I saw it three times in Los Angeles. The first two times with Michael Crawford, and the last time with Robert Guillaume. The rest of the cast was identical.
Guillaume sang it very well, but it was his physicality that made the performance feel flat. Of course, following on the heels of Crawford in the same theatre with the same cast draws unfortunate comparisons.
I have never seen anyone else in that role have the same physical energy that Michael Crawford had. He was so eccentric in his movement, almost as if he were moving in slow-motion. Gravity behaved differently for him and around him. It was "other worldly" and also very sensual in a creepy-but-beautiful way.
Guillaume, on the other hand, stood stiffly, usually in one place, and commanded the stage. Simple, strong gestures, and not much else. But when you're acting behind a mask, there isn't much helping you out visually unless your body is engaged as well.
Now, looking back, I realize he was still one of the best Phantoms, by comparison. I haven't seen any actor since come close to doing what Michael Crawford did with the role. He's in a league all his own.
But "Benson" did well, taking over for him.
One interesting thing happened, though. When Crawford played the part, the show was definitely his. He commanded the stage and the production from start to finish, and you felt his presence even when he wasn't on. His "wattage" was that mesmerizing, palpable, and overwhelming (I saw him do it twice). Someone at the time pointed out that the Phantom is actually only on stage for 22 minutes. That's it. The other characters talk about him a lot, and you hear him occasionally echoing off-stage, but his on-stage time is only 22 minutes. (Actually, this is less surprising when you realize Margaret Hamilton is only on screen in The Wizard of Oz for 12 minutes.) When Guillaume took over as the Phantom, it became Chrstine's show. Same actress (Dale Kristien) in the role. Same cast around them (Reece Holland, Barbara Lang, Calvin Remsberg, Leigh Munro). But Christine was now clearly the star and the focus of the story, as, I believe, originally intended by Lloyd Webber, who had written the show and role for his then-wife Sarah Brightman. It was that noticeable of a shift. This was a story about Christine Daae and her plight. But when Crawford played it, he owned the entire production and story from beginning to end.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Updated On: 4/11/11 at 07:35 AM
