Phantom News - April 2014 Edition

Greetings, all!

As I mentioned in my last post, there's been quite a bit of exciting news related to POTO in recent months. One big one is that there's a Kickstarter page by a small studio working on an animated POTO film based mainly on Gaston Leroux's novel. I'm really interested in seeing how this turns out. They're trying to raise funds and make some changes and adjustments to make it even more faithful – they've even taken some advice from Phans to make their depictions of certain characters and settings more accurate. If you'd like to see what this project's all about, check out the website and view the trailer! I highly encourage you to try to contribute if you're able, as well.

There's also been some very exciting news from the Broadway production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Last month, it was announced that Norm Lewis, who recently starred in Porgy and Bess and played Inspector Javert in the 25th anniversary concert of Les Misérables, will be taking over as the principal Phantom on Broadway starting on May 12th. Norm will be the first African-American actor to play the Phantom on Broadway. There had been two other black Phantoms previously -- Robert Guillaume played the role in Los Angeles in 1990 (immediately following Michael Crawford), and Nicholas Nkuna understudied the part in the World Tour when it played in South Africa in 2012. In any case, though, Norm will be making history in New York, and I couldn't be happier; I know he's been wanting to play the Phantom for quite a while now, and I think he's a fantastic performer. Also on May 12th, Sierra Boggess will be returning as principal Christine; she famously played Christine in the filmed 25th anniversary concert in London, and also played the role in Las Vegas in 2006 and on Broadway for the 25th anniversary performance there last year. Amusingly, Norm and Sierra had starred in The Little Mermaid (as King Triton and Ariel, respectively). Check out a video interview with Norm done on ABC's World News, as well as a clip where he practices "Music of the Night" with the composer at the piano, and an article with the Daily Beast where he talks about issues of race in musical theatre. I'll be posting my own thoughts on those kinds of issues in the near future.

Finally, the new US Tour is going around the country now and has gotten a wide range of reactions. As I mentioned this tour is quite different from the older tours that some of you may have seen; the sets and costumes were changed, as was the stage direction. After reading reviews from several professional critics and Phans, I'm personally not as keen on the tour as I had been previously, but I'd still be interested in seeing at least a full video to see how the production works as a whole.

In any case, those are some of the big things going on in the world of Phantom right now. Hopefully, good news will keep coming!


I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

Recent Events

Once again, it's been a while since my last update. A few things have happened in the Phantom community, and not all the news has been happy.

First and saddest was the passing of Kevin Gray, who reportedly died of a heart attack at age 54 on February 11th. He had starred as the Phantom in the original San Francisco production of Ken Hill's Phantom of the Opera (the first to be staged in the US), and went on to play Raoul and then the Phantom in the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's version (where he met his wife, Dodie Pettit, who was in the chorus and went on to play Meg and then Christine). He also played the Phantom in the US Tour of the ALW show. From 2006 to 2010, he was involved with the "Three Phantoms" concerts, in which he toured the US with fellow POTO stars Craig Schulman, Cris Groenendaal, and other alumni to perform favorite songs from a variety of musicals including Phantom. He and his wife attended the 25th anniversary Broadway performance of POTO this January.

In addition to his work with POTO, Kevin was also known for originating the role of Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman, playing the King of Siam in the Broadway and UK touring productions of The King and I, and playing the Engineer in Miss Saigon to great acclaim in the Broadway, US Tour, Toronto, and Sacramento Music Circus productions, as well as many regional productions around the US. (You can hear him as the Engineer in the 1995 Complete Symphonic Recording of Miss Saigon.) He also played Kayama in the 1985 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, Pontius Pilate in the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, Gaylord Ravenal in Harold Prince's production of Show Boat, Scar in the US Cheetah Tour of The Lion King, Ché in Evita, the title roles in Jekyll & Hyde, and many other roles in both musicals and straight plays. He was also on several television shows including Law & Order: SVU and Criminal Intent, Ryan's Hope, and Miami Vice, and also costarred in the film White Hot. He taught acting and theatre classes at Rollins College and the University of Hartford's Hartt School. In addition, he recorded audiobooks for numerous authors including Stephen King and Michael Crichton, and released a solo album entitled "It's My Time To Shine" in 2008. (Both those albums I've linked to on Amazon.com are also available through the iTunes Store, and they can be found in regular music shops that carry musical cast albums as well.)

