Who do you prefer Sarah Brightman or Emmy Rossum singing the songs from "Phantom.."- Page 3

[leon1489]

Posted: 9/9/05 at 9:32pm

I prefer Emmy to Sarah.

Sarah Brightman has extremely high shrill notes, so turning up the volume at the end of POTO is not a bright idea. Sarah's annunciation is also kind of weird. I think the other major issue with Sarah is that she's not at all convincing as a teenage girl who is beautiful and innocent and therefore makes this lustful phantom fall in love with her. Sarah Brightman is easily the most unnattractive woman to have graced the stage. She's not a terrible singer, but her voice can give you a headache after a while. Sarah sings with a trained voice, but no emotion. She's like a high note machine.

Emmy, while being less experienced, is not a 10 in her performance. However, I felt that her voice was more believable in the role. You can hear it develop throughout--I felt her two best numbers were Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again and Point of No Return (which I felt was her number). The progression is better, and she has the look for Christine. Her range isn't as high as Sarah's, but Sarah's high C is obnoxious. As for her breathiness, I think it makes a nice contrast with Carlotta. Carlotta is supposed to be over the top, and that's what Sarah Brightman sounds like to me. She's way over the top and you can't really take her seriously.

These are just my opinions, so I'm sorry if people disagree with me.

[suddenlyseymour]

Posted: 9/9/05 at 9:43pm

well said Leon, I completely agree with you and I LOVE Emmy's Point Of No Return

[teh_pretty]

Posted: 9/9/05 at 9:47pm

"Christine was, indeed, NOT written as a teen in the ALW musical. Schumacher had to have a sexy, young man in the lead, and so it followed (to him) that he should pair him with an underage girl. Makes sense to me! Way to go, Joel!"

Actually, Joel cast a young girl as Christine because, and I quote (loosely), "you'd see a thirty year old actress falling in love with the Phantom, and you'd want to slap her for being stupid." I liked the fact that she was cast as a young girl because it made the character impressionable, which is very believable.

Anyway, I have to say I prefer Emmy. She's not perfect, but Sarah Brightman's voice is too shrill for my liking. I'd rather listen to breathy than shrill any day. I think Emmy is talented - just perhaps not for that specific role. I'd like to see her in something a little more suited to her talent. I bet she'd blow people away. But first she'd need to learn a few more facial expressions.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 9/9/05 at 9:51pm

Sarah. Emmy has a nice voice, but her performance in the Phantom movie just couldn't cut it.

Posted: 9/9/05 at 10:10pm

I don't understand why people think "Christine" is such a better singer than "Carlotta". Especially in the cast of Emmy... where they didn't use Minnie Driver's voice, and so the voice was terrific. How could you make the comparison between the two?

I just don't understand it

[leon1489]

Posted: 9/9/05 at 10:18pm

From my understanding of the way it's SUPPOSED to be, Carlotta is too over the top, and although she has a powerful soprano voice, she sings every role the same way. She (like Sarah Brightman, in my opinion) is a machine that belts out high notes. Christine, on the other hand, is supposed to be sweet and innocent and her voice is the same way, making her a believable romantic lead.

If I misunderstood your question, ignore this. However, if you meant within the show, that's the reasoning behind it--Carlotta is essentially the singer who doesn't want training.

[kec]

Posted: 9/9/05 at 10:24pm

It's called a differing opinion. You don't like Emmy's voice -- others do. People hear different things. I thought Emmy did very well. Her high notes sounded fine to my ears -- her top note in Think of Me sent a shiver up my spine -- and I didn't think her voice was too "breathy."

"Wasn't it lower because the song was one verse (and one key change) shorter than the original/stage version??! "

That was my understanding as well.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 9/9/05 at 11:53pm

Neither really. I liked pieces of both of their performances. But they both begin to annoy me at some point. Also after seeing Emmy being interviewed; her ego is so huge that I can't help but think of that when she's on screen. Which shouldn't technically tarnish the performance but it still did for me.

[WickedToronto]

Posted: 9/10/05 at 9:30pm

Sarah Brightman is brilliant in Phantom , I love her songs and her voice . Emmy has a good voice , but nothing like Sarah.

[Cheno'sBiggestfan]

Posted: 9/10/05 at 9:52pm

ha this is funny cause my brother and i were dicsucssing this today.......i vote emmy. no offense to sarah.......i normally prefer shos to movies....but sarah just gets on my nerves

[KristinChenowethFan]

Posted: 9/10/05 at 10:00pm

Sarah Brightman, no contest...she will always be the "Original" Christine. ALW wrote the music to Phantom with her in mind...I really didn't like the Phantom movie. It was a very big disappointment to me. Sarah Brightman hands down!!!!!!!!!!

[AnotherDay46]

Posted: 9/10/05 at 10:11pm

Have to say Sarah! I love her as Christine. Emmy... I just didn't like her in the part, and I didn't like the movie...

