How is Phantom done on Tour?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 5:04am

How do they do Phantom on tour? Meaning, how do the candles come up from the floor or do they just come in from the sides? Also, how does Raul jump off of the bridge? Do they have a false proscenium? Does Phantom still fly down in the Angel statue or whatever it was after "All I Ask of You." Is it really scaled back? Do they put the chandlier out over the audience?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 5:11am

The candles come in from the wings, and Raoul (with an o) jumps onto a matress on the floor.

Yes, there is an angel, a false proscenium, and the chandelier goes back the way you think it would.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 5:20am

Sweet. It's my mom's favorite show and it is coming here next year and I didn't want her to be disappointed. When I saw it on Broadway it was quite a spectacle. Does Raoul (sorry for the spelling) just onto a mattress on Broadway too? It looks like he just goes throught he floor - I guess that's the point.

Are the sets scaled back?
Is there a full orchestra?

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 6:48am

When the tour was in Boston last May, I believed the candles came from the stage & the wings, however I could be mistaken.

The chandelier is beautiful.

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 6:58am

I'm seeing in this summer when I visit Vancouver! I am excited!

[Justin D]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 9:09am

yup, on tour the small candles come up from the ground as usual. but the 6 big ones come in from the wings.

Raoul doesnt always jump in the lake, sometimes he just runs down the ramp.

Red death runs off to the side (most of the times unless the theatre has room for a trap there) but everything else is the same, proscenium and all (although parts of it may be scaled back depending on the size of the theatre)

[philcrosby]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 9:27am

The effects on the tour are done so beautifully you will never know they differ at all from the Broadway production.

[singtopher]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 9:41am

The tour is in my town currently, and I've seen it twice. The candles come up through the floor, and the candleabras (sp?) come in from the wings. I've only seen POTO on tour, so I can't say how much it differs from the Broadway production. Everyone I know who has scene both say the only difference is certain set pieces look a little different. But yes, the Phantom rides the Angel down, and the Chandelier crashes.

If I'm not mistaken, the size of the cast on tour is a little smaller than the one on Broadway, but I could be wrong. The current tour cast is quite good. If you can, see Sarah Lawrence as Christine, verses Marie Danvers. Both were great, but I thought Sarah was a better actress.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:02pm

Cool. Good to know my family won't be let down.

How do the candles come up through the floor? Are they built into the show deck or is it because your theater has traps? I don't think the one here has them.

[Bdwy24]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:09pm

I believe they are in the floor deck. You will not be dissapointed. there isnt much of a difference. it doesnt look "scaled back". There are just MINOR differences.

[Becky2]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:30pm

I saw it last night and it was as much of an expirience as on Broadway.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 4:30pm

I can't wait. I just wonder because the concert hall here is huge. I just wonder where they'll put the chandlier because they'll have to put it way up in the air for it to work so people can see around it.

[SweeneyPhreak]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 5:20pm

I saw it in September at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The Fox is a HUGE theatre (could fit all the seats from about three Broadway houses in its house) and has a high cieling. If your cieling is too high, the chandelier will not go up all the way. At the Fox, it went up rather high and stopped at about the level (maybe higher) it would've stopped in New York. You could still see the proscenium from where I was (nosebleed) so they made sure that it was high. However, the advantage of having a higher drop is that it has to go faster to be in time with the music, meaning that it will most likely plummet to the stage if it's high up enough.

other than that, the biggest difference is the cast. Everything else is done so perfectly that, as someone pointed out, you won't think you're seeing a portable version of the show.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 7:06pm

Wait, so the show will suck if they bring the candles on wrong?

Wow, that's a great way to judge musical theatre.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 7:59pm

The only thing that the tour has scaled down is its orchestra. It's 13-piece orchestra, where NY's is close to 30. It has two synthesizers, which sound ghastly in certain scenes. POTO is my favorite show (hence the avatar), but the orchestra just isn't up to par on tour.

But to be honest with you, most of the time I wasn't thinking about that (at least this time) bescause the cast and sets were so captivating. It's only in certain moments like AIAOY, Masquerade, and the Entr'act that it really got to me.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 8:16pm

Hm. I was wondering about the orchestrations. Either way, it sounds like it will be good.

I wish they would update the Phantom touring site because it still doesn't say it's coming here, although I've had a bunch of people tell me it is.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 8:21pm

I'm sure you'll have a dandy of a time.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 8:21pm

I'm sure you'll have a dandy of a time.

[GoldenAce]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 8:31pm

"The only thing that the tour has scaled down is its orchestra. It's 13-piece orchestra, where NY's is close to 30. It has two synthesizers, which sound ghastly in certain scenes. POTO is my favorite show (hence the avatar), but the orchestra just isn't up to par on tour. "

... it may be scaled down but you neglected to mention how fabulous the cello player is :-P

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 9:47pm

Don't they have to hire local musicians if they play a venue for a certain number of weeks? (I seem to remember the # is 5 or 6, but I'm not sure.)

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 10:15pm

How does that work? How much time in advance to the local people get to work through the music. Just wondering.

[morosco]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 10:38pm

The tour is first-class all the way. You won't be disappointed.

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 11:51pm

Yes, many shows hire local musicians to fill in for people who tour or to merely supplement the touring pit. Most shows travel with a set group of keys, guitar, drums, and other very detailed parts; with well trained, professional musicians, getting advance scores and CDs a few weeks before is sufficient to fill in. But yes, it can be verrrry stressful to learn whole scores in a short amount of time.

~Sam

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/12/06 at 11:56pm

Yeah, I would imagine.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 5/13/06 at 1:05pm

DELETED BECAUSE OF A CLARIFICATION

Updated On: 5/13/06 at 01:05 PM