Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess in PHANTOM tonight! — Page 3

I can't wait to see this in a few weeks. Just listening to what I found online last night it sounds incredible. I know it would never happen but God, I wish they'd do a new cast recording with these two.

They share a stage door tunnel with Once. So it's on 45th st.

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Yikes, your report about the audience is a bit disheartening. I want to see this with Norm and Sierra, but not sure if I could tolerate such nonsense.

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^ I saw last night's performance from rear mezz too and fortunately the crowd wasn't as bad as you're section! Lots of latecomers which was annoying but overall ok.

Norm was phenomenal! His Phantom was exciting and heartbreaking at the same time. Him and Sierra were perfect together. I was too far to notice a malfunction with the final chair- what happened?

^ Oh right! I do remember her reaching under the cloak for the mask; the scene did seem a little slow. Thanks for the explanation.

Updated On: 5/17/14 at 02:57 PM

Perfection. That's what Norm and Sierra are. BG2 and I were there together, so we had a lot of conversations that he pretty much summed up here.

Simply chill-inducing. Norm's voice is perfect for the role. It almost felt like we were hearing "MotN" for the first time.

Ellen Harvey is the best Giry I have seen. The way she delivers her lines, she put so much thought into. Her intonation, how she moved her body... Smart. She took a throwaway character and made her interesting and a standout.

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I saw the Phantom with Norm Lewis in New York on May 24th and must say that I left somewhat disappointed with recent revisions to the staging, as well as with Norm Lewis in this role. I should say I am “in the business” and have seen this show 13 times, so perhaps my take on things is a little different from a typical theatergoer. There was little chemistry within the cast, as Lewis’ age creates more of a weird Freudian relationship with the young Sierra Boggess, rather than a romantic tension that is naturally present with younger [looking] Phantoms. Lewis’ rendition of the Music of the Night was forced and lacked sweet, mysterious and dangerously seductive power so well projected by others – from Crawford to Panaro to Karimloo. He also cut the last note – the magical D-flat – incredibly short, rushing through the last ritardando chords of the song and frankly showing an inability to sustain the last note for a full effect. It seems Andrew Lloyd Webber also re-worked some of the orchestrations, adding the unfortunate 1980s-style electric guitar riffs to the Overture and other parts of the score. The overall rhythm of the show felt rushed versus earlier productions, with the music, dramatic pauses and segues forcibly cut short. Some of the updated sets, however, made for a nice change. It is worth noting that Jeremy Hays absolutely carries the production as Raoul – a first I’ve seen given that Raoul’s character is very one-dimensional. He and Sierra Boggess have a great chemistry that mitigates the strange ‘sugar daddy’ age-difference undertones of Christine’s relationship with Lewis’ older Phantom. I would almost prefer seeing Jeremy as Phantom to be honest.

Firmin and Andre also don't have the same chemistry as some of their predecessors possessed. Specifically, I am reaching several several years back and remembering David Cryer as Firmin and George Lee Andrews as Andre - their chemistry and ability to play off each other was simply remarkable, possibly due to the experience. It is worth noting that in this production Tim Jerome as Firmin is also quite impressive, creating a very engaging character.

Some shows go through revisions and come out of them as something fresh, magical and moving. Case in point – the new, shorter, reworked production of Les Mis. The previous revision of Les Mis around 2006-2007 when Lea Salonga played Fantine was also superb. The changes to the Phantom – including the casting of Lewis – to me suggest that the show is past its maturity and is now a pure entertainment vehicle with slightly more relaxed performance standards. Having seen Lewis in Les Mis and Porgy & Bess, where he was incredible both times, I can’t say the same about him as the Phantom. 3 out of 5 stars.

Updated On: 5/27/14 at 10:43 PM

By "Updated Sets" I am referring to some new curtains and more colourful backdrops that have been added. Also, the cross on top of the mausoleum has been updated to have the Phantom emerge from within it, rather than from the side/behind it which now makes it look like he's exiting from a camouflaged cover - something that drew a few giggles at the show that I saw.

Updated On: 5/27/14 at 10:59 PM

Not sure how the age of Norm Lewis can be taken into question considering Howard McGillen was about the same age when he played the role. Hugh Panaro is about the same age as Norm as well.

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When the Hell are The Shubert's going to do the right thing and rename The Majestic, The Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew? It's ridiculous by now, but maybe they are waiting to name it after someone in the mail room or accounts receivable.

I saw the show on March 22nd. Well I think Phantom of the Opera is quite a boring show (at least for me) but my boyfriend hadn't seen it before and I was interested in the cast. Sierra was outstanding but I was really disappointed by Norm Lewis. Sometimes I thought his voice doesn't fit the score and in The Music of the Night he nearly cracked one tone but saved it finally with his technique. All in all it wasn't a great experience for me and the chair at the end didn't work either. Greetings from Germany.

Yes, uk.. i actually prefer that design for the cross, but here in nyc / tour, i am pretty certain that he has always emerged from within the cross.. Mm.

I don't think I've seen this mentioned on this thread yet, but another (amazing) change to the production is that they are now using the updated orchestrations that started with the Las Vegas production. It sounds much fuller and darker. It's worth going just to hear them.