Hi, all!
1.) Which versions of Phantom of the Opera have you seen/read?
Oh wow, let’s see...
Books:
Gaston Leroux’s original: The translations I’ve read are the ones by Alexander Texeira de Mattos (meh), Lowell Bair (the unabridged is pretty good; the abridged, not so much), and Mireille Ribière (LOVE). I’m working on getting the Leonard Wolf, L’Officier, and David Coward versions as well, and I’d love to find a Japanese translation sometime.
Phantom by Susan Kay: Funnily enough, I first read an “abridged” humor version, then a transcribed version of the novel posted online, and I only got the actual book about 2 years ago when I found it for 50 cents at a book sale. I like the first 2/3rds of it. The bit where she tries to retell and “improve on” Leroux, though... not so much. Sorry, writers; it can’t be done.
Angel of Music by Carrie Hernandéz: I read this one at a friend’s house, and adored all three short stories in it. Then again, I loved the author’s essays about the original story, so I could be pretty confident that she had a better grasp of it than a lot of Phanfic writers.
Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth: Dear lord. I knew of the book’s reputation well before picking it up, and was amused to find that my local library had a copy that hadn’t been checked out in 12 years. (I read it in the library; wouldn’t want to ruin that perfect streak!) It starts out bad, what with Forsyth making the ridiculous claim that Leroux somehow got his own characters wrong, and then gets worse when the actual plot unfolds.
Oh wow, let’s see...
Books:
Gaston Leroux’s original: The translations I’ve read are the ones by Alexander Texeira de Mattos (meh), Lowell Bair (the unabridged is pretty good; the abridged, not so much), and Mireille Ribière (LOVE). I’m working on getting the Leonard Wolf, L’Officier, and David Coward versions as well, and I’d love to find a Japanese translation sometime.
Phantom by Susan Kay: Funnily enough, I first read an “abridged” humor version, then a transcribed version of the novel posted online, and I only got the actual book about 2 years ago when I found it for 50 cents at a book sale. I like the first 2/3rds of it. The bit where she tries to retell and “improve on” Leroux, though... not so much. Sorry, writers; it can’t be done.
Angel of Music by Carrie Hernandéz: I read this one at a friend’s house, and adored all three short stories in it. Then again, I loved the author’s essays about the original story, so I could be pretty confident that she had a better grasp of it than a lot of Phanfic writers.
Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth: Dear lord. I knew of the book’s reputation well before picking it up, and was amused to find that my local library had a copy that hadn’t been checked out in 12 years. (I read it in the library; wouldn’t want to ruin that perfect streak!) It starts out bad, what with Forsyth making the ridiculous claim that Leroux somehow got his own characters wrong, and then gets worse when the actual plot unfolds.
Movies:
1925/1929 (Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe): Love it, and I’m proud to say this was the first movie version of POTO I ever saw.
1943 (Claude Rains, Susanna Foster, Nelson Eddy): Despite the huge differences from the original story, I enjoyed this one a lot; I liked how even though Rains played a gentler Phantom, he was still clearly violent and a bit deranged. And Susanna’s singing was sublime.
1962 (Herbert Lom, Heather Sears): Not one of my favorites, though I did like some of the cinematography. Also, Michael Gough was awesome; great fun seeing him in this kind of role after being so used to him as Alfred in the 80s/90s Batman franchise. I wish this version had a better script and a more compelling Phantom, though.
1974 (Phantom of the Paradise): Campy as hell, and I loved every minute of it. It’s one of the few “modernizations” of the story that has really worked, and I think it worked because it embraced its over-the-top nature instead of downplaying it.
1925/1929 (Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe): Love it, and I’m proud to say this was the first movie version of POTO I ever saw.
1943 (Claude Rains, Susanna Foster, Nelson Eddy): Despite the huge differences from the original story, I enjoyed this one a lot; I liked how even though Rains played a gentler Phantom, he was still clearly violent and a bit deranged. And Susanna’s singing was sublime.
1962 (Herbert Lom, Heather Sears): Not one of my favorites, though I did like some of the cinematography. Also, Michael Gough was awesome; great fun seeing him in this kind of role after being so used to him as Alfred in the 80s/90s Batman franchise. I wish this version had a better script and a more compelling Phantom, though.
1974 (Phantom of the Paradise): Campy as hell, and I loved every minute of it. It’s one of the few “modernizations” of the story that has really worked, and I think it worked because it embraced its over-the-top nature instead of downplaying it.
