Phantom vs. Ghost- Page 2

[JRybka]

Posted: 6/4/12 at 9:59am

I enjoyed Phantom of the Opera recently. I thought it still to be in very good shape. But I would see Newsies if you can get tickets.

[Gink]

Posted: 6/4/12 at 10:07am

Go see Phantom--(spoilers)

if only to watch him shoot magic fireballs from a walking stick, and writhe in anguish on the floor of his hide-out.And pop-up conviently to over-hear conversations. And the mirror doll is not to be missed. Who would've guessed that would've been a first date turn off?

[castlestreet]

Posted: 6/4/12 at 10:45am

The haters can say what they want about Phantom, but it is a classic, and has held up remarkably well after 20 plus years. And there is good reason it is still running- the show hits a chord with non-theater snobs who don't mind getting lost in rousing music and spectacle.

And yes, the tour did in fact shut down and to my knowledge will not be seen again, rather, the newer UK version which is totally re imagined by a new creative team will be what tours if the decision is ever made to tour the show in the US again, much the same as Les Miz. The original production should be seen by anyone who is into theater.

[Gink]

Posted: 6/4/12 at 10:53am

Hey, I'm glad I saw it,there was much to love, and also much to roll your eyes at. We just found ourselves giggling when it was obvious we shouldn't have been. Costumes, singing, sets--beautiful and I wouldn't have brought up the magic candles coming out of the water if there hadn't been so many other things to take me out of the story with wtf moments.

The other kids(middle school) I brought to the show LOVED it. Teens--not so much. All the soccer moms I know love it, so, as always, form your own opinion. Just saying we found it a little cheesy at times.

[Chickiequotes85]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 9:35pm

If it's a choice between just those two shows, I personally prefer Phantom.
Hope you enjoy whatever you pick :)

[PTOPhan]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 10:28pm

By all means, see Phantom, especially if you are female - women seem to be captivated by the love story, but guys ... not so much. The new touring production (which has not yet come to the U.S.) has different sets and costumes, and a smaller cast. The Las Vegas production, which is shorter, but includes all the songs and features the Broadway costumes, is closing at the end of the summer, so it's New York or nothing. Phantom, which I have seen twice on tour, twice in Las Vegas, and once on Broadway, never loses its appeal for me. I say go for it!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 11:17pm

"While I appreciate that Phantom is a classic and I'm glad I saw finally saw it last year, myself and two teens found it laughably over-the-top at times. You can rent the video of the stage production. "

What is this video you can rent?

If you haven't seen Phantom, it's worth seeing--and I think it only really holds up in the great Prince/Bjornson staging, as others have said. I have no clue what state it's in right currently though. On the other hand, if there's some reason you really want to see Ghost, you are less likely to get another chance to see it... How many shows can you see on your trip?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/5/12 at 11:58pm

I would assume they are talking about the 25th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

[Bwaydide92]

Posted: 6/6/12 at 12:45am

That production was horrible. The sound design was completely off. The scenic design was a ripoff of the original but with lcd screens. The leads are great, but it's not a good representation of the show.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/6/12 at 1:31am

Aww I forgot all about that concert--I only caught some of it on PBS. But I didn't think it really replicated (or even tried to exactly) the Prince staging.

[Bwaydide92]

Posted: 6/6/12 at 2:02am

It looked as if they put it together that day

[The Scorpion]

Posted: 6/6/12 at 7:30am

That production was horrible. The sound design was completely off. The scenic design was a ripoff of the original but with lcd screens. The leads are great, but it's not a good representation of the show.

Agreed. The Royal Albert Hall event is NOT a good representation of the show. Design issues aside, the direction is also weak and confused as it was done by an ex-resident director of the London production and not by Hal Prince himself, who was busy at the time on Broadway and couldn't make it for the event. I was there live at the Albert Hall and found the whole thing disappointing. I watched it again recently when it was broadcast on TV and still found it a bore.

