I tried looking for one of those cheap seats in the last two rows but there was nothing cheaper than $70 for tonight, so I guess I'll try to go a different week. Report back everyone!
I think only Hugh left last week. I was at the Thursday matinee, and it was Laird Mackintosh and Sara Jean Ford. But Patterson was still listed in the playbill as the main Christine.
This has just been posted on POTO's official Facebook page:
"Tonight! Not only do Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess join the cast, but there's a MAJOR addition to the score! Any guesses? We'll confirm in this space after tonight's performance. We think you'll be thoroughly delighted. And look forward to hearing from anyone experiencing it tonight and hereafter..."
i'd be MAJORLY surprised and disappointing if they added Learn to be Lonely. Consensus is the wandering child trio as has been done in London since it opened
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27199361@N08/ Phantom at the Royal Empire Theatre
"Learn to be Lonely" is "No One Would Listen," but with different words. If anyone has seen the outtakes from the 2004 movie (they're on some versions of the DVD and Blu-Ray), "No One Would Listen" is a lovely number. However, in my opinion, it wouldn't fit as well on stage, where the Phantom essentially remains a mystery -- the 2004 motion picture tells us much more about him than the stage musical does. The expanded version of the cemetery scene (as presented in the West End production) seems more likely.
BTW, Sierra is appearing at the weekday matinees, but not at the Saturday matinees. That is the reverse of the usual schedule. I bought a ticket awhile ago -- as soon as the new cast was announced -- for the Saturday, August 2nd matinee. When I read Sierra's schedule two weeks ago, I just about flipped out. Then, I got the bright idea to buy a seat for that night as well. Hopefully, they'll both be performing. My goal is to arrange an interview with Norm Lewis about the chemistry of working with different co-stars in one day, and then write a Broadway World article about it.
In fact, now that I'm retiring from my "day" job, I'm hoping to write articles about POTO -- maybe even a book. I have no idea how I got this obsessed with POTO, but what the heck -- we all have our "meshugas." (Yiddish for goofiness).
Audrey
Audrey, the Phantom Phanatic, who nonetheless would rather be Jean Valjean, who knew how to make lemonade out of lemons.