I got to see Kevin perform when the "Three Phantoms" concert came to Hawaii in 2006, where he gave stunning performances of "Guido's Song" from Nine and "The American Dream" from Miss Saigon, among others. When the Cheetah Tour of The Lion King came to Hawaii the following year, I saw him as Scar and then had the opportunity to meet him at the stage door. He was really nice, down-to-earth, and funny, and he was even willing to let me conduct an online interview with him for The Phantom's Opera (where I'm a moderator). I got to meet him again the following year, when "The Three Phantoms" returned to Hawaii -- Kevin did an outstanding rendition of "Gethsemane" from Jesus Christ Superstar, and I wish he could have been recorded singing that song because he was simply astounding. I'll always remember his boundless energy and enthusiasm in everything he did, and how willing he was to chat with fans after shows -- the second time I met him after The Lion King, I could tell he was in a bit of a hurry to get home, but he still took the time to say hello to me and give me his contact info so I could set up that interview later on. I was touched to see the outpouring of support from Kevin's colleagues, students, fans, and friends after the news of his passing; it was clear that he made a difference in the lives of many, many people. BroadwayWorld did a really nice tribute to Kevin, featuring quotes from some of his fellow performers that I think underscore that fact. And after the news came out that he had passed away, the following night's performance of POTO on Broadway featured a cast tribute to Kevin after the show. I would have loved to see him play the Phantom once again, but it's clear to me that he'll be remembered by many Phans around the world as one of the very best.

In other, happier news, the new UK tour of POTO will soon be making its way across the pond to play in many American cities. There's no news on casting yet, and many are dreading the changes from the original Hal Prince/Maria Björnson productions (particularly with regard to costumes and stage direction). Still, I'm interested in seeing this new production; there will no doubt be some things I like and some things I'm not too keen on, but I'm eager to give it a try for myself, and so if I get an opportunity to see it, I'll definitely post a review here.

In the meantime, Phantom by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit is also getting some love. For what I believe is the first time ever, the show will be performed in the UK. And a Japanese (nonmusical) stage production of Susan Kay's Phantom has been released on DVD. The price is a little out of my range (nearly $150), but I'm eager to see any clips or reviews of it posted by other Phans.

That's about it for now, but I will update again soon in the near future -- hopefully it won't take quite as long. I leave you with a photo of me and Kevin Gray at the stage door of The Lion King back in 2007.

I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

New Concert Production in Vienna

Happy 10/11/12 to you all! Assuming your dates are arranged in that format; otherwise, you may have to wait about a month.

A new concert production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s POTO has been announced in Vienna, Austria. The announcement was actually made a few months ago, but yesterday, a casting announcement was made on Facebook. Christian Alexander Müller, who had played Raoul and then the Phantom in the Essen, Germany production in 2006, returns to the role of the Phantom for the concert. Lisa Antoni, who previously starred in the Viennese production of Frank Wildhorn’s musical Rudolf, will play Christine. And Raoul will be played by Oliver Arno, who previously starred in the popular European musical Elisabeth, featuring a book and lyrics by Michael Kunze (who also did the German translations for the lyrics to POTO) and music by Sylvester Levay. The concert will run from November 29 to December 9 at Theater Ronacher, where the Viennese production ran in the early 1990s.

I’m quite interested in this production; I really liked what I heard of Christian Müller’s Phantom when he played the role in Essen, and I’m looking forward to seeing how his portrayal has evolved. I haven’t heard a whole lot of Lisa Antoni or Oliver Arno, but I look forward to seeing how they play their characters as well, so I hope there will be some sort of recording of the production.

I’m also looking forward to this concert because I’ve always enjoyed the German-language productions of the show. The productions in Vienna, Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Essen have had some of the best casts I’ve heard (though I’ve never seen the show live in German). Alexander Goebel and Ernst Dieter Suttheimer from the original Vienna cast were two of my favorite Phantoms, and I’ve also loved performers like Peter Hofmann, Thomas Schulze, Shuler Hensley, Dale Tracy, Roy Weissensteiner, Ian Jon Bourg (occasionally), and Ethan Freeman (who, in addition to the Vienna and Essen productions, was also superb in London and Toronto). Now they just need to cast Chris Murray in a production someday, and all will be complete.