Go and see Phantom if you've never seen it. Like it or loathe it, it's an iconic piece of theatre history and no fan of Broadway should go without seeing it at least once. It's the most successful production of anything ever and the Prince/Björnson staging is very unlikely to be topped. I saw the new 'reimagined' tour in the UK recently and was left unimpressed and in some cases appalled by what I saw. It pales massively in comparison to the original production.

That said, I saw the Broadway production a month ago and really didn't like the cast, who were going through the motions and seemed tired and bored. Marni Raab in particular needs to go. The whole show needs a cast purge like Cameron Mackintosh did with the original Broadway Miz in the 90s.




Updated On: 6/6/12 at 07:30 AM

[JamesBroadwayWiner]

Posted: 6/6/12 at 7:36pm

Well, it depends on which characteristics of a show you wish to experience. Both Phantom and Ghost are visually spectacular, but in different ways. Phantom has the big set pieces and lights. Ghost is very technical. Light boards and that kind of modern technology is used in Ghost. Ghost is also a new, Tony nominated show. Phantom, on the other hand, has been running for years and years.
So, if you want the classic Broadway spectacle experience, then go with Phantom. If you want a fresh, new show which is also a spectacle, go with Ghost.

[defyinggravity2]

Posted: 6/6/12 at 7:41pm

I saw GHOST, and it sucked. See PHANTOM.

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 6/7/12 at 7:26pm

See Ghost. I saw both show and Phantom can get quite boring. Ghost on the other hand is not boring at all. If you don't like the music just stare at the extremely hot leads they have.

[Bwaydide92]

Posted: 6/7/12 at 8:44pm

I think Phantom is good, not great. Should've closed a long time ago. The book is terrible. ALW writes music well, but vocals not so much. You can't understand half the things they sing unless you already know what they're saying. Also, a lot of the songs that got cut from the movie are horrendous. They just go on and on. They sing for singing's sake. The effects are cool, but old fashioned. Probably the biggest reason to see Phantom, but they're all almost 30 years old.

Ghost is new, The effects are new. Some of them haven't been seen in over a century. I would see Ghost. You can form an opinion for yourself about it. With Phantom people are always going to say it's great, even if it lacks in a lot of areas.

[Idiot]

Posted: 6/8/12 at 1:56am

Did the title of this thread make anyone else think of a mash up like ALIEN VS. PREDATOR?

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 6/8/12 at 3:45am

Also, if you are a fan of lyric writing, go for the well-crafted, beautiful lyrics of The Phantom of the Opera over GHOSTs...which I'm not quite sure how to describe.

[Fan123]

Posted: 6/8/12 at 4:13am

Idiot*, I thought it would be a "who would win?" thread.

*addressing the person with that username, not insulting anyone

[michellek45]

Posted: 6/8/12 at 12:15pm

By all means, see Phantom, especially if you are female - women seem to be captivated by the love story, but guys ... not so much.

Really? I went to see this with my school, and all of my female friends, including myself, my mother, and my sister, all hated it. And there were a couple of guys who really enjoyed it. So I think whether or not you enjoy sappy, melodramatic "love" stories between a creepy stalker and a very reluctant woman would be more of an indicator than your gender.

And there is good reason it is still running- the show hits a chord with non-theater snobs who don't mind getting lost in rousing music and spectacle.

It's not just theater snobs who dislike this show.

[RainbowJude]

Posted: 6/9/12 at 4:06am

a.jean wrote: I am going to New York on a class trip and one of the days we get to pick a show that we want to see. I have it narrowed down to two shows. PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and GHOST. I have never seen PHANTOM on stage and heard it is phenomenal on Broadway! But then I have been hearing great reviews about GHOST.

If you think you will have the opportunity to see THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA another time, I would go and see GHOST: the latter show is new, hasn't been received terribly well and certainly won't have the kind of long run that would ensure that you could see it somewhere down the line.

If you think you might never have the opportunity to see THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in its original Harold Prince/Gillian Lynne staging with the fantastic Maria Bjornson designs, though, go and see that: despite its shortcomings, the show is definitely worth seeing at least once if you are at all interested in musical theatre.