1983 (Maximilian Schell, Jane Seymour): Gorgeous film, and I loved Schell's portrayal of the Phantom.
1988 (Animated): Possibly the closest a film version has gotten to the original book, and I adore it. I wasn’t that fond of the voice cast, but they had their moments.
1989 (Robert Englund, Jill Schoelen): Probably my second favorite POTO film. I love how they kept Erik’s macabre sense of humor here. While I do wish it had been closer to the book (as Englund wanted it to be), I can still appreciate it for what it was -- a superb horror fantasy with a great story, which not many other ‘80s horror flicks can claim to be.
1988 (Animated): Possibly the closest a film version has gotten to the original book, and I adore it. I wasn’t that fond of the voice cast, but they had their moments.
1989 (Robert Englund, Jill Schoelen): Probably my second favorite POTO film. I love how they kept Erik’s macabre sense of humor here. While I do wish it had been closer to the book (as Englund wanted it to be), I can still appreciate it for what it was -- a superb horror fantasy with a great story, which not many other ‘80s horror flicks can claim to be.
1990 Miniseries (Charles Dance, Teri Polo, Burt Lancaster): Gorgeous film, well-acted, and an interesting new take on the story that helped to set the groundwork for the Yeston/Kopit musical. I love it so.
1997 Wishbone episode “Pantin’ at the Opera”: Adorable, and a great introduction to the story for kids and the young-at-heart.
1998 (Julian Sands, Asia Argento): Steaming sack of crap, but I love making fun of it. XD
2004 (Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson): Three words that summarize my reaction to this movie -- “That was it?!” I’ll go into more detail below.
Stage Versions:
Ken Hill: I’ve never seen it on stage, but I enjoyed the recordings I’ve heard of it. I love the use of actual opera arias, and I think it’s pretty cool how even though it’s more or less a musical comedy version of the story, it keeps a lot of the darker qualities, especially when it comes to Erik’s character.
Andrew Lloyd Webber: My first exposure to the story, and it’s still one of my favorites. I’ve seen it quite a few times now -- 6 times with professional companies (once with the US Tour and 5 times in Las Vegas), plus once at a high school, twice at a community theater, and several times viewing the 25th anniversary concert in the movie theater as well as on Blu-Ray and TV broadcasts. Not to mention the numerous other recordings I’ve collected since first becoming a Phan.
Maury Yeston/Arthur Kopit: I haven’t seen this one live, but I’ve listened to the cast album and a few bootlegs, and have seen video recordings of the show in English and Japanese. I’m not that keen on the lyrics, but the music is lovely and the plot is very well constructed. I also love how many different interpretations there have been in terms of design.
Tom Alonso: Very likely the most Leroux-faithful of the musical adaptations. Seriously. All Phans owe it to themselves to check this version out. I regret that I haven’t seen this one either, but I’m a proud owner of the cast album.
Lawrence Rosen/Paul Schierhorn: This is the version that was filmed and released on video/DVD starring David Staller and Elizabeth Walsh. I quite enjoyed it; much of the music and lyrics are pretty forgettable, but the close adherence to Leroux along with Staller’s performance of “Perfect Music” make this a must-see. I wish more theaters would produce this version as well as the others.
I’ve also listened to a couple of German musical versions -- one by Peter Moss and one by somebody else -- and they were pretty unremarkable (and shamelessly passing themselves off as being the ALW and Y/K versions when they weren’t).
2.) Which version is your favorite?
Leroux’s novel, hands down. It’s a book that seems pretty simple upon first reading, but has so many layers (especially with regard to Erik’s character) that it would take a lifetime to explore them all. Out of the film versions, the 1925/29 Lon Chaney film is my favorite, with 1989 (Englund) closely following. Of the stage versions, ALW and Tom Alonso share my top spot, with Ken Hill, Y/K, and Rosen/Schierhorn not too far behind.
1997 Wishbone episode “Pantin’ at the Opera”: Adorable, and a great introduction to the story for kids and the young-at-heart.
1998 (Julian Sands, Asia Argento): Steaming sack of crap, but I love making fun of it. XD
2004 (Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson): Three words that summarize my reaction to this movie -- “That was it?!” I’ll go into more detail below.
