Phantom OBC Archival Video Recording at Lincoln Center

[CStock92]

Posted: 10/20/25 at 4:59pm

So, in researching for a production with which I'm affiliated, I was able to book an appointment and watch said 1988 Crawford / Brightman / Barton performance. (It was spectacular; feel free to ask any questions!)

 

Does anyone know of or have any tutorials that are slimy of this exact Lincoln Center performance? I've become mildly obsessed with seeing it again / having a copy. I know it's extremely difficult, but I do know of some other Lincoln Center Archives' performances that have seen the light of day. Feel free to message me directly. 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/20/25 at 5:42pm

It's extremely rare that any of these leak into private collectors' hands--the main exceptions are when TOFT didn't get to record a show (usually because it closed quickly) and they add to their collection an actual bootleg that also has made the collector's rounds (examples I know of are the original Merrily We Roll Along and Bob Fosse's Big Deal.)  But...  maybe someone will be able to help you.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/20/25 at 5:45pm

The video at Lincoln center is a gorgeous, broadcast quality  video. And no, there is no copy of it anywhere outside of that building - besides maybe being in the ALW archives. 

[123musicalfan]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 7:58am

Thank you. I really hope it becomes freely available one day. A lot of my questions are about Brightman, I hope you don't mind. 

How was the Angel of Music/Mirror Scene? 

I read in a review of it that SB does a lot of dancing, and is present right from the beginning of Hannibal, and also has a significant part in Masquerade. Was it the same as you've seen other Christine's do it, or was it different? And how effective was it, given that Christine is also a dancer?

ALW has said Twisted Every Way is the most personal part of Phantom to him, and Brightman has spoken about it as well and even performed it in sole of her concerts. How did she act that bit? 

And finally how was the Final Lair scene, and Crawford/Brightman/Barton in it? 

Thanks 

CStock92 said: (It was spectacular; feel free to ask any questions)
 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 9:16am

Only a handful have surfaced from the TOFT archives and the original 1988 Broadway production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA ain't one of them.  More have never leaked in over 2 decades so I think it's safe to assume that's all we will ever get as its easier controlling things in 2025 than it was decades ago. The only one easily available (and on YouTube) is the black & white video of A CHORUS LINE that was done during its pre-Broadway run at The Public Theater's Newman Theatre. 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 11:09am

123musicalfan said: "Thank you. I really hope it becomes freely available one day."

Out of curiosity, does anyone know if all the TOFT recordings will eventually become freely available when copyrights or agreements expire? It's just an idle question, of course, since I know that would probably be many decades after I'm dead for most or all of the titles.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 11:49am

Jordan Catalano said: "The video at Lincoln center is a gorgeous, broadcast quality video. "

I'm most intrigued to learn more about the actual audio and video quality.  I always keep my expectations low, to avoid disappointment, and I hope to be pleasantly surprised when I do eventually see this recording the next time I travel to NYC.

How does the quality and filming style compare to the original Broadway press reel footage, as seen here?  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzngoptNjPc

Dark VHS tape quality, or better?  How sharp is the image?  I've always wondered how much compression occurs when they transfer the older recordings from analog tape to digital.

Jordan, your description above gives me hope! 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 12:09pm

Just to clarify - I didn’t actually make an appt to watch this. The person behind me was watching it when I was watching grainy black and white old Tennessee Williams, a few months ago. But I could see it in my monitor and I was constantly turning around to catch glimpses of bits of it. The quality was bright, crystal clear, multi camera (I’m 99.9% sure) and looked absolutely gorgeous. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 12:10pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Just to clarify - I didn’t actually make an appt to watch this. The person behind me was watching it when I was watching grainy black and white old Tennessee Williams, a few months ago. But I could see it in my monitor and I was constantly turning around to catch glimpses of bits of it. The quality was bright, crystal clear, multi camera (I’m 99.9% sure) and looked absolutely gorgeous."

 

Overheard in Hell's Kitchen!

[joevitus]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 12:39pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Just to clarify - I didn’t actually make an appt to watch this. The person behind me was watching it when I was watching grainy black and white old Tennessee Williams, a few months ago. But I could see it in my monitor and I was constantly turning around to catch glimpses of bits of it. The quality was bright, crystal clear, multi camera (I’m 99.9% sure) and looked absolutely gorgeous."

Is it okay for me to grumbe that they did this for Phantom but not for Follies?

