Love Never Dies — Page 2

An older Phantom can be the tragic romantic figure if you're into that sort of thing.

In more seriousness, Phantoms like Michael Crawford gave me the impression that in the context of the show, the Phantom's "sexiness" originally came from his mysterious nature, his gorgeous voice, his strange charisma and intriguing gestures--all of which disappear as soon as the mask comes off to reveal the real man behind all the smoke and mirrors. Aside from that, it's also possible to play up the masked Phantom's "sexiness" with more middle-aged portrayals by going for the silver fox bachelor approach vs. going for the young and hawt angle that ultimately defeats the point of the Phantom's tragic situation. (You're supposed to sympathize with the Phantom because he's UGLY underneath that mask, Mackintosh!)

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Usually, I’m a denizen of the “cheap seats” so, for me the most important attribute of a Phantom is the voice. A deeper voiced tenor with emotion and the power to blow me out of the theater is what I favor. The next thing I notice about a phantom is his height and stance. If a pretty boy can carry those attributes, I’m good with it.

Bronson Norris Murphy more than exceeds my description.

Updated On: 6/17/18 at 12:52 AM

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I think Gerard Butler may have been the first “hot Phantom.” Even his disfigurement under the masked just looked like a really bad sunburn."

I think the woefully miscast 2004 film was definitely where it started, with Mr. Karimloo taking the role in London not long after. I found it difficult to imagine any woman (or gay man, for that matter) choosing the dandy Patrick Wilson over Gerard Butler. The plausibility of the love triangle dissolved quickly in the movie because there really was no contest between Christine's suitors.

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Well even handsome Phantoms in the early days were still middle aged or at least “mature” in their vocal quality and on the “good side” of their face. The young, honey-voiced Phantoms like Ramin Karimloo and Chris Mann are a different sort of thing than say, aged-out romantic leading men like Howard McGillin or Davis Gaines with booming, operatic voices.

The Distinctive Baritone said: "Lot666, I think you hit the nail on the head. It must be a Cameron MacIntosh thing. The tour of the original POTO has also been using various young and handsome Phantoms, and the dashing Nick Cartel (who played Marius not that long ago) is not even the age Valjean is supposed to be at the BEGINNING of Les Miz. Ramin Karimoo, who also played Valjean (and both Phantoms) seems to have started this ridiculous trend."

I can't stand this trend either (give me an Anthony Warlow voice as the Phantom any day!), but confess when I saw LND, the ages of the leads didn't put me off at all or take me out of the moment (it was the book that did that). I think they both looked the proper age that Christine or the Phantom should have been. and same with Nick Cartel as Valjean. That Mean Girls display at the Tony's on the contrary had the opposite problem with the actresses seeming much older than teens.

Updated On: 6/18/18 at 11:56 AM