Profile for MSecaur

I don’t know if this is the same book as the long-promised and never delivered Behind the Scenes at the Palais Garnier that’s been kicking around since I think 2018, but a new behind-the scenes book was just announced to be published October 27th to celebrate The Phantom of the Opera’s 40th anniversary. There’s a foreword by Andrew Lloyd Webber like the Palais Garnier book, but more pages (320 versus 192), so maybe it was worth the wait:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593840070/ref=ox_sc_a...

Just finished a fascinating two-part oral history of Phantom on Broadway and in London from The Theatre Times. Lots of great stories about the Majestic in Part I.https://thetheatretimes.com/the-house-where-phantom-lived-part-i-the-majestic-theatre-new-york/In Part II, James Paterson, an Original London Cast member of Phantom and long-time resident director at Her Majesty's, gives a lot of great insight, including his thoughts on Love Never Dies and the desecration of Maria's designs:"...like ...

Especially Michael, as he's still with us and it sounds like was planning to be there right up until the last minute! They should have at least read off his Twitter tribute to the show. It would have made a better speech than Cameron's.Wishing the cast, crew, orchestra and alumni of The Phantom of the Opera an unforgettable closing night. Thank you for carrying on the legacy of this beautiful show for thirty-five years. Though I can't be there for the final performance due to ill-timed emerge...

What really saddens me is that aside from not fully acknowledging the original cast and alumni present, at least in the circulated videos of the curtain call, nothing special musically was done except the truncated version of "Music of the Night" in which everyone joined in. With the number of Phantoms on stage, you think they could have done something more.The 25th anniversary had the Phantom quintet with reprises of the title song with Sierra and "Music of the Night," and the 30th had the S...

Re: Ben Crawford, I understand that everyone in the cast is hyper-emotional right now and going through a lot of disappointment and anger with the show having just closed, but the closing night was supposed to be a celebration of everyone involved with the Broadway production for the last 35 years, not just him. And considering that the 35th anniversary curtain call wasn't much of anything, the fact that so many cast alumni showed up should be lauded, not derided.If anyone named Crawford want...

poto19882023 said:I didn't mean at all to imply Ted was acting that way. He just genuinely wants to play the role whenever he can. He was really keen to go on during Jeremy's week according to a cast member at stage door (fuzzy on whom, I 85% sure it was Greg Mills) and had initially thought he might be getting one that week, which was from Ted himself after seeing Jeremy on April 5.Those sentiments come from Paul and Greg themselves. Greg is satisfied with the final performance he gave on Ma...

I was there for the final matinee on 4/15, Ted Keegan and Julia Udine's last performance, and they were both magnificent. Together with John Riddle as Raoul, they made up what is in my opinion the best trio since the original cast. Ted is a true tenor, which I love, and he plays the role very close to Michael Crawford, going for pathos rather than terror or total intimidation as some Phantoms do. He even copies a lot of Michael's blocking, including raising his arms at the high A of "Music of...

In all the articles covering the recently-opened Museum of Broadway, there looks to be an area dedicated to Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera," with memorabilia including a Red Death costume and a monkey music box.For anyone who's been, do you know if any of the costumes or props are from the original 1988 opening, or are they later reproductions?https://www.playbill.com/article/photos-get-a-1st-look-inside-the-museum-of-broadway

kdogg36 said: "Penna2 said: "I suspect he might have some new ideas up his sleeve."There's some discussion of this in a recent Washington Post article, including some grousing about whether he'd be allowed to write Evita today since he's not from Argentina."What I find far more interesting about the Washington Post interview is the quote from Andrew Lloyd Webber regarding Phantom: "The truth of the matter is that 'Phantom' does not need to close in New York at all."Even assuming the Majestic ...

Hot Pants said: "This is just straight up disrespectful to Hal Prince. One of the advantages of Phantom running so long is that despite his passing, his work would continue to be seen and loved. Keep his staging. It’s worked for decades and it’ll continue to work now."I absolutely agree. I was lucky enough to catch one of the final performances of the original tour in 2010, just before it closed. Nothing can compare with Hal Prince's staging, Maria Bjornson's designs, and Gillian Lynne's chor...