Well, only act I. Apparently word is good, but it just sounds more and more ridiculous to me:
"As for "Phantom . . . Once Upon Another Time": It's set in 1906 in Coney Island. The Phantom, having fled Paris, is running a freak show. At night, he crawls into his lair and makes love to an automaton that looks like Christine.
Christine, meanwhile, has become a famous opera singer. But she's fallen on hard times because her husband, Raoul, has squandered their fortune. So she's accepted a high-paying gig from a mysterious impresario to open a new amusement park. On her first night in New York, she draws back the curtain in her hotel suite and comes face to face with her new employer - flash of lightning, crash of chords - the Phantom!
Christine has a child, Gustave, but is his father Raoul or the Phantom? I can't tell you because no one's seen the second act yet."
Riedel on Sydmonton Festival
Stand-by Joined: 1/4/08
Much as I am interested to hear a bit more about it, real slapped wrists to those who blabbed! Very out of order.
Had already seen a couple of other comments from Baz Bamigboye (who wasn't there but had obviously heard a lot about it) and Janet Street Porter who was. And they were very encouraging when they didn't need to be.
That's hilariously awful. Maybe Lloyd Webber's going for out and out comedy with this one?
I know 3 people who were invited to Sydenham for the performance. They were bored, bored, bored. Nothing new in Lloyd Webber's music box and a very bland evening was had by all.
A lot of work lies ahead for this production.
Most were saying 'get rid of Ben Elton'!
They're saying this isn't based on the novel "The Phantom of Manhattan" and yet many of the elements are the same. I guess it was too difficult to come up with something original so ALW decided to rape the novel instead. If it follows of the novel I know the paternity of the child.
It sounds... good.
Why does it sound good?
Oh yeah. Because Raul finally has a bit of character.
This sounds realllllly lousy...
Sir ALW needs to not do this.
Oh this sounds so bad its gonna be brilliant
I predict it will be the biggest hit since Carrie
Fellow UK dwellers - wanna get drunk on gin and go a-heckling on opening night? Definitely sounds like a camp classic of some kind!
Sounds divine Weez!
Sounds like you want to revive the long lost club of 'Gallery Of First Nighters'!!! Anyone remember them? I just about remember 3 or 4 of their opening night antics!
Weez, Wicked Boy, lets do it
We can laugh and throw Bon Bons lol
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/20/05
If I'd been married to a twerp like Christine, I'd have become an alcoholic a long time ago.
On a "serious" level (if that's possible), why doesn't ALW wake up and realize that his day is past. He's pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars. No British pop opera has really had any kind of success since Miss Saigon, awful though that show was. It's over, man, it's over. The public doesn't want any more.
"Oh yeah. Because Raul finally has a bit of character."
Well, if ALW is raping the novel Raoul isn't even there.
18 years ago when I had a close working relationship with RUG, Lloyd Webber had a brilliant project that was to be premiered in London at his, then newly acquired Palace Theatre, that was certain to have been a huge hit. This project was suddenly put on the back burner for 'Sunset Blvd' and was never toyed with again. I wish he would just forget about all thse vanity projects such as 'Phantom 2' etc etc and just get on with that 1992/3 project --'A STAR IS BORN- The Musical'! He was practicaly handed the rights from Warner Bros. on a plate!
Did this part make anybody else crack up just out of the sheer ridiculousness of the concept??
"It's set in 1906 in Coney Island. The Phantom, having fled Paris, is running a freak show. At night, he crawls into his lair and makes love to an automaton that looks like Christine. "
So he's making out with a Christine android?! Is he going to have a song that he sings to the robot??
HA. this sounds sooo bad! Unless, of course, they are going for camp value, in which case it's GENIUS. somehow i don't think that's the case.
Ridiculous? definitely. Pathetic? that too.....
Do we think ALW makes love to an automaton of Sarah Brightman somewhere on his Sydmonton estate? THAT sounds a lot more believable.
LOL Hahahahahaha!
Lets not go there!
Oh man. I don't understand why he is doing this project, it sounds horrible, why would he want to do this to one of his best shows? And Coney Island?
I like the last line in the column.
Kev, tried to send you a PM but you don't accept them. Nice Pic of the Ellie/DCPA. I am looking at it as I type!
I fixed it
The automaton idea is the part that makes me cringe the most.
I smell burning wax?
mmmmmmmmm
Broadway Star Joined: 3/25/04
Well, he did have the automaton dressed up in a bridal dress in Phantom --- which scared the, well, which scared Christine. This guy has a thing for androids.
Yea! look at Norma Desmond!
I'm sure in Weber's mind the Phantom was doing something with the android thing in the first show. He is now just confirming our suspicions
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