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 1:14pm

Every day I pray that some brave TOFT employee will just go in there with a thumb drive and put it all on line. We can only dream. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 1:27pm

God, I WISH.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 4:04pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Only a handful have surfaced from the TOFT archives and the original 1988 Broadway production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA ain't one of them. More have never leaked in over 2 decades so I think it's safe to assume that's all we will ever get as its easier controlling things in 2025 than it wasdecades ago. The only one easily available (and on YouTube) is the black & white video of A CHORUS LINE that was done during itspre-Broadway run at The Public Theater's Newman Theatre."

And I don't believe that WAS filmed for TOFT originally, was it?  But more one of those situations like the 1972 B&W Company tour (one of their earliest tapes) that was funded separately (how I wish THAT would leak, though I did get to see it the one time of course.)

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 4:07pm

joevitus said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Just to clarify - I didn’t actually make an appt to watch this. The person behind me was watching it when I was watching grainy black and white old Tennessee Williams, a few months ago. But I could see it in my monitor and I was constantly turning around to catch glimpses of bits of it. The quality was bright, crystal clear, multi camera (I’m 99.9% sure) and looked absolutely gorgeous."

Is it okay for me to grumbe that they did this for Phantom but not for Follies?"

Yes.  Or even A Little Night Music (do we have ANY footage of that?  At least we have the Follies home videos.)  I will say that Hal Prince (and actually Sondheim) were two people who got on board with this idea as early as possible (one reason we have the Hal Prince Company tour video in the TOFT archive, and also a reason why we did get the Japanese TV Pacific Overtures and the Sweeney tour release--)  Some weren't so keen on it--Fosse had NO interest which is why any footage of his last shows that they have in the archives are bootlegs they've repurposed.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 4:10pm

The original production of A Little Night Music feels like the most mysterious, lost legend to me.

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 4:22pm

How easy is it to be able to watch these? Do you have to show "proof" of the research you are supposedly doing or do they basically just let anyone view who wants to come and watch?

[Ensemble17607421422]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 5:12pm

It is not certain whether this performance was officially filmed, or if so, whether the copy is publicly available.

Tutuapp

Updated On: 11/17/25 at 05:12 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 6:39pm

EricMontreal22 said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Only a handful have surfaced from the TOFT archives and the original 1988 Broadway production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA ain't one of them. More have never leaked in over 2 decades so I think it's safe to assume that's all we will ever get as its easier controlling things in 2025 than it wasdecades ago. The only one easily available (and on YouTube) is the black & white video of A CHORUS LINE that was done during itspre-Broadway run at The Public Theater's Newman Theatre."

And I don't believe that WAS filmed for TOFT originally, was it? But more one of those situations like the 1972 B&W Company tour (one of their earliest tapes) that was funded separately (how I wish THAT would leak, though I did get to see it the one time of course.)"

Yes, the pre-Broadway A CHORUS LINE was indeed filmed for TOFT/New York Public Library. The full tape of the archive starts off with logos and then an announcement being made stating that this performance was being archived for the Lincoln Center Archives and "being preserved for prosterity." 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/21/25 at 7:36pm

I should have never doubted you--I forgot about that entirely!  And some of that same writing is before the 1972 video of the Company tour they have if I recall correctly.  I have also heard that originally when TOFT started and there was so much pushback in the industry, filming in B&W was one of the concessions they made with those early captures (i guess the attitude was "See?! We're doing this purely for important archival reasons, so it's in B&W")

[CStock92]

Posted: 10/28/25 at 6:16pm

123musicalfan said: "Thank you. I really hope it becomes freely available one day. A lot of my questions are about Brightman, I hope you don't mind.

How wasthe Angel of Music/Mirror Scene?

Iread in a review of it that SB does a lot of dancing, and is present right from the beginning of Hannibal, and also has a significant part in Masquerade. Was it the same as you've seen other Christine's do it, or was it different? And how effective was it, given that Christine is also a dancer?

Sarah definitely moved more in Masquerade. As far as Hannibal, I can't remember if she did more dancing, but she was noticeably more graceful than other Christines I've seen. What struck me most about her whole performance was her excellent acting. She wasn't earth-shattering like Michael, but was extremely effective - especially in "He'll always be there singing songs in my head." I was pleasantly surprised by her, since she got railed for her acting. Steve Barton was fine, but vocally wobbly and pushed. Even at his best, I don't get why sooooo many adore him to pieces. He's always sounded like a ho-hum typical Broadway baritone to me. 

ALW has said Twisted Every Way is the most personal part of Phantom to him, and Brightman has spoken about it as well and even performed it in sole of her concerts. How did she act that bit?

She did some mild convulsing during "He'll always be there singing songs in my head," that was very convincing, and made perfect sense why Carlotta would say "She's mad!" right after. As far as the 'Twisted every way..." section, if memory serves, she just kind of stood there, looking scared / sad. Nothing crazy. 

