awkward as the orchestra didn't speed up and he was left looking a bit of a wally waiting for the lights to dim. It was like when the newsreader or weatherperson finishes their bit and waits for the camera to cut away, so they hold an awkward stare/smile.
I did definitely enjoy him - and far more so than recent Phantoms, who have been frankly quite poor. His acting was quite safe - he likes to sing everything, "damn you, curse you", "why should I make her pay, for the sins which are yours" etc. He's pretty much following the score tightly the entire show. He has an annoying tendency to sing "mew-seek". A word he sings a lot. I have a strong feeling later in his run he'll be far more "into" the character and scenes like his Final Lair will feel more powerful.
But wow, Kelly Mathieson!!! Brilliant Christine. What a voice! I wasn't sure about her acting in early scenes, it was a bit cringey in "Little Lotte" I remember, but she really does grow as the show goes on and by the end I was genuinely enjoying some of her acting choices. Is she Scottish? She has a bit of a weird accent going on. She's a lot more real than many Christines I've seen. "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" was a bit of a mess and there were a few scenes I had hopes for which disappointed a little, like "Twisted Every Way". She belts - and she shouldn't - ever. She's not a belter. She's a coloratura soprano - legitimately. When she sings to her strengths, she's one of the best I've seen. When not, she's an off the trolley triple threat plain Jane. Her "Think of Me" was stunning and she smashed the all-important (to some) cadenza out of the park. Wow!!!
She shared a wonderful on stage chemistry with Jeremy Taylor as Raoul who I also really liked. He reminded me of Ramin in the role, which is a good thing. Acting very strong. Singing of the belt everything variety, but done very well. I freely admit I loathed him in Wicked when I saw him play Fiyero. He looked bored out of his mind in that, in what was a very poor performance to a small audience on the day. He was like a different person in this. Very foppish, super posh Raoul but plays the part with integrity and respect. He clearly cares for Christine. Very good indeed.
Elsewhere, Lara Martins is still going strong as Carlotta. I don't have a brochure (and I don't buy programmes) because the new cast haven't been photoshopped into them yet, so sorry for not having the names handy.
They were all fine, nothing to say. Thankless roles really!
I'll definitely be revisiting this cast, maybe early next year, to see them again. Very good, just lacked that final emotional punch to prevent that being a perfect performance. Lots of fun all the same.
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573 posts
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Post by Dave25 on Sept 22, 2017 1:22:56 GMT
LOVED reading that. It's refreshing to see someone bringing up the exact points I'm interested in when they've seen a show.
"Partly because it was so well sung, but also just a little bit of nuance can go a long way in this show. It is a tiny thing, but a tiny variation in the blocking, a change of tone of expression of face and voice, and a scene takes a whole different meaning."
I completely agree, I wish more directors would realize this (for example the les mis movie or the Miss saigon 25th dvd, which both could have benefited immensely from this knowledge). It's like most directors don't even pay attention to this anymore. I'm glad that the Phantom director clearly does. A slight change of tone can indeed make the scene take a whole different meaning. It's the essence of this artform, there is a reason they sing notes.
"Christine is a lot happier than usual; she actually laughs and smiles. It's much easier to see her as more of a real person, rather than the doe-eyed, slightly simple waif she so often reads as."
I like this, kind of makes me want to see her.
"Cast wise, Ben Lewis played the Phantom very straight. A lot straighter than Forster or Jöback anyway (*ducks*). He has a very deep, booming voice which sounds perfectly suited for Javert (has he ever done it?). Unusually, he is at his best when belting out the hardest parts of the show. "Down Once More", his "It's over now, the music of the night", the hard top notes in "Music of the Night" all powerfully and flawlessly executed. Where he falls down a bit for me is in his light and shade. He's very boomy and bassy, which is awesome in the "Mirror", but not so much at other times. He really, really struggled with the final note of "Music of the Night", he went flat, then clipped the note off very early, which was a bit awkward as the orchestra didn't speed up and he was left looking a bit of a wally waiting for the lights to dim. It was like when the newsreader or weatherperson finishes their bit and waits for the camera to cut away, so they hold an awkward stare/smile."
That's really interesting, it's the exact same thing I noticed when watching the Love Never Dies dvd. Great in the powerful parts. Missing a bit of light and shade. I always feel this artform is all about "painting with nuances", therefore John Owen Jones is my favorite Phantom. And Ramin Karimloo is one of my least favorites. The softer and more seductive Phantom parts should be like velvet, nuanced, well controlled, soft and seductive. I'm also glad that the Phantom feels straight again.
"But wow, Kelly Mathieson!!! Brilliant Christine. What a voice! I wasn't sure about her acting in early scenes, it was a bit cringey in "Little Lotte" I remember, but she really does grow as the show goes on and by the end I was genuinely enjoying some of her acting choices. Is she Scottish? She has a bit of a weird accent going on. She's a lot more real than many Christines I've seen. "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" was a bit of a mess and there were a few scenes I had hopes for which disappointed a little, like "Twisted Every Way". She belts - and she shouldn't - ever. She's not a belter. She's a coloratura soprano - legitimately. When she sings to her strengths, she's one of the best I've seen. When not, she's an off the trolley triple threat plain Jane. Her "Think of Me" was stunning and she smashed the all-important (to some) cadenza out of the park. Wow!!!"
