Who's the shortest actor to ever play the Phantom?

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 7:12pm

Just curious and can't find any info online.

[Felm_heart]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 7:59pm

This is a delightfully random question. May Patti bless you on your quest for knowledge.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 8:31pm

Thanks! I try

[Almira]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 8:42pm

Not that this helps much. But I saw Norman Large go on for Michael Crawford in L.A.

Despite is surname..he came off as a tiny fella.

[Frogela]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 9:48pm

Hi Matt!

[SweeneyPhanatic]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 10:02pm

May Patti bless you on your quest for knowledge.

I love that way too much. Stealing it for my signature.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 10:31pm

Thank you, Almira!
Hi Rob! I may or may not have made this post just to lure you to post (I was expecting a response like "just curious my @$$")

[Tsao5]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 10:45pm

Anthony Crivello, great in anything he does, is not a very tall individual.

Peter Lokyear (spelled that wrong I know, he is currently in South Pacific), he also is smallish for a phantom.

On the other hand, London sometimes has GIANTS as the Phantom. Nic Greenshields, alternate Phantom a couple of years ago, I believe was 6'4 or around there.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 11:49pm

Andrew Varela is a tour understudy Phantom who's relatively short (and very good).

Is Peter Lockyer understudying Cable? I totally forgot he was in South Pacific.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 1:08am

I thought Howard McGillin was very tiny when I met him, but then I am a tall guy, so maybe I'm not a great judge.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 1:21am

Honestly, who would know this and why do you care?

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 7:38am

I don't know if he was the shortest but Colm Wilkinson is a short man.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 8:27am

Munkustrap, a huge phan might know this and I care because I'm really short and would kill to play the phantom when I'm old enough.
So far, of the heights I can find, Wilkinson is the shortest at 5'8. All of the others I was able to find are 5'11- if that's considered short, I don't have a chance in hell.

[bryan2]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 9:40am

Funny my problem with Phantom is that the phantom is as small as Christine in most productions...Michael Crawford looked huge and scary as the Phantom....especially in the Mascarade number..the other 4 or 5 I have seen are not intimidating in stature just vocally and it ruins the show for me...just like gerard Butler in the movie skinny and slight....Raul would have kicked his ass LOL

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 10:14am

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 11:13am

I thought Howard McGillin was very tiny when I met him, but then I am a tall guy, so maybe I'm not a great judge.

Bwuh? Howard McGillin is like 6'4", one of the tallest actors to play the role.

[Justin D]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 11:15am

I'm 5-11 and Jeff Hyslop was shorter than me when I met him.

And Colm Wilkinson looks very short in all his group cast photos

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 11:19am

Funny, Tony Crivello looked really tall when I saw clips of him in Les Mis... but that might have just been his enormous hair. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_JqU8vxeI

If they have a short Christine, they can cast a short Phantom, though, as long as you're still an inch or two taller than her.

[Here I Am]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 4:05am

Hugh Panaro is not very tall. I'd say around 5'9. Not short or anything, but not terribly tall.

[Gingersnap2]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 8:17am

Hugh is about 6' or 6'1'

I'm 5'7" and he's definitely more than just two inches taller than I am, even if I'm wearing heels.

And I'll second was Cape Twirl said...Howard is very tall.

David Gaschen isn't too tall and has understudied the role a lot, as well as playing it abroad...and I've heard speculation that he's never been considered for the role full-time with the Broadway company.

[Here I Am]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 8:22am

Well, I'm just going by the time I met Hugh and he was about the same height as me. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong...

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 11:16am

I know Hugh Panaro's taller than Colm Wilkinson, because he said he was considered for the role of Marius in the original cast on Broadway, but Colm Wilkinson was having back problems (probably from hauling Michael Ball around in the original London cast every night!) and they needed a Marius who was under 5'8" or something like that.

[Gingersnap2]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 1:36pm

Didn't have a chance to pull it from my file this morning, but I have a copy of Hugh's CV (from right around the time he played Marius) and it gives his height as 6'