In any case, I don’t know yet whether there will be an official video or audio recording of this concert. I’m hoping there will be, but as with all things, we’ll see, and I’ll post here with the relevant info when I find out. In the meantime, I encourage you to look up the performers I mentioned; most if not all of them can probably be found on YouTube.


I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

Phantom 25th Anniversary Observations

Greetings, all!

Last night, my local PBS station showed the 25th anniversary concert for POTO. Even though I have the Blu-Ray, I decided to watch it, mainly to see if there were any weird issues with the broadcast (since when they showed the “Les Misérables” 25th anniversary concert last year, the music for the whole thing somehow ended up in a lower key), and also to see if there were any interesting conversations or guests during the breaks where they’d ask for donations to the station. Thankfully, there were no strange problems with the broadcast that I noticed. They had a great lineup of special guests to talk about their history with the show and with PBS, though -- they brought on Ramin Karimloo and Colm Wilkinson, and also the current Phantom and Christine from the Broadway cast, Hugh Panaro and Trista Moldovan.

Anyway, the reason why I’m posting about this is that I noticed a few interesting things while watching the concert for what was really the second time. The only other time was when I saw it in the movie theater last October; I had watched certain scenes from my Blu-Ray copy, but not the whole thing. Anyway, here are some of my observations from last night’s showing of the concert:

- I’m not sure if it’s an issue with the broadcast or with my speakers, but my TV didn’t seem to like Ramin Karimloo or Gareth Snook too much. There ended up being a really weird echo on many (but not all) of their lines and no one else’s. Or maybe my TV is haunted.

- When Ramin first appears (on the projection screen) in the mirror scene, the mask is on the left side of his face. Yes, I know it’s a mirror, but the idea is that the Phantom’s behind the mirror, not that he’s showing up as a mirror image. You’d think after the whole thing with the ’04 movie poster putting the mask on the wrong side of the Phantom’s face, RUG would be more wary about that sort of thing happening in a venue where die-hard Phans would notice. XD

- Ramin Karimloo’s mask design in the concert seemed a bit odd to me, but watching the TV broadcast, I think I finally understand why they did it that way. The brow of the mask seems to have been made so that no matter what Ramin’s facial expression was in any scene, the mask would appear to reflect that. Then again, maybe that was the point with every production’s mask design, and it just took me this long to notice it. But in any case, it’s pretty ingenious if they did that on purpose.

- They unfortunately seemed to have used a different take for “Stranger Than You Dreamt It” where Ramin was more restrained -- in the theatrical showing, he was much more violent. What is it with Phantoms having to get their performances of this scene unnecessarily toned down? (See also: Brad Little, John Owen-Jones, and several others.)

- There was one thing that hit me as a possibly brilliant idea to use in the “Notes” sequences -- they didn’t do it in the concert, but I’d love it if a future production tried it. Basically, they could have the managers, Raoul, and everyone else who gets a note from the Phantom visibly struggling to read his handwriting. It would be a great, subtle nod to Leroux’s novel, I think.

- I forgot to check in the “Stranger Than You Dreamt It” scene, but when Ramin’s Phantom appears on the projection screen during “Notes,” it’s clear that he’s writing with his left hand. Yay!

- Colm Wilkinson’s normal speaking voice (when PBS interviewed him to ask about his experiences with the show and what PBS meant to him) was completely different from what I had expected after being so used to hearing him sing for so many years.

- The fire jets added to the Phantom’s escapes in the “Masquerade” and “Point of No Return” scenes, as well as their use in the graveyard scene, give the impression that Ramin’s Phantom is much more of a pyromaniac than other versions. Since I had some pyro tendencies when I was younger (and still kinda do), this intrigued me.

- Even though I still really dislike Hadley Fraser’s Raoul in the dressing room and rooftop scenes, I have to admit he redeems himself pretty well in Act 2 (especially from the graveyard scene onward). Maybe that’s intentional character development?

- The Phantom’s line “Let the audience in” was removed from the scene where Raoul was instructing the police on what to do if the Phantom should appear. This incredibly minor omission keeps the 25th anniversary Blu-Ray, DVD, and CD from being truly complete recordings of the show.