Mmm, I'm glad you like her so much. But reading your previous Christine preferences I figured she would be right up your alley. I can imagine she needs to stick to her strengths. I know many soprano's who become plain Janes when singing in their chest voice.
Let us know when you have seen the show a bit later in their run too. Would love to hear what you think then.
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449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Sept 22, 2017 15:49:52 GMT
LOVED reading that. It's refreshing to see someone bringing up the exact points I'm interested in when they've seen a show. "Partly because it was so well sung, but also just a little bit of nuance can go a long way in this show. It is a tiny thing, but a tiny variation in the blocking, a change of tone of expression of face and voice, and a scene takes a whole different meaning." I completely agree, I wish more directors would realize this (for example the les mis movie or the Miss saigon 25th dvd, which both could have benefited immensely from this knowledge). It's like most directors don't even pay attention to this anymore. I'm glad that the Phantom director clearly does. A slight change of tone can indeed make the scene take a whole different meaning. It's the essence of this artform, there is a reason they sing notes. "Christine is a lot happier than usual; she actually laughs and smiles. It's much easier to see her as more of a real person, rather than the doe-eyed, slightly simple waif she so often reads as." I like this, kind of makes me want to see her. "Cast wise, Ben Lewis played the Phantom very straight. A lot straighter than Forster or Jöback anyway (*ducks*). He has a very deep, booming voice which sounds perfectly suited for Javert (has he ever done it?). Unusually, he is at his best when belting out the hardest parts of the show. "Down Once More", his "It's over now, the music of the night", the hard top notes in "Music of the Night" all powerfully and flawlessly executed. Where he falls down a bit for me is in his light and shade. He's very boomy and bassy, which is awesome in the "Mirror", but not so much at other times. He really, really struggled with the final note of "Music of the Night", he went flat, then clipped the note off very early, which was a bit awkward as the orchestra didn't speed up and he was left looking a bit of a wally waiting for the lights to dim. It was like when the newsreader or weatherperson finishes their bit and waits for the camera to cut away, so they hold an awkward stare/smile." That's really interesting, it's the exact same thing I noticed when watching the Love Never Dies dvd. Great in the powerful parts. Missing a bit of light and shade. I always feel this artform is all about "painting with nuances", therefore John Owen Jones is my favorite Phantom. And Ramin Karimloo is one of my least favorites. The softer and more seductive Phantom parts should be like velvet, nuanced, well controlled, soft and seductive. I'm also glad that the Phantom feels straight again. "But wow, Kelly Mathieson!!! Brilliant Christine. What a voice! I wasn't sure about her acting in early scenes, it was a bit cringey in "Little Lotte" I remember, but she really does grow as the show goes on and by the end I was genuinely enjoying some of her acting choices. Is she Scottish? She has a bit of a weird accent going on. She's a lot more real than many Christines I've seen. "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" was a bit of a mess and there were a few scenes I had hopes for which disappointed a little, like "Twisted Every Way". She belts - and she shouldn't - ever. She's not a belter. She's a coloratura soprano - legitimately. When she sings to her strengths, she's one of the best I've seen. When not, she's an off the trolley triple threat plain Jane. Her "Think of Me" was stunning and she smashed the all-important (to some) cadenza out of the park. Wow!!!" Mmm, I'm glad you like her so much. But reading your previous Christine preferences I figured she would be right up your alley. I can imagine she needs to stick to her strengths. I know many soprano's who become plain Janes when singing in their chest voice. Let us know when you have seen the show a bit later in their run too. Would love to hear what you think then. Thanks! I'll make a point of seeing the alternate too. Seeing a flat show personally puts me off until a cast change, but when it's this good I just want to see it again and again. I LOVE JOJ, what a voice! My personal favourites have been Howard McGillin and Preben Kristensen in Copenhagen, two very different portrayals but both equally powerful. McGillin is very close to JOJ but more singing and less acting. I'm Noticing a pattern here! JOJ was amazing vocally, but I've always adored his JvJ which is definitive in my eyes. Speaking a fan, honestly the show right now in my opinion is the best in about 15 years. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 22, 2017 19:28:38 GMT
Raoul is stoic and masculine; a sort of posh action man. It works, despite my description. BUT he doesn't jump into the lake (trapdoor), he just runs off to the side. I'll try and find out why this is. I'd make a guess at an injury, if it's only a temporary omission. If he ends up not doing it for the whole year then maybe he has something like Sean Palmer, who didn't do the jump off the bridge because he had recently had, think it was knee but could have been back, surgery. Cast wise, Ben Lewis played the Phantom very straight. A lot straighter than Forster or Jöback anyway (*ducks*). He has a very deep, booming voice which sounds perfectly suited for Javert (has he ever done it?). Does Forbidden Broadway count? ;-) |
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Post by SageStageMgr on Sept 22, 2017 19:40:47 GMT
