Posted: 8/28/15 at 10:25pm
And I am an idiot--apparently the N American tour of this IS being handled by NETworks http://www.networksontour.com/current-shows/the-phantom-of-the-opera.html
Posted: 8/28/15 at 10:44pm
I think the problem is that Phantom is DEPENDENT on its production to succeed. The Hal Prince staging and Maria Bjornson design are just as important to the show as the script and the score. Replacing those elements with weaker ones just brings to light the flaws in the material (and oh my there are flaws).
Oh, and I forgot to mention above - in Notes II, Christine slaps Raoul across the face. I couldn't. Even.
Posted: 8/29/15 at 1:08am
Yeah I have always felt that--a big part of what makes the show work is that gorgeous production (the movie showed this as well.) More so than with Les Miz, etc (as much as I think that original production is iconic.) Or even some other ALW shows for that matter.
Posted: 9/26/15 at 6:23pm
How embarrassing this production is for everyone involved. Cheap and tacky, the show was no great shakes on Broadway, but at least the spectacle was fun and the performers were excellent. Here, there's nothing good, and it should have been left in 1989.
