The Phantom of the Opera gets a 25th birthday present!

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 7:51pm

The West End production of The Phantom of the Opera has received a lovely 25th birthday present.

New posters can be seen on the front of Her Majesty's Theatre with pictures of current stars John Owen-Jones and Sofia Escobar highlighted by the brand new silver "25" logo.

Here's a taste of the new artwork:




One of my pet peeves is now evident in the official poster for god's sake! It's called "THE Phantom of the Opera" not "Phantom of the Opera"!

[bryan]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 8:06pm

if it was the new york one i was going to say a colesing date.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 8:11pm

One of my pet peeves is now evident in the official poster for god's sake! It's called "THE Phantom of the Opera" not "Phantom of the Opera"!

That's better than the New York production being advertised as just "Phantom."

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 8:22pm

That bothers me less!

"Tonight belongs to PHANTOM!" LOL! Much of the NYC advertising makes me cringe xD

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 4/23/11 at 8:26pm

"if it was the new york one i was going to say a colesing date."

HAHAHAHAHA...no.

[JasonM12480]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 1:14am

It would have been much funnier and more effective if you had spelled "closing" correctly.

The show WILL last 30 years on Broadway, and I think it's absolutely fantastic. Happy 25th to the London cast.

[tourboi]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 1:56am

Everyone knows the decision to market it as simply "PHANTOM" was to further piss off Yeston and Kopit.

I kid, I kid.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 2:19am

Does anyone know how the current cast is on Broadway? I saw it in the late 80's on Broadway and it was just a bad performance. The orchestra was dragging and the chandelier didn't slide down smoothly. people were actually talking about it at intermission and asking what was going on with the show. I saw it a second time on tour in Denver 2 years ago and it was fantastic but for some reason I feel I need to see it again at the Majestic to make up for the bad performance I saw years ago!

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 2:26am

I've heard wonderful things about Sara Jean Ford (though I saw Marni Raab who I thought was just okay), and I loved Hugh Panaro and the actor playing Raoul whose name I can't remember offhand. It was my first time ever seeing the show and as much as I am not a fan of Lloyd Webber's music I really enjoyed it.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 11:47am

Does anyone know how the current cast is on Broadway?


Fabulous. The show is stronger now than it's been in quite some time. The three leads are all my favorites of those I've seen live. Hugh Panaro as The Phantom of course is always wonderful (and even better now than he was in his previous tenure six years ago), and I loved Sara Jean Ford & Sean MacLaughlin as Christine & Raoul. One of the few times when I was actually enjoying "All I Ask of You." (If you get a Christine or Raoul with a poor voice that scene can drag on forever.)

A few years ago they re-vamped the sound system at the Majestic, so everything now sounds crystal clear.

Now would absolutely be the time to revisit the show.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 12:34pm

I didn't like McLaughlin when I saw the tour in Dallas last spring.

Granted, the rest of the cast wasn't terribly good either, and the show draaaaaaged.

[Hank]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 2:03pm

I love this show more and more each time I see it, and it's become allmost an anual ritual. Next week I'm finally going to see the Las Vegas version.

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 4/24/11 at 3:26pm

The current Broadway cast is incredibly strong. Panaro is sexy as all hell, has a beautiful voice, and plays a very sarcastic Phantom. Sara Jean Ford is a strong, angry Christine, and she can ACT, unlike alternate Christine (Mon. & Thurs.) Marni Raab, whose continued employment never ceases to amaze me. Marni could not act her way out of a paper bag. Sarah Brightman was a better actress than Marni, if that tells you something. Sean MacLaughlin is a wonderful Raoul, which is a fairly thankless role.

Just make sure you don't get a Panaro understudy, if you can help it. I saw Paul A. Schaeffer in the role while Panaro was on vacation, and he was terrible. First Phantom I've seen who didn't get a standing ovation, and who seemed to be deliberately eliciting laughter from the audience. He was making fun of the character he was playing the whole time. *shudders* Not a great approach to Phantom.
Updated On: 4/24/11 at 03:26 PM