- I remember having to hold in a particularly loud ‘squee’ when I noticed while watching the concert in the theater that castanets were added to the orchestrations of “Point of No Return” -- I’d wanted them to do that ever since first hearing the song. Sadly, the castanets weren’t nearly as prominent in audio recordings of the concert, but they were back in full force for the TV broadcast. *fist pump*

- The editing team managed to cut the bit that occurred during the live theatrical showing, where a projection screen showed white noise for a long while during Andrew Lloyd Webber’s speech at the end. This means that either the editors were extremely thorough, or Lord Andrew was wearing the same blue shirt for two or more performances from which that part was able to be spliced together.

- I still get chills in the fourth verse of the title song encore, when Anthony Warlow and John Owen-Jones are singing together.

Those were some of the things I noticed while watching the concert. Feel free to comment with your own observations!

I remain your obedient servant,

I.A.E.

Sad News

Greetings, all.

Some really sad news came out last night... According to their official Facebook page, Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular will be closing down this September. The final performance will be on September 2nd. Words can't express how shocked I was to hear this or how sorry I am to see this magnificent production go. I'll definitely try to see it at least one more time before it closes. In any case, I hope all the performers in the Las Vegas company will be able to find work with other shows before too long, and that some of them might wind up getting to be in a new touring production or the Broadway cast somewhere down the road.

If you haven't gotten to read my review from when I saw the show in Vegas last summer, check it out here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Also, here's a video clip of Anthony Crivello (Phantom) and Kristen Hertzenberg (Christine alternate) performing a shortened version of "Music of the Night" (and also doing a short interview) on Good Day LA. It was filmed and broadcast the morning of June 27, 2011 -- the same day I saw Tony in the Vegas show for the first time -- and was uploaded to YouTube by a close friend who saw the show with me that night and the next.

If you haven't seen the show in Vegas yet (or even if you have), catch it before it disappears! I promise you'll be amazed.


I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

POTO at Palikū Theatre -- Take Two!

Greetings, everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday season!

About two months ago, I got to see the Palikū Theatre production of the musical once again. That turned out to be the penultimate performance; their final one was the next day. As we'll see, the experience turned out to be an extremely special one for me.

The Phantom of the Opera - Community Theatre Edition
Palikū Community Theatre, Hawaii
Saturday, October 22, 2011 - 7:30 PM
Directed by Ron Bright

The Phantom: Miles Wesley
Christine Daaé: Lydia Pusateri
Raoul de Chagny: Kyle Malis
Carlotta Giudicelli: Jaime Craycroft
Ubaldo Piangi: Johnny Reed
Richard Firmin: Douglas Scheer
Gilles Andre: Leonard Villanueva
Madame Giry: Marlise Ahuna
Meg Giry: Madison Eror

A New and Different Kind of Production

Hey, all!

I have exciting news -- I have been cast in a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera! I will mainly be playing Ubaldo Piangi, and also understudying Raoul if the principal Raoul is unavailable for any performances. But there's a twist; this is no ordinary production of the show. Instead, it will be taking place on the popular online community known as Second Life.

For those who don't know, Second Life is a program that's something between a game and a social networking site, where users can create their own character avatars, chat with friends using either text or voice, and create all sorts of things from clothes and vehicles to buildings that they can either use themselves, give away, loan out, or sell to other users. A good friend of mine started a group called Ravenswood Theatricals on Second Life, and built a theater to host performances of musicals. We have been rehearsing POTO for the past few months, and we had a preview performance a couple weeks ago. Our first public performance will take place next week Wednesday and begins promptly at 6:30 PM, Second Life time (which is also 6:30 PM Pacific Time in the US).

It's really interesting to be doing the show in this format. The most unique thing about it is that our characters are all furry avatars -- virtual animals play the parts rather than virtual humans. For example, the Phantom is a lion, Christine and Raoul are two different kinds of cats, Carlotta is a parrot, and Piangi (played by yours truly) is a peacock. Due to it being virtual, we can pull off special effects that would be far too expensive or dangerous to be usable in a live performance setting. In addition, all the performers are controlling their characters from a distance, so it's a bit like a 21st-century version of puppet theatre. There have been technical difficulties to work around at rehearsals, but I think we have plans for how to deal with any potential problems that may surface. *knocks on wood*

If any of you who have accounts on Second Life (or are thinking of getting started there) are interested in seeing the show, please e-mail me at iamerik771@gmail.com with your Second Life username. Photos from the production will find their way here soon!

