The best PHANTOMS and the worst?

ok Im new to the site and did do a search but didnt find anything like it on the first few pages so here goes

best and worst phantom

ive seen are Howard Mcgillin, John Owen Jones, Hugh Panaro, Gary Mauer and tim O leary

favorites are Howard Mcgillin and Hugh Panaro

Least : John O Jones and Tim o Leary

Probably overall favorite phantom: Hugh Panaro is the best though Great acting and Singing----his talking and screaming parts sound really really goofy especially the graveyard fireball scene it is too high pitched. His "Insolent Boy...." also doesnt sound to hot. PLus im not crazy about his finishing "Its Over now...

Howard Mcgillin: Sounds Amazing , but his mirror scene is terrible he sings it way too harshly, and he is a little too weepy through out, His point of no return should be more exciting.

gary Mauer- overall sounded like Piangi too much but has the most faboulously flawless ending (its over now....)Ive ever heard.

John Owen Jones: I think It was a mic glitch but he was WAY TOO LOUD AND ALMOST GRATING TO WATCH fo 2:30 hrs

Tim O leary- sounded like he couldnt act worth a paper bag but sounded pretty good on Music of the night


Your thoughts?

WoW i agree with you with mostly everything.

Hugh Panaro is the Best IMO but I agree with you his talking/yelling parts Sound kinda screechy....But I think his "damn you...you little prying Pandora.." is his worst section not his ending to the show. His screaming sometimes kinda sucks. But basically overall amazing voice and acting

Howard Mcgillin: I also think is great but to me he jumps around from light and airy sounding to harsh way too much. And yeah he is a little too weepy. And the Point of no return needs help

Gary Mauer- its funny you mentioned the piangi thing I thought that too. And his ending ive always thought was the best ever that ive heard

JOhn Owen Jones - I disagree I thought he was very very good also but can sometimes be too loud/grating.

Tim o leary- Or I saw Mark jacoby cant remember But I thought their singing was sub par..

I saw Phantom with both Howard and Hugh and loved it both times.

The worst: I am going to say the original Crawford. His high pitch whiny voice and his knack for trying to outsing Sarah just turns me off. And he is NOT sexy AT ALL

Since the name of this thread isn't exactly specific, I'll say... The best "Phantom" is the one from the original Gaston Leroux novel. The closest they ever got, which clocks in as a second favourite, is Lon Chaney in the 1925 Universal silent. The musical just seemed way too 2-dimensional to me with a middle-of-the-road score, sub-par lyrics (though intelligent word-play here and there), un-developed characters (Raoul, IMO, is the most boring character in the history of the musical theatre) and the only great thing, IMO, is the spectacle, the soaring orchestrations and a good performance that's worth more than the material.

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Well, if I must say... I'd go with Australia's Anthony Warlow. He is the god of musical theatre, IMO, and anyone who gets to witness him in that role LIVE is a blessed soul indeed !!

I'd also have to say Michael Crawford who, for me, was just as tied to that role as Yul Brynner was to The King & Rex Harrison was to Professor Higgins. There's a beautiful video of him and Sarah in a music video of "The Music Of The Night" that, for me, summed up the whole iconic "image" that is Phantom...

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I've seen Frac d'Ambrosio, Brad Little & Ted Keegan.

Of those three, Brad was my favorite.

Out of all the Phantoms I've experienced (through live performances, CDs, & YouTube), I'd have to say my Phavourites are:

Michael Crawford
Howard McGillin
John Owen-Jones
Hugh Panaro
Gary Mauer
John Cudia
Davis Gaines

I don't have any least favourite Phantoms, per se, but I can think of some criticisms for some of my favourites:

Michael Crawford: not as masculine-sounding as some other actors that have played the role, but it's no big deal

John Owen-Jones: tends to scream wildly & overact a bit

Hugh Panaro: I don't like his acting during Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer. He seems too calm when Christine returns the ring to him.

Gary Mauer: sounds very rough & harsh, even during tender moments, such as The Music of the Night

Panaro and McGillin are my favorites.


I don't have a least favorite [stage-wise] as of yet, although I don't care for Gerard Butler in the 2004 film adaptation.

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The best one I've seen live is definitely Davis Gaines -- but if we're not just counting live performances, then I'll have to add Michael Crawford and Anthony Warlow to that list.

(And if we're still acknowledging the phrasing slip-up, my favourite Erik of all time is the one from the Susan Kay novel!)

Worst? Gerard Butler, hands down.

~JJJ

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Michael Crawford, Ted Keegan, Hugh Panaro and Brad Little. I enjoyed Franc to point. Lovely voice, but perhaps a bit overacted? Howard McGillin is quite powerful in the role as well.

I can't say that enjoyed Kevin Grey.

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Best:
Peter Karrie
Anthony Warlow
Hugh Panaro (hard to judge based on a single performance with him- he tried several interpretations)
David Gaschen (I saw him once and he was incredable- he brought tremendous emotion to the role)
Gary Mauer
Brad Little
John Owen Jones
Michael Crawford
Steve Barton

Worst:
Paul Stanley- Just...abysmal
Gerard Butler- I understand they were going for a more rough, masculine Phantom, but there are people who fit that description and can sing
Howard McGillan- I don't think there's much consistancy in his performances. Even from one scene to the next the Phantom seems like a different character

There was never a Phantom actor named "Tim O'Leary." You're probably thinking of Thomas James O'Leary who played the part on tour and then on Broadway in the late 90s. I happened to think he was quite excellent in the part, but nowhere near the brilliance of Peter Karrie or Davis Gaines.

Ive seen:

David Gaschen
Hugh Panaro
Howard McGillin
Rohan Tickell

The best Phantom EVER is Howard McGillin, IMO. Then comes David Gaschen, then Hugh Panaro, then Rohan Tickell

Gary Mauer and Tim Martin Gleason sound amazing too. (Ive seen video clips)

Ive seen the show 10 times in about 1.5 years, Howard is definitley the best for me!