Stage Versions:
Ken Hill: I’ve never seen it on stage, but I enjoyed the recordings I’ve heard of it. I love the use of actual opera arias, and I think it’s pretty cool how even though it’s more or less a musical comedy version of the story, it keeps a lot of the darker qualities, especially when it comes to Erik’s character.
Andrew Lloyd Webber: My first exposure to the story, and it’s still one of my favorites. I’ve seen it quite a few times now -- 6 times with professional companies (once with the US Tour and 5 times in Las Vegas), plus once at a high school, twice at a community theater, and several times viewing the 25th anniversary concert in the movie theater as well as on Blu-Ray and TV broadcasts. Not to mention the numerous other recordings I’ve collected since first becoming a Phan.
Maury Yeston/Arthur Kopit: I haven’t seen this one live, but I’ve listened to the cast album and a few bootlegs, and have seen video recordings of the show in English and Japanese. I’m not that keen on the lyrics, but the music is lovely and the plot is very well constructed. I also love how many different interpretations there have been in terms of design.
Tom Alonso: Very likely the most Leroux-faithful of the musical adaptations. Seriously. All Phans owe it to themselves to check this version out. I regret that I haven’t seen this one either, but I’m a proud owner of the cast album.
Lawrence Rosen/Paul Schierhorn: This is the version that was filmed and released on video/DVD starring David Staller and Elizabeth Walsh. I quite enjoyed it; much of the music and lyrics are pretty forgettable, but the close adherence to Leroux along with Staller’s performance of “Perfect Music” make this a must-see. I wish more theaters would produce this version as well as the others.
I’ve also listened to a couple of German musical versions -- one by Peter Moss and one by somebody else -- and they were pretty unremarkable (and shamelessly passing themselves off as being the ALW and Y/K versions when they weren’t).
2.) Which version is your favorite?
Leroux’s novel, hands down. It’s a book that seems pretty simple upon first reading, but has so many layers (especially with regard to Erik’s character) that it would take a lifetime to explore them all. Out of the film versions, the 1925/29 Lon Chaney film is my favorite, with 1989 (Englund) closely following. Of the stage versions, ALW and Tom Alonso share my top spot, with Ken Hill, Y/K, and Rosen/Schierhorn not too far behind.
3.) Who do you think is the best Phantom/Erik?
After Leroux’s original, I’d have to say Lon Chaney in the silent film. On stage, my favorites list would be something like this...
1. Anthony Crivello
2. Alexander Goebel/Ernst D. Suttheimer (tied)
3. Steve Barton
4. Peter Karrie/Mike Sterling (tied)
5. Kevin Gray
6. Colm Wilkinson
7. Thomas Schulze
8. Matthew Cammelle
9. Kiyotaka Imai
10. Saulo Vasconcelos
Honorable Mentions: Scott Davies, Mikael Samuelson, Ben Cramer, Mark McKerracher, Ramin Karimloo, Ethan Freeman, Peter Jorde, Earl Carpenter, Davis Gaines, Christian A. Müller, Osamu Takai, Juan Carlos Barona, Hugh Panaro, and John Owen-Jones. And there are many, many more that I liked as well!
4.) Best Christine?
That’s a relatively easy one... Kristen Hertzenberg, bar none. It really is a shame there aren’t more photos and recordings of her in the role, but I’m doing my best to help fix that. I also really liked Elisabeth Berg, Joke de Kruijf, Glenda Balkan, and Sierra Boggess. Out of film versions, it’s a bit trickier -- Teri Polo had the look I like for the role, but Susanna Foster nailed it vocally and I liked many aspects of Jill Schoelen and Mary Philbin’s performances as well.
5.) Best Raoul?
Tough choice... but for the moment, I think I’d go with Benjamin Hale, who I saw understudy the role in Las Vegas. He was the perfect balance -- youthful and innocent, but tough as nails when he realized Christine was in danger. I also loved Steve Barton (of course!), Björn Olsson, Hugh Panaro, Ramin Karimloo, Andrew Ragone, David Shannon, Gary Mauer, Davis Gaines, and a few others in the role. And I liked Leroux’s original version of Raoul as well. Wasn’t too fond of most of the film versions, though.
6.) Thoughts on Love Never Dies?
Worst musical and worst POTO-inspired story I've yet encountered. The plot is poorly thought-out and features unlikable caricatures that we’re expected to believe are the same people we knew and loved in the first show, even though they've learned absolutely nothing from their experiences and seem to be lacking in anything resembling common sense, at that. In addition, the music is pretty unremarkable and the lyrics are downright awful.