For more information on the production, check out this fantastic article from Metaverse Tribune. Again, here's the vital info.

What:
Debut of The Phantom of the Opera
Presented by Ravenswood Theatricals on Second Life

When:
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 6:30 PM, Pacific/SL Time.

Where:
Second Life; e-mail me with your SL name for location info.

And yes, I'm still working on a review of the October 22nd performance I attended at Palikū Theatre. Hopefully, I'll get that posted sometime over the long weekend. By the way, happy Veterans' Day / Remembrance Day to all who serve or have served in the military as well as their families. And have fun celebrating 11/11/11, as well!


I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

London's POTO at 25

As of today, the original London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera has been playing for 25 years at Her Majesty's Theatre. 25 years is a remarkable milestone for any work of art, and so last week, the classic about a mysterious masked man had a celebration befitting its status as the second-longest-running musical in the history of British theatre. The celebration consisted of three epic performances at the Royal Albert Hall, and though all were filmed, the third was streamed live to movie theaters around the world so that Phantom Phans everywhere could share in that magnificent moment.

I didn't get to see the live broadcast on Sunday, sadly... but lucky for me, my local movie theater was one of those that would be re-screening the event. I went to see it on Wednesday night, and although the ticket price was double that of a regular film, it was worth every penny. I won't be posting a scene-by-scene review like I have for other performances, but here are my thoughts on the cast members and the overall performance.

POTO at Palikū Theatre

Greetings, everyone!

As promised, here's my review of the community theatre production of POTO I saw a couple weeks ago. Let's just say it was quite an experience, and one I'm glad to have had, especially so soon after seeing the Las Vegas production, which I think could be the definitive "official" production of the show. As we'll see, this could be the definitive "unofficial" production for quite a while, for many reasons.

The Phantom of the Opera - Community Theatre Edition
Palikū Community Theatre, Hawaii
Saturday, September 17, 2011 - 7:30 PM
Directed by Ron Bright

The Phantom: Miles Wesley
Christine Daaé: Lydia Pusateri
Raoul de Chagny: Kyle Malis
Richard Firmin: Doug Scheer
Gilles Andre: Leonard Villanueva
Carlotta Giudicelli: Jaime Craycroft
Ubaldo Piangi: Johnny Reed
Madame Giry: Marlise Ahuna
Meg Giry: Madison Eror

POTO Las Vegas -- The Epic Review, Part 3

The final chapter... And rest assured, unlike so many third entries in a series, this one definitely doesn't suck by comparison!

Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular
Phantom Theatre at the Venetian Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 - 7:00 PM

The Phantom: Anthony Crivello
Christine Daaé: Kristen Hertzenberg (alternate)
Raoul de Chagny: Andrew Ragone
Carlotta Giudicelli: Joan Sobel
Monsieur André: John Leslie Wolfe
Monsieur Firmin: Lawson Skala
Madame Giry: Tina Walsh
Ubaldo Piangi: Larry Wayne Morbitt
Meg Giry: Brianne Kelly Morgan
Auctioneer: Michael Lackey

POTO Las Vegas -- The Epic Review, Part 2

Here it is, after much delay: the review of the first show we saw in Vegas!

Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular
Phantom Theatre at the Venetian Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
Monday, June 27, 2011 - 9:30 PM

The Phantom: Anthony Crivello
Christine Daaé: Sarah Elizabeth Combs (understudy)
Raoul de Chagny: Andrew Ragone
Carlotta Giudicelli: Joan Sobel ("Hannibal") / Arsenia Soto ("Notes" to end)
Monsieur André: John Leslie Wolfe
Monsieur Firmin: Lawson Skala
Madame Giry: Tina Walsh
Ubaldo Piangi: Larry Wayne Morbitt
Meg Giry: Brianne Kelly Morgan
Auctioneer: Michael Lackey

Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular -- The Epic Review, Part 1

Hey, everyone!

