Phantom Lip-Syncing??

I had a friend tell me that he saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway (years and years ago...) and he said that the cast was lip syncing the whole time. I've never heard of this on Broadway. haha Do you think they actually would? Has that been heard of? Or is this friend just making things up? haha


sorry this is random. haha

I know the entire title song, during the descent to the Phantom's lair, is pre-recorded because the real Phantom & Christine have to...well, I'm not sure exactly WHAT they're doing, but it involves disappearing through the mirror & getting into the boat off stage while doubles lip-sync on the ramp.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Phantom's voiceovers are pre-recorded, but the only song I know for certain is the one I mentioned above.

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I had heard...can't remember where...that many of the Christines that followed the original, Sarah Brightman, could not hit a few of the high notes that Sarah had. So they used a recording of her hitting them to fill in just those notes.

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From what I understand, Christine's pre-recorded high note at the end of the title song is used only as "backups" if the actress is not confident she can do it on a particular night.

Updated On: 7/22/12 at 12:28 AM

I always knew there was something off about the title song, I just didn't know exactly which bits were prerecorded and which ones sung live. The cadenza was always obviously canned since every single Christine I've ever seen does a poor job lip-synching it. It's almost as if they want you to know it isn't live, LOL.

I don't recall ever feeling disappointed that song is mostly prerecorded, and I'm usually staunchly against such practices. I guess it's a fair trade off with the neat staging. Anyone who actually thinks that all of those couples are the same Christine and Phantom that started the song off must truly believe in magic because there's no way they could suddenly appear here and there in an instant. It was always obvious there were doubles involved. I find those who act as if the prerecorded thing is a major scandal amusing, haha. With all that moving around through all that intricate machinery, it makes sense.

I thought I read somewhere that only part of the orchestra is prerecorded and most of it plays live during the title song. Would anyone know exactly which sections of the orchestra play live? At the end of the title song, there's a really awesomely manic string section that I've always hoped was live. I was extremely tempted when I saw the 3rd NT in Costa Mesa back in '08, to peak into the orchestra pit during that song but that would've been hella ghetto, so I didn't, even if the woman in front of me did. I almost asked her at intermission what she saw, but she had down syndrome and--while I've encountered many with the condition who are perfectly capable in many areas--she seemed to have a very advanced case, so I didn't bother her or her family.

Prolly should have asked. Maybe she would have said "Nothing. Absolutely nada! Just a big tape recorderrrr!" :S

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Prince is no stranger to lip synching--parts of Follies were as well. I think it's justified and doesn't bother me.

Julie Andrews recorded the famous ascension in "Le Jazz hot" and it was fairly obvious, as her entire vocal performance was carefully measured so that she could perform it 8 times a week.

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^Is that true about Julie Andrews? Did they also use the recording on the DVD, because if so I can't imagine why they wouldn't have gone with a better recording of it.

I know that there were some major tape issues with Follies up until opening night.

"Prince is no stranger to lip synching--parts of Follies were as well. I think it's justified and doesn't bother me."

Which parts and how do we know, Eric? I'm curious because I think that would have caused a furor had it been publicized in 1971.

Are you only talking about the chaos section at the end of Loveland? I think that was (and still is) understood to be a sort of special effect, with recordings added to live performances to achieve the desired cacophony. Not exactly the same as "lip-synching" a solo or duet.

But I remember the righteous indignation on "the Street" when it was leaked that some of Liza Minnelli's vocals were taped so that she could sing while dancing in THE ACT. That was six years after FOLLIES and there was considerable outrage; to most people at the time, it seemed unprecedented.

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As for PHANTOM, I'm sure I don't need to reiterate my hatred for the "tricks" in the title number sequence. Phony cinema at the expense of live theatricality. I hate it even more now that people I respect (Eric most definitely included) find it acceptable. How sad that shoddy theme-park staging could come from the same man who had staged "Too Many Mornings" and "Someone in a Tree" so brilliantly!

Which parts of Follies were prerecorded?

The only part I could think of that would be is right before Loveland when they're all singing, yelling, talking at the same time as the curtain descends (in the recent revival).

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I don't think they are singing before Loveland, just arguing. But since the arguments are going on simultaneously in 1941 and 1971, we only understand snippets of dialogue here and there.

The entire cast sings portions of their own numbers at the END of Loveland, to signify Ben's psychological break. It's supposed to be a dramatization of a Freudian catharsis. Supposedly every song in the show is somewhere in the vocals or orchestration. I do believe recordings were used to sweeten this section.

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ETA Thank you, nasty_khakis, that makes perfect sense. I didn't live in New York at the time, so I don't know if the sweetening for "Who's That Woman?" caused outrage or not. Sounds like AEA wasn't thrilled at the process of combining recordings with live performances, not if the union made the production pay extra salaries.

Updated On: 7/22/12 at 08:40 PM

Thanks, Eric. I obviously need to reread the Chapin book. I devoured it so hungrily when it came out that I'm sure I missed many details. It should be particularly meaningful now that the revival is fresh in my mind.

ETA I also need to dig my copy of the original production script out of the garage. My memory is that the revival book cut down a lot of the character details of the supporting players, in the process increasing our focus on the central quartet. But I need to reread the original. It's entirely possible I've invented "new scenes" or at least new lines in my memory of it.

Updated On: 7/22/12 at 08:59 PM