Thankfully, my interpretation of ALW's POTO is such that it would be impossible for any sequel to have the Phantom in it, so that along with the discrepancy in dates makes it easy for me to think that the fools in LND aren’t actually the same characters. Still pretty shoddy writing, though. I’ve only watched about one clip each from the London and Australian productions and heard the original cast album, and for now, I’m not really curious enough to watch any more. That might change in the future, or it might not... Time will tell.
7.) Thoughts on the 2004 movie?
Underwhelming in just about every sense; poor singing, blah acting, and Joel Schumacher didn’t seem to understand many of the most basic ideas behind the story. Also, I have no idea how it got nominated for a “best cinematography” Oscar over a number of other, worthier films that year; the cinematography was pretty bland and there was an embarrassing number of flubs and poorly planned shots that drove me (a part-time video editor myself) up the wall when I saw the movie. Like the Argento travesty, it’s fun to watch as long as I get to make snarky comments throughout... and it does have a few small, redeeming features. Some of the transition shots were nice, the costumes were pretty (though many were so historically inaccurate that it seemed like they were doing a parody of period films), and the orchestrations were quite nice overall (though the way they recorded the orchestra sounded pretty amateurish; I’ve heard bootlegs of the stage show where the orchestra came through clearer). The foreign-language dubs were pretty decent, as well. And I am grateful to it for getting a lot of new people interested in the story and characters, especially once they’ve gone exploring a bit and found out about all the other versions. I also owe it in a way, since wanting to find out more about the movie (back when I first got into POTO in early 2004) was what led me to online Phan forums, which in turn helped me to meet many people who became close friends of mine.
7.) Thoughts on the 2004 movie?
Underwhelming in just about every sense; poor singing, blah acting, and Joel Schumacher didn’t seem to understand many of the most basic ideas behind the story. Also, I have no idea how it got nominated for a “best cinematography” Oscar over a number of other, worthier films that year; the cinematography was pretty bland and there was an embarrassing number of flubs and poorly planned shots that drove me (a part-time video editor myself) up the wall when I saw the movie. Like the Argento travesty, it’s fun to watch as long as I get to make snarky comments throughout... and it does have a few small, redeeming features. Some of the transition shots were nice, the costumes were pretty (though many were so historically inaccurate that it seemed like they were doing a parody of period films), and the orchestrations were quite nice overall (though the way they recorded the orchestra sounded pretty amateurish; I’ve heard bootlegs of the stage show where the orchestra came through clearer). The foreign-language dubs were pretty decent, as well. And I am grateful to it for getting a lot of new people interested in the story and characters, especially once they’ve gone exploring a bit and found out about all the other versions. I also owe it in a way, since wanting to find out more about the movie (back when I first got into POTO in early 2004) was what led me to online Phan forums, which in turn helped me to meet many people who became close friends of mine.
8.) Thoughts on the 25th Anniversary Performance?
I adored it. Mainly because I’m glad that there’s something widely available on DVD/Blu-Ray that I can be proud to hold up to those who don’t know POTO as an example of the show I love. Also because I was genuinely impressed with many of the performances -- particularly Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess, who I hadn’t been that fond of when listening to prior recordings of them, but who proved themselves incredibly well. Most of the supporting cast was also very good, and I loved the fact that the concert featured so many beloved Phantom alumni in supporting roles, not to mention the special tributes after the performance. This is one recording that I know will get quite a lot of play time in my Blu-Ray player; I’ll probably have to go hunting for a new copy within a year. XD
9.) Who is your favorite character?
Erik, naturally! I find him a fascinating character in the Leroux novel and most of the good adaptations, and I think he’d be one of the ultimate challenges for an actor, director, or scholar to try to figure out exactly who he is and all the things that made him that way. I also really love the Persian, and so I’m a bit saddened every time an adaptation cuts his character out.
10.) Do you dis/like Raoul? Do you think the phans’ perception of him is fair or accurate?