[AngelOfMusica]

Posted: 10/1/05 at 7:51pm

Emmy Rossum no doubt.

I heard Emmy's rendition of it first, and liked it immediately. While she might not necessarily have all of the operatic quality that Christine should probably have, that's why I liked her. Her voice was innocent, yet good, and so much easier to listen to than Sarah Brightman's. Sarah's voice, at least on Phantom of the Opera, was waaay too operatic for me. Which is why I don't like opera much in the first place. It annoying me and slightly gave me a headache. Like Minnie Driver's opera voice. Too much.

BUT!! I have listened to other songs by Sarah and her voice is good in other things. I just don't like it in Phantom of the Opera. Emmy is an actress I've known for a while, first seeing her in some Disney movie, and I like her a lot. Even if her voice isn't as strong.

[Born2cthelightsofbway]

Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:46pm

No contest, Sarah Brightman, who can actually sing, not just look stupid for 2 hours.

[adamized88]

Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:53pm

i can't stand sarah brightman so i guess i'm going with emmy rossum

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 10/1/05 at 10:15pm

"Neither.

Sarah Brightman is the devil's assistant and Emmy Rossum is a lump of non talent."

BobbyBubby, I couldn't have put it better myself. Both of them shatter my eardrums and grate my nerves, so short of "death is not an option", I prefer neither.

[Phantom05]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 4:33am

It's so hard for me to understand why people think it was amazing for Emmy Rossum to be able to sing the way that she did in the movie, at her age. First of all, she sounded absolutely child-like through most of the movie, it wasn't until "Point of No Return" that you actually believed that she might be able to sing. Second of all who would applaud for that rendition of "Think of Me"...I wouldn't, I turned it down! Emmy Rossum just happened to be a lucky one who was in the right place at the right time. I know numerous girls who are between the ages of 16-19 who could have easily played as well as sung the role of Christine to a believable point, as well as the fact that they are classically trained. Emmy's a "one-look-wonder", her "deer-caught-in-the-headlights" expression, to me at least, remained with her for the entire movie. Honestly, I would take a Christine who can vocally make the role believable over a girl who "looks the part and can sort of sing it". I'm sure that there are other actresses who could've portrayed the role of Christine much more passionately than Emmy, but what can you do. To me, the only three disappointing aspects of the movie were Gerard, Emmy, and Joel Shumacher as director...It seemed like he just wanted to create a "carbon-copy" of the musical. To me that doesn't say artist or visionary when you recreate. I think the movie was definitely pretty to look at, but honestly, if Joel wanted to stay faithful to the musical as he said, why didn't he try something called subtlety, it work for Maria's designs in the show...Although Phantom of the Opera the musical is considered a spectacle, you must admit that it is still understated. It has a very eery, and very dark/mysterious feel that I love...Oh well, lol...What can ya do?!?

See Ya!

Phantom05

[WickedScoundrel]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 4:38am

I've never really liked Sarah Brightman, so Emmy is the one I pick, I guess.

[phantom_tenor]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 7:09am

"Sarah's voice, at least on Phantom of the Opera, was waaay too operatic for me. Which is why I don't like opera much in the first place. It annoying me and slightly gave me a headache. Like Minnie Driver's opera voice. Too much."

Sarah Brightman? Operatic? HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

sorry, now that i got that out of my system:
Marina Prior blows them both out of the water. Majorly.

[Musical_nerd]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 9:17am

Emmy Rossum definitely. I can barely hear Sarah over the music on the soundtrack. Emmy's blank stares anger me in the movie, but other than that her singing voice is wonderful.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:56am

Sarah!!!

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:08am

Since I haven't weighed in on this yet, I will now...

Neither.

I prefer Dale Kristen. She's the first Christine I saw opposite Michael Crawford. Gorgeous woman and a gorgeous voice. I couldn't listen to Sarah again after that, and while Emmy is young and sweet, she doesn't have the pipes for the part. Not by a long shot. She poses no threat to the diva Carlotta.

I also saw Lisa Vroman not too long ago as Christine, and would prefer her over the other two as well. She was a powerhouse vocally (if a bit too old for the part now).

Sarah has come a long way vocally since the late '80s and her first take on Christine. I do like her voice now and her performances. She's one of the few "name" performers in recent memory that has actually improved significantly (vocally) over time. But I can't listen to her for very long on the London Cast album.

[cturtle]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 4:33pm

oh, was that SINGING rossum did in the movie? after seeing/hearing that mess i had a WHOLE new appreciation for brightman

[Tenorific2]

Posted: 10/4/05 at 1:49am

i actually prefer claire moore.

[musicalfandukie]

Posted: 10/4/05 at 2:04am

singing wise Sarah Brightman for sure..but acting wise from what i seen on the phantom movie double disc cd the clips they showed of sarah's acting looked pretty scary. so acting i would go with emmy and singing sarah.