Phantom Broadway v West End / Vegas - any opinions?

It all comes down to a matter of tastes really.

I have not seen the Vegas version so can not comment on that one. Set wise it is similar but expanded in some areas and has more of a wow factor, but as you may know it is greatly shortened.

As for NYC vs London, the show is the same. But there are small differences.

(You didnt mention if you saw London or Vegas already)

London is in a smaller theatre (distance from stage to back of auditorium) so there is more intimacy and even if youre at the back, you are closer than you would be if you were at the nice cheap seats in the bacl of the balcony of the Majestic.

London however has more obstructed seats, particularly in the top balcony if you are sitting to the sides. Majestic has great sight lines (unless you are at the back of the orchestra section)

The set in London is also alot smaller and almost cramped into the theatre, where as the Broadway one is bigger and has room to breathe. But this is a difference only a die hard fan would notice.

Lastly, the performances itself (all this is totally a metter of opinion) It has been said that London has more energy because the cast is changed often where as Broadway the cast hardly changes (but there was a recent change) so the Broadway verison can seem a bit stale. I prefer to see it as being the same and spot on all the time. Also as a matter of opinion, I have always found the Broadway vocals to be better than London. The London principals almost seem like regular singers who can 'sing high' (particularly Christine), where the Broadway vocals seem more operatic.

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Well, the current Broadway Phantom is Hugh Panaro... you could hardly wish for better on this side of the pond!

Ryan Silverman used to play Raoul; I had the opportunity to see him (last summer) and was quite taken. I do believe there is a a different Raoul now, however, whom I have yet to see.

Marni Raab (the Christine alternate) goes on on Monday's and Thursday's. Every other day Sara Jean Ford ( one of the best Christine's I have seen in a while) does the role. So if you want to catch Ford in the show (which I highly suggest) then you should do it on those days.

Personally, if I were visiting London, I wouldn't waste my time or my money seeing Phantom. Or, for that matter, any other show that is playing both on Broadway and in London. To me, there is just so much more that I would want to see if I were to be visiting London, That I would't want to waste a trip to the theatre on something that I can see at anytime when I am home. But, that is just me. I do know that there are people who would want to see the same show on Broadway and in London for casting reasons etc.

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I've seen Phantom on tour and on Broadway, then in Vegas. I had the BEST TIME EVER in Vegas. It's fantastic, it's stupid, it's energetic, it got rid of most of the clunkier parts, it's big and dumb and GREAT GREAT FUN. I don't know if I could see Phantom elsewhere unless it were a non-replica version.

That's all I have to say.

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Thanks for all these great responses! I think you've all convinced me that it wouldn't be a terrible thing to go and see the Broadway show. I LOVED the Vegas show and thought it was absolutely incredible. I know Broadway is unlikely to measure up to that in spectacle terms but the cast sound very good and worth seeing.

If I'm at a loose end and can't get tickets for shows on my must-see list then I will definitely give Phantom a whirl.

(Although having said all this my partner might not be so game as I will have just dragged him to the 25th Anniversary concert at the Albert Hall, ha!)

Tony Crivello, who plays the Phantom in Vegas, is worth the price of admission. Such a performance that hasn't been seen before, in this particular part. I've seen the original 24 times... but never seen someone, til Crivello, that makes me question how a human being could put themselves through that pain night after night (sometimes twice a night.)

I've seen both the Vegas and Broadway versions. I actually have tickets to see the Broadway production on Friday. Hugh was my first Phantom and the last time I've seen the Broadway production was for his "final" performance in October of 2005 so I can not wait to see it again.

I personally preferred the Broadway version to the Vegas one. Granted the theater in Vegas was so beautiful and the chandelier was spectacular and man did that sucker drop fast! The Broadway chandelier is very slow in comparison. However I did like some of the added bits in the Vegas version, particularly in regards to Buquet's death scene that I almost wish they would add to the Broadway version.

But yes, Hugh is an AMAZING Phantom, I recommend everyone to go see him if they can!

according to the audios i've heard on youtube... don't they use different lyrics in the London and Broadway versions? most notably in Think of Me and Wandering Child?

The lyric thing always confuses me. I grew up with the Canadian cast album, and while none of the lyrics are amazing, I MUCH prefer those Think of Me lyrics to the London original. I can't remember what I heard on tour, but since it was the first Canadian tour it was probably the same--but then the movie went back to the original lyrics...

EricMontreal - The lyrics on the Canadian tour were the same as in Toronto and the Canadian cast album.

As I understand it, when London opened and the original cast recording was made, many of the lyrics were still a combination of Richard Stilgoe's and Charles Hart's. Lyric changes were made to follow Hart's lyrics as he took over from Stilgoe as main lyricist. Basically, some of Stilgoe's lyrics in some songs did not fit with Hart's whose lyrics were primary in most songs. Some of Stilgoe's work remains, but not much.

In some cases preceding lyrics were too much to sing/too many syllables to go with the score before following lyrics.

Example: Think of Me, Original

"Recall those days, look back on all those times
Think of the things we'll never do
There will never be a day when I won't think of you."

Became (Think of Me, Canadian)

"Think of me. Please say you'll think of me
What ever else you choose to do.
There will never be a day when I won't think of you."

That's one example I read about some years back. Mostly, it was simple things though. ALW did not want to tinker with POTO much at all in those days.