Phantom tour questions

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 8:45pm

Ok, so I just got back from the final Dallas performance...and hated almost every moment of it. I haven't seen the show before (live or otherwise). Which makes me ask how scaled back is the tour?

I'm used to seeing changes made for tours, doesn't really phase me...but...is Christine supposed to faint onto the floor during "Music of the Night" or is there something for her to land on? Is the lair really just the portculus (sp?), organ and bed? Is the rooftop scene really just a backdrop?

The energy was pretty low, and the staging was just stagnant...and there are lots of little blackouts with voice overs. Is that how it is on Broadway?

I really spent most of the 2 hours going..."Why did Hal Prince get a Tony for this? Why has this run longer than Chorus Line?" And, I like the show (at least, on album) and was looking forward to seeing it.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 9:04pm

The Phantom tour is/was actually not scaled back very much in my opinion. I believe Christine is supposed to faint onto the floor during "Music of the Night". Then the Phantom carries her to the gondola/bed. The lair, in various scenes, should consist of the portcullis, the candelabras, the organ, the throne, the mannequin and the gondola. I believe the rooftop is just a backdrop on Broadway, but Raoul and Christine enter from a trap in the stage floor. It seems like you were maybe expecting to see something closer to the Vegas production which, at least set wise, is a lot more elaborate than the tour or the Broadway production.
Updated On: 3/14/10 at 09:04 PM

[Tag]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 9:13pm

In the lair scene on Broadway the large candelabras rise out of the deck along with the small candles. On the tour the large candelabras travel on but the small candles still come out of the deck.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 9:23pm

Ok, so I take it that physically the production is pretty similar?

Is it common for that Angel piece at the top of the proscenium to lower down to mid-stage level, or was that just something done b/c of the way Music Hall at Fair Park is designed?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 9:33pm

Yes, the angel is always lowered mid-stage. The physical production is mostly the same.

[Tag]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 9:33pm

The production is virtually identical to what is seen in NYC. And yes the angel lowers.

[winston89]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 9:34pm

Husk, I have seen the show both on tour in Hartford as well as a few times on Broadway. I can tell you (as it has been said here) that they didn't scale back on anything. That most things were just altered for the tour.

And yes, the angel atop the proscenium is supposed to come down. The angel does so at the beginning of the rooftop scene that leads into All I Ask Of You.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 9:39pm

Ok, didn't realize it about the Angel...that looked awkward to me.

I'm assuming that it's not sloppy in NYC, but a lot of the cast just sort of milled around. I really don't get what was so great about the direction of the show...unless the traps help (Obviously no traps on tour).

The cast was actually quite good, and I liked that they all seemed to act (I hear a lot of complaints about the singing taking focus).

I kinda wonder if maybe I had just built it up a lot in my head, and that I've been let down.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 9:41pm

Also, when did they cut Raoul from "Wandering Child?" I kinda liked his lines there...and (at least on album) was less odd than him just running in and going "Christine! It's the Phantom! Whaddaya doin?"

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 9:50pm

I'm not 100% sure when the lyric changes came about, but I believe they were made when the show opened on Broadway. There are a few lyric discrepancies between the current production and the London cast recording, and because they never issued a Broadway cast album the lyrics have gone unrecorded. The "Wandering Child" change is preserved on the Canadian cast recording though. I actually like it better. I believe the reasoning behind it was just to give the Phantom and Christine another musical moment together and not have it interrupted by Raoul.

[winston89]

Posted: 3/14/10 at 11:10pm

Husk,

I think that the angle coming down is meant to be The Phantom hiding on the roof overhearing them proclaim their love for one another during All I Ask Of You, hence him coming up from there for the reprise.

Also, I do think that the title song works better on Broadway. The usages of the traps on that that do a good job of getting you to feel like the lair is really in fact a long way down. Now, I am not saying that they didn't give off that vibe on tour. It just came off (not sure this is the right word for it) a little smoother on Broadway than on the tour.