The Phantom of the Opera - His Majesty's Theatre

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).

Sky Arts tonight at 9pm

I think the Christine mannequin wobble can be replicated with some pneumatics and one or two finely placed baffles.

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.

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. 

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!

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. 

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.

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 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?

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.