I think Raoul is a decent if somewhat blandly written character; I’d probably find him to be a pretty great guy if I met him in real life. After all, while he’s not the bravest, cleverest, or most sensitive person a lot of the time, he’s willing to risk life and limb to protect the woman he loves from a dangerous situation. I think he gets an unfair bad rap from a lot of Phans simply because he isn’t the Phantom, and because they think he’s the one who ruined the Phantom’s chance at a life with Christine. But really, if you think about it, Christine’s reaction when meeting Raoul provided the impetus for Erik to make his presence known; were it not for Raoul, Erik may never have felt threatened enough to reveal himself to Christine, and the journey to the lair and everything that happened between them afterwards might never have happened.
11.) Do you think Christine should have stayed with the Phantom? Would you?
While I’d love to give Erik a happy ending, it definitely wouldn’t be in Christine’s best interests to stay with him; we have to remember that Erik, particularly in the novel, is not a sane or safe person to be around. If I were in her place, I might find better, smarter ways of helping him get past his infatuation, but I’d also have to think about my own health and safety (and everyone else’s), so I don’t think I’d have stayed with him, either.
12.) Who would be in your dream cast for a Leroux or Kay based film?
I’d love to see Tony Todd play Erik, mainly due to a theory a friend had (and I agree with) that Leroux’s Erik may have actually been black. Though I’d also be interested in seeing Doug Jones play the role. Or possibly Benedict Cumberbatch as Kay’s Erik when he’s in his 20s or 30s, or after he gets a bit older, he could play Erik at the age he is in Leroux’s novel.
Christine is a little trickier... I have a friend who, at one point, wanted to play the role and had even written a Leroux-based screenplay that I thought was fantastic. As for other candidates, I’d love to see Kristen Hertzenberg get a chance to play Leroux’s Christine, since her portrayal in the ALW musical is so close to the novel already. I also would have loved to see Rosamund Pike in the role, but her singing would have to be dubbed and she might be considered too old for it now; then again, she played Jane in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice, and that wasn’t too long ago. Natalie Portman is also a possibility, though she seems to be looking to graduate from playing ingenue roles.
I don’t have a huge preference as to who should play Raoul -- maybe Chris Hemsworth? -- but I’d love to see Ewan McGregor as Philippe. Judi Dench would be a wonderful Mama Valerius, and Angela Lansbury could be great as Madame Giry. Kenneth Branagh as one of the managers would also be fantastic... possibly with Alan Cumming as the other. For the Persian, I’m really not sure... Tempted to say Oded Fehr (Ardeth Bay in the Mummy films), but there are probably lots of excellent Persian or Middle Eastern actors I don’t know about who could be good in the role as well.
13.) Why are you a Phantom phan?
Oh wow... Why am I a Phantom Phan? As in, how did I discover Phantom? Or why does it hold a special place in my heart? Oh well, guess I’ll answer both. Buckle in!
I’ve told the story many times before, including in the first post on this blog... but I’m feeling chatty today, so I’ll tell it again. I was in the high school band (clarinets FTW!), and every two years, they’d take a trip somewhere during spring break. In 2004, the trip happened to be to New York and Washington, D.C. One of the items on the itinerary was to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. I couldn’t afford to go on the trip, unfortunately, but that bit in the schedule made me a tad curious -- all I knew about Phantom was that it had been a silent film in the 1920s starring Lon Chaney. Assuming it was simply a monster movie, I wondered how on earth someone could make a musical from that... especially since it was silent!
Finally, a couple weeks before the trip, our teacher decided to show us what POTO was all about. He gave us all a copy of the synopsis of the story, and I remember being a bit intrigued but still not fully convinced that this could make a musical. Then he played the original London cast album for us. From the first note of the Overture, I was spellbound. The music and story captivated me, and suddenly I was really disappointed that I wouldn’t be going to see it. I was driven to find out more about the story, and I soon discovered that my school library had a copy of Leroux’s novel. I don’t remember how many times I read through it the rest of that school year, but it was a lot. Then, over the summer vacation, I started to wonder whether there had ever been a movie version of the musical. I looked around online and learned that there wasn’t one yet, but there soon would be. Looking up info on it led me to my first Phan forum, PhantomFans.net (which sadly no longer exists), and I learned about all sorts of other versions that I never knew existed. That, in turn, led me to even more Phan sites. I also made several great friends, many of whom I’ve kept in touch with through the years.
As for why the story has that kind of effect on me, I’m not entirely sure. I guess I’ve always considered myself a bit of an outcast -- I was born with a skin condition, and while I wasn’t shunned or treated differently because of it, I was quite physically limited for much of my childhood. I also tended to befriend other “outcasts” even though the “popular” kids also generally liked me, so I guess I always tended to identify more with people and characters who were shunned by the masses, as Erik definitely was.