And finally how was the Final Lair scene, and Crawford/Brightman/Barton in it?
All three were great, Crawford being spectacular. He gave his Phantom many autistic traits, especially with his hands. One example was "You try my patience! Make your choice!!" On that second sentence, he shook both fists like an autistic or very young child having a temper tantrum. The only thing I've not loved about Crawford's entire performance is the squealing, squeaking repeated "I loooove youuuuu's" at the end of the show, before his final line. It's always struck me as too over the top, too hammy. Visually, it worked a bit more convincingly, but still was awkward to me. Haha. 

Many point out that Crawford is more mysterious / ghostly than other Phantoms, who play it more forceful / macho. I agree, though Crawford doesn't strike me as wussy unless he's playing up the character's inherent awkwardness - makes total sense, based on the background within the show and book. Man's socially a mess. Haha. 


Thanks

CStock92 said: (It was spectacular; feel free to ask any questions)
"

 

[CStock92]

Posted: 10/28/25 at 6:21pm

Audio & video quality were significantly better than the press reel - though I'd guess with all the generational loss, the press reel may have been comparable with the Lincoln Center video. For comparison, it immediately struck me that the Lincoln Center video looked almost exactly the same in video and audio quality of the PBS Sweeney Todd with George Hearn & Angela Lansbury from 1982 - multiple camera angles, enough lighting to see everything (except some of the title song and Joseph Buquet's body dropping)  in almost perfect detail. You can definitely tell it was filmed in 1988, but it was extremely clear, and with multiple cameras capturing practically everything, minus what I mentioned above. I've become mildly obsessed with seeing it again, let alone *somehow* getting a copy. 

[CStock92]

Posted: 10/28/25 at 6:24pm

You saw it too?

What were your impressions?

 

I'm extremely curious if there is professional video of the Original London Cast from '86 / '87, what with that clip of Crawford & Brightman easily found on Youtube, singing Point of No Return. This video is definitely not the same as the one I saw in NYC. 

 

https://youtu.be/RlHenQm7YRA?si=dCfXQrjezhjxDDCD

[CStock92]

Posted: 10/28/25 at 6:30pm

123musicalfan said: "Thank you. I really hope it becomes freely available one day. A lot of my questions are about Brightman, I hope you don't mind.

How was the Angel of Music/Mirror Scene?

Sorry, forgot to answer this one! The scene was lovely, with Sarah being cute, Steve being dashing & boring (like almost all Raouls). The closeup on Crawford when the mirror went transparent was so clear, you could see where on his head his body mic was. I forgot (dammit!) to look if he still did the blue & white contacts on his mask side, or ditched it. I read somewhere that Lucille Ball saw the show and told him (or probably ordered him - it was Lucy, lol) to lose the contacts, since they were affecting his vision! I hope that anecdote is true! 

Iread in a review of it that SB does a lot of dancing, and is present right from the beginningof Hannibal, and also has a significant part in Masquerade. Was it the same as you've seen other Christine's do it, or was it different? And how effective was it, given that Christine is also a dancer?

ALW has said Twisted Every Way is the most personal part of Phantom to him, and Brightman has spoken about it as well and even performed it in sole of her concerts. How did she act that bit?

And finally how was the Final Lair scene, and Crawford/Brightman/Barton in it?

Thanks

CStock92 said: (It was spectacular; feel free to ask any questions)
"

 

[CStock92]

Posted: 10/28/25 at 6:35pm

joevitus said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Just to clarify - I didn’t actually make an appt to watch this. The person behind me was watching it when I was watching grainy black and white old Tennessee Williams, a few months ago. But I could see it in my monitor and I was constantly turning around to catch glimpses of bits of it. The quality was bright, crystal clear, multi camera (I’m 99.9% sure) and looked absolutely gorgeous."

Is it okay for me to grumbe that they did this for Phantom but not for Follies?"

 

Yes. Yes, it is. I'm most pissed the OBC of A Little Night Music has no pro-shot footage at least at Lincoln Center - they have Sweeney from only 6 years later, dammit! I saw that, and it was good, but I actually prefer George Hearn....

Anyway, back to Night Music.

I'd looooove to know from whence this came, and if there's more / all of the show somewhere!

https://youtu.be/6w7l1U7_m6M?si=opWYFFqLXXyLARae

 

[CStock92]

Posted: 10/28/25 at 6:38pm

TotallyEffed said: "The original productionof A Little Night Music feels like the most mysterious, lost legend to me."

Same!! It's my favorite musical, and audio bootlegs aren't enough.

So very curious about the source of this: https://youtu.be/6w7l1U7_m6M?si=opWYFFqLXXyLARae