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

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.

"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.

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

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.

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

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!!!!!!!!!!

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.

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

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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

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"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.

Sarah!!!

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

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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.