Finally, a couple weeks before the trip, our teacher decided to show us what POTO was all about. He gave us all a copy of the synopsis of the story, and I remember being a bit intrigued but still not fully convinced that this could make a musical. Then he played the original London cast album for us. From the first note of the Overture, I was spellbound. The music and story captivated me, and suddenly I was really disappointed that I wouldn’t be going to see it. I was driven to find out more about the story, and I soon discovered that my school library had a copy of Leroux’s novel. I don’t remember how many times I read through it the rest of that school year, but it was a lot. Then, over the summer vacation, I started to wonder whether there had ever been a movie version of the musical. I looked around online and learned that there wasn’t one yet, but there soon would be. Looking up info on it led me to my first Phan forum, PhantomFans.net (which sadly no longer exists), and I learned about all sorts of other versions that I never knew existed. That, in turn, led me to even more Phan sites. I also made several great friends, many of whom I’ve kept in touch with through the years.
As for why the story has that kind of effect on me, I’m not entirely sure. I guess I’ve always considered myself a bit of an outcast -- I was born with a skin condition, and while I wasn’t shunned or treated differently because of it, I was quite physically limited for much of my childhood. I also tended to befriend other “outcasts” even though the “popular” kids also generally liked me, so I guess I always tended to identify more with people and characters who were shunned by the masses, as Erik definitely was.
14.) How long have you been a phan?
Since March of 2004. Call it sad if you want, but I’m rather proud that I got into it before the 2004 movie premiered. XD
15.) What are your thoughts on the “phandom”?
I love the feeling of community and belonging that often arises and that I’ve had ever since first getting into it. However, I get the sense that there’s an unspoken pressure to agree with the majority -- there are certain things (like Maria Björnson’s set and costume designs and Michael Crawford’s portrayal of the Phantom) that seem to be beyond reproach because of their history and what they represent to many Phans. At the same time, other things (like the 2008 Polish production) are pretty much universally criticized for what are, in my view, rather trivial reasons while their good qualities are completely ignored. This sort of “groupthink” shows up in other forms too -- I remember how back between 2006 and 2008, a lot of die-hard Phans adored Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess in the show. Then Ramin and Sierra were cast in Love Never Dies, and suddenly, it was no longer “cool” to like them, even after LND closed in London and they starred in the 25th anniversary concert for POTO.
Regardless, I enjoy reading and commenting on other Phans’ posts (though I haven’t been doing it as often as I used to), and many of the Phans I’ve spoken to have been pretty awesome people.
16.) Do you read or write Phantom fanfiction?
Yes to both; I wrote two stories for Phanfiction contests a few years ago and have since posted edited versions on my Fanfiction.net page. I read other authors’ fics sometimes, but mainly stick to humor fics since they aren’t as likely to claim to be the “real” story of what happened to Erik during or after the main plot (and they also tend to be better-written).
17.) What would you say to Erik, should you live long enough after stumbling into his lair?
“Can I become your apprentice?”
18.) What advice would you have given to Christine if she sought your help?
“Be careful; people aren’t always what they appear. Oh, and there’s something that may be relevant to your situation here, called Stockholm Syndrome...”
19.) What do you think about the various deformities given to the Phantom/Erik in the versions you have seen/read?
Overall, I tend to think that the more gruesome a deformity is, the better. Leroux-based deformities (like Lon Chaney’s or the one in the animated version) are always great, but if adaptations must take a different tack, I prefer the ones that make him really horrible-looking -- Robert Englund (once the skin comes off), and certain ALW deformities (the Canadian, Australian, and German ones are some of my favorites).
20.) If you could play any of the characters (gender not an issue) who would you like to play?
I’d be more than happy with any role, really, but the two I’d love to play the most would be the Phantom and the Auctioneer. The Phantom is pretty self-explanatory; what Phan wouldn’t want to play Erik in some form? And the Auctioneer... well, as a friend put it, without the Auctioneer, the show doesn’t start. And after having a lot of fun recording his monologue for a project, I’d love to have the chance to try it in a full production.
*******
Well, that was fun! As I said up top, if you enjoy this survey, feel free to take it yourself and post it in the comments section. Or perhaps on Tumblr, in response to the creator. Why not both?
I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.
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