Posted: 11/30/16 at 8:28pm
I think when all is said and done years and years from now,
Wicked will end up at Number 1, with Book of Mormon at Number 2, and Hamilton at Number 3.
Posted: 11/30/16 at 8:54pm
Part of me also wonders how much of Phantom relies exclusively on the talent/power of its two leads. For instance, I saw it with Sierra Boggess and Norm Lewis back in 2014 and was absolutely, totally bowled over by the show. It was a masterpiece. It's been with other performers at its helm that I've been more aware of the surrounding production (and consequently, some of its flaws).
Posted: 11/30/16 at 9:00pm
I would be immensely disappointed if any updating happened to the effects of Phantom. Once they start going down that road, nothing will be enough until the entire show is projections and the chandelier is a hologram. I think the fire bolts during the cemetery scene are effective. I mean, he is shooting fire at Raoul. Like literally shooting fire. My favorite effect is still the simple trap door that Raoul jumps into before the final scene. And I love looking around and seeing the rest of the audience going "wow cool". I would rather the show close before they do any cornball trendy updates.
Posted: 11/30/16 at 9:05pm
Jarethan said: "That is a long way off, but there is that 6 year gap and an eventual movie which may hurt, help, or have no impact on the long-run."
Genuinely curious: has a movie ever actually hurt its stage counterpart? Even Phantom which was a critical and box office flop seemed to give the stage show a healthy boost.
Posted: 11/30/16 at 9:12pm
Phantom4ever, I couldn't agree more. It would be a total travesty if the production became a big hologram, or even if the majority of it transferred to projections or the like. I reiterate that Phantom remains one of my all-time favorite shows/productions.
However, I have to disagree slightly, and say that I think some of the effects you consider distinctive and special might actually be taking away from the impact of the show. For example, yes, the Phantom is shooting fire at Raoul in that scene, but the way it's being done right now is just really lame and amateur-looking. It almost feels like an accident that little blips of fire are coming out. Also, I actually think Raoul's descent into the trapdoor totally takes away from the plot progression—we're supposed to be following the Phantom's kidnapping of Christine and the ensuing opera chase... and then Raoul randomly jumps through the floor and you're immediately made aware of a disconnect between you and the show. Last time I saw the show (earlier this year), my friend (who had never seen the show) actually chuckled and gave me a bizarre look when Raoul fell through the floor.
So, yes, 100% agreed that many of the show's real, physical effects need to remain in place. Phantom wouldn't be Phantom if it didn't have its chandelier crash, its bridges leading into the Phantom's lair, its Red Death disappearance, et cetera, et cetera. My argument is that it seems that the mechanisms by which they're being done are currently dated and could be improved.
Posted: 11/30/16 at 9:58pm
Raoul jumps when everyone is on their way to the lair. He later climbs back out of the trap door. So I don't know what would be gained from eliminating that effect. It works better when viewed from the orchestra level because it looks as if Raoul is going to hit the stage and the he instead "disappear". I sure hope they never try and improve on that. And if they do, then it will be a battle of one-up-man-ship and nobody will be satisfied until the show has been competely renovated for whatever the current theater goer wants to see. Phantom is a classic and a big part of that is because it does not feel the need to keep up with trends and I sincerely hope they never do. I have had nightmares where I went to the show and it was changed in the name of being modern and I was devastated. lol obviously I am emotionally attached to this show so hearing people say that it needs to change is tough to hear. I can understand wanting to see the latest and greatest gadgets and tech but Phantom is not the show for that.
Posted: 11/30/16 at 10:38pm
Don't worry Phantom4ever - I'm as sure as anyone can be in this Trump era that the sit down productions are safe and as true as they can be to the creative vision of Hal Prince and Maria Björnson for as long as their runs last.
The beauty of the use of Victorian era trap doors in the Hal Prince staging is that this version (in accordance with the musical's book) allows the audience to question to what extent his "ghost" is actually a skilled architect, performer, illusionist, (engineer, scientist) and as such many of the classic stage tricks could have been practically achieved in that period. Even his relatively slow decent in the Masquerade trap allows the audience to process the trick as one devised by a magician with a full knowledge of the Opera House and it's design. Of course what spoils that analogy is the decoy Red Death that reappears at the top of the staircase immediately after (and which I don't recall happening when I first saw the show in April '87 - though I could be mistaken). I've NEVER really understood this addition. Is that supposed to be the Phantom himself reappearing? And if so how the hell does he escape the second time? Certainly not by outrunning them in THOSE shoes and with THAT visibility. And if he's making a beeline for the same trap door then he's certainly breaking the first rule of stage illusion with his distraction techniques.
I guess I am just not a fan of the final trick of the show - though I concede that was not always the case. All other use of trap doors (especially Raoul plunging into the lake - though it's not always used) and pyros (mausoleum included) are fine by me. The use of fluoro tube lightening effects (end of Act 1 and at the end of Wandering Child) IS however a bit dated in the 80s (though I think they use it less - if at all these days). Seemingly I have no issue with the show being dated in the Nineteenth Century - just the odd examples where it is dated at 1986.
Posted: 12/4/16 at 1:06am
Today is the day! Big congrats to the Wicked team on this milestone!
http://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/wicked-becomes-ninth-longest-running-show-in-broad_79310.html
Posted: 12/4/16 at 2:21pm
rattleNwoolypenguin said: "I think when all is said and done years and years from now,
Wicked will end up at Number 1, with Book of Mormon at Number 2, and Hamilton at Number 3.
I don't see this. Lion King -- which I think is no better than okay, so I am not pushing an agenda -- is doing much better / consistent business than Wicked, even though it has been open 5 or so years more. There is no way that Wicked is ever going to catch up unless Disney makes some corporate decision that goes against traditional Broadway values. If Phanton eventually closes, Lion King will make it to #1, and not be passed by in my lifetime (I am 65). I think BOM will eventually lose steam, don't know why, and will not catch up with Lion King, Phantom or Wicked. Hamilton is anyone's guess, but I certainly expect it to be running 10 years from now.
Of course, the only way anyone will be proven right is by the passage of time. But I definitely think you are missing it on Lion King.
