Profile for astalavista

Not sure what difference that makes. Sure, Les Mis is more of a hard reset, while Phantom has been a gradual upgrade. The common element is that from the production standpoint you must renew and some do it well, while others fail. Phantom producers (not sure if it's still Macintosh who also did Les Mis), directors and stage and set designers, certainly did the show a great disservice over the last 5-6 years. While Les Mis had not continuously run on Broadway, an 'official' pr

I have seen the Phantom in its various incarnations (Broadway, national touring companies, etc...) and loved it up until last year when I saw it on Broadway with Norm Lewis (at the time). I was shocked to discover some of the casting choices (including Lewis himself, who as a borderline tenor-baritone struggled with the high A-flats), orchestration changes (the addition of cheesy 80s-like guitar riffs), set changes (the introduction of completely unnecessary overdone lightning strikes) a