How much has POTO changed since it opened?- Page 2

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 2:46pm

Her final tour performance is the Sunday afternoon. I think she'll be returning to broadway next week, or the week after.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 3:02pm

I loved Howard when I saw him (a thousand years ago) in Edwin Drood. He's an extremely talented performer (and gorgeous to look at), but the Phantom requires an "eccentricity" that he doesn't possess as a performer to really hit it out of the park.

That's why Crawford was so incredible in the original. Basically, you are acting with your voice and your physicality for so much of it. We can't see your facial expressions... and everything needs to be a little heightened, surreal and even "non-human" to play it well and effectively. Crawford's stage movements and body positions were very eccentric (almost as if he was moving in twisted slow-motion), and his voice always seemed like it was just about to leap way off pitch and right out of his throat in a wild maniacal laugh. It was "excess within control" as they used to say in the old days. Brilliant stuff.

Nobody else I've ever seen attempt the role (or these songs) has lived up to it. And unfortunately, Howard was no exception. He just wasn't "crazy" enough with it. Very straight-forward, certainly well-sung, and ultimately... not interesting.

But if you don't have the memory of Crawford in it, the show might be okay for you. Not sure about that. I took my better half to see it with McGillin, and he was SO disappointed and bored out of his mind. He couldn't imagine what the fuss was all about.

I don’t place all the blame on Howard's shoulders remotely, though. The Phantom is actually only on stage for about 1/2 hour of the show! Crawford made you feel his presence through the entire thing, though. You sensed him looming over the proceedings from the first moment you heard his eerie voice off-stage. THAT’s star power!

I'm not sure if I'll see it again in NY. This last time "tainted" my memory a bit of how powerful it was originally. Hell, I thought they cut a whole scene, I was so "tuned out" by it.

Better to leave at least some of the original, magic memories in tact.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 3:09pm

The last Phantom I saw was on tour, Gary Mauer, and he was a huge dissapointment...he didn't have any of that looming precense...Panaro on the other hand reportedly had similar power to wahat Crawford had in the role (I didn't see Crawford, but from mye xperience with Panaro, he really commanded that stage).

[EganFan2]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 4:49pm

The show--or any long running show--would probably do better with more frequent cast changes.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 4:53pm

They cleaned up the London cast back in 2004. Everyone was replaced except for John Owen-Jones, as the Phantom, and Nicky Adams, as the Christine alternate. At that time, audiences were pleased to see a bretah of fresh air on stage. Perhaps Broadway POTO will soon be getting similar treatment.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 8/29/06 at 6:44pm

Better to leave at least some of the original, magic memories in tact.

That makes sense, I guess--as good as I believe the show is now (and as phenomenal as I thought Hugh Panaro was), I'm sure no one is really going to top Crawford anytime soon. I'm sure I'd feel the same way as you do if I'd been lucky enough to see Crawford and the OBC.