Raoul is stoic and masculine; a sort of posh action man. It works, despite my description. BUT he doesn't jump into the lake (trapdoor), he just runs off to the side. I'll try and find out why this is. I'd make a guess at an injury, if it's only a temporary omission. If he ends up not doing it for the whole year then maybe he has something like Sean Palmer, who didn't do the jump off the bridge because he had recently had, think it was knee but could have been back, surgery. Cast wise, Ben Lewis played the Phantom very straight. A lot straighter than Forster or Jöback anyway (*ducks*). He has a very deep, booming voice which sounds perfectly suited for Javert (has he ever done it?). Does Forbidden Broadway count? ;-) For the sake of discussion - yes! It does! I completely forgot about Sean Palmer! I preferred him as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid |
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 22, 2017 20:00:44 GMT
I completely forgot about Sean Palmer! I preferred him as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid I preferred him as Bobby in Crazy For You. I'm not sure his stint as Raoul was that successful: he missed a lot of shows & ended up leaving a week earlier than the rest of the cast. Fortunately he had a good cover, Antony Hansen. |
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Post by princeton on Sept 22, 2017 22:41:28 GMT
Jeremy Taylor had to pull out of the Open Air Theatre production of On The Town (he was due to play Ozzie) because of a leg injury sustained during rehearsal - I think I saw a picture of his ankle in plaster I suspect that's why he's not using the trap at the moment.
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Post by zermatt on Sept 22, 2017 22:44:42 GMT
Post above from Princeton is correct. He injured his Achilles earlier in the year, and was replaced last minute by Sam Edwards for On The Town. Will probably be a while before he does the jump.
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183 posts
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Post by tom on Sept 24, 2017 8:34:11 GMT
Post above from Princeton is correct. He injured his Achilles earlier in the year, and was replaced last minute by Sam Edwards for On The Town. Will probably be a while before he does the jump. Ben Lewis also didn't pick Christine up and place her in the boat. She lay down where she fainted and then ran to boat when the lights went dark. Very odd. |
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Post by SageStageMgr on Sept 24, 2017 10:14:10 GMT
Post above from Princeton is correct. He injured his Achilles earlier in the year, and was replaced last minute by Sam Edwards for On The Town. Will probably be a while before he does the jump. Ben Lewis also didn't pick Christine up and place her in the boat. She lay down where she fainted and then ran to boat when the lights went dark. Very odd. I think I noticed the last few Phantoms have done the same. This has always been the way it's done on Broadway, though. The urban legend is because their equity classifies The Phantom catching Christine as a "stunt", therefore they would have to be paid extra each time they perform the manoeuvre, a minimum fee as a stuntsperson plus their regular pay. As for why it has suddenly changed in the West End the last few casts, I have no idea. |
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Post by indis on Sept 24, 2017 11:52:14 GMT
Geronimo Rauch always picked up the Christine and carried her to the boat, whenever i was in the show at least
Ben Forster did the same,exept one time when i read he had problems with his back
in the Stockholm production Peter Jöback never carried Emmi , she always had to run by herself
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364 posts
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Post by tysilio2 on Sept 27, 2017 17:53:20 GMT
Could anyone say what time the Phantom Thursday matinee usually finishes please?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2017 18:14:27 GMT
Could anyone say what time the Phantom Thursday matinee usually finishes please? The official running time is 2 hours 30 minutes, so will finish just after 17:00, assuming it starts a little late. Please report on the new cast if you're going soon! |
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Post by theatremadness on Sept 27, 2017 18:48:17 GMT
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364 posts
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Post by tysilio2 on Sept 28, 2017 6:28:45 GMT
Thanks for the replies (needed to know which return train to book). Not going til early November but will report back on the main thread, My first visit to the show.
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241 posts
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Post by justafan on Sept 28, 2017 12:57:02 GMT
Post above from Princeton is correct. He injured his Achilles earlier in the year, and was replaced last minute by Sam Edwards for On The Town. Will probably be a while before he does the jump. Ben Lewis also didn't pick Christine up and place her in the boat. She lay down where she fainted and then ran to boat when the lights went dark. Very odd. That's disappointing to read ... Ben Forster was the only Phantom I've seen who didn't have 'Christine' faint into his arms so I assumed he had an injury. For me - that loses an element of the seduction of her by Erik ... particularly as the orchestra is still playing & for him to place her in the boat showed a degree of care ... maybe it's for health & safety reasons 😏 |
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19,782 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 28, 2017 15:53:31 GMT
Could anyone say what time the Phantom Thursday matinee usually finishes please? Threads merged. Please ask questions about the productuon in the existing thread rather than starting new threads. Thanks. |
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haha