As promised, I will begin posting my reviews of Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular over the next few days. I went with two fellow Phantom Phans who had seen the show there the previous year: Alex (aka Count-Alexiel-Ravenswood) and Jo (aka Sylent Phantom). After an epic road trip from the San Francisco Bay Area down to Costa Mesa and then to Las Vegas, we saw the show twice -- I attended the late (9:30 PM) show on Monday, June 27th; and then I went to the 7:00 PM show the next day. In addition, as I found out when we got there, they play the audio from the show in progress; thus, we were able to hear the earlier show on Monday (featuring Michael Lackey and Sarah Elizabeth Combs, the understudy Phantom and Christine) and the Wednesday evening show (with Anthony Crivello and Kristi Holden, the principals). In other words, we were able to at least hear if not see all 3 Christines and 2 of the Phantoms in the Vegas production. Not bad, especially since we didn't plan it that way!

Because I saw the show twice, I'll be making a separate post to review each performance. First, though, I'll post the CliffsNotes version here: Anthony Crivello was sublime; very close to Leroux's Erik, so it really surprised me to find out that he had only read bits and pieces of the novel. Sarah Combs (Christine understudy) and Kristen Hertzenberg (alternate) were both excellent, but I have to give the edge to La Hertzenberg for being pretty much exactly as I imagined Christine in the novel. Andrew Ragone made a great Raoul, the Carlottas were both a bit underwhelming, the Managers and Piangi were superb, and the Girys were awesome. From what we could hear in the lobby, Michael Lackey was also excellent and performed really well opposite Sarah Combs. Kristi Holden didn't seem like my cup of tea, but maybe if I were to see her live, I'd feel differently.

So yeah, that's the short version. Stay tuned for the longer reviews where I'll get into all the nitty gritty details. ^_^


I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

New Touring Production Coming Soon!

It was only a matter of time, I suppose (and let's hope this isn't a really bad, early April Fool's Day joke)... but according to a just-released article in Variety, Cameron Mackintosh (who produced the original productions of POTO as well as many, many other musicals in the UK) is planning to debut a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical that will open in the UK and then tour around the world. The production will feature all-new direction, sets, and costumes.

That last bit makes me a bit wary... but I'm willing to approach it with an open mind, seeing as there were many aspects of the non-replica Hungarian and Polish productions that I liked. "Different" doesn't necessarily mean "bad;" what made me fall in love with the musical was the superb story, characters, music, and lyrics, so as long as those aren't messed with and the performers chosen are good, I'll be eager to see what comes out of this. But what do my fellow Phans think?


I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

Complaining About Shows You Don't Watch, or Don't Like

The title of this post is taken from two pages on TVTropes, a site I've mentioned here before and probably will bring up many more times in the future. XD This is intended as a response to the most common criticisms of dissenters in general, which have been used quite a bit recently by fans (and even the creative team) of a certain new POTO-related stage show. This seems especially pertinent now given the tactics being employed by the show's composer who, along with his company, has sunk to new lows in order to paint everyone who opposes the musical as a loony whose opinion doesn't deserve to be taken seriously.

"Operaza no Gaijin" - POTO in Japanese is complete!

Greetings, fellow Phans! I have completed my translation of the Japanese lyrics for ALW's POTO on Operaza no Gaijin! Please go there, check 'em out, and leave me a comment or two. ^_^

For those interested, I'll next be attempting translations of the Japanese lyrics for Wicked, Les Misérables, and Yeston & Kopit's Phantom. Wish me luck!


I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

Happy 1/11/11! Also, something new...

Hi, everyone! I hope you're all having a great New Year so far, and that it continues to be Phantastic. I've started a new website that may interest those of you who are fond of listening to Andrew Lloyd Webber's POTO (and other musicals) in different languages. On this website, I'll be translating the Japanese lyrics for musicals back into English to show how the translation compares to the original. So far, I have Act I of POTO posted, but Act II is on its way as well.

And here it is... Operaza no Gaijin! Enjoy, and please do leave comments either here or on the Guestbook there!

I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

The 2004 Movie... in Japanese!

Greetings once again! I hope you all had a great holiday, and I wish all my fans and followers a happy 2011! Last night, I got an interesting treat in the mail. On December 17th in Japan, the 2004 film version of POTO was shown, dubbed in Japanese for the first time. I have a friend in Japan who graciously agreed to videotape it for me and send me a copy. For some odd reason, even though I despise English-language dubs of foreign films (give me subtitles any day), I love watching foreign dubs of films that were originally in English, especially musicals. This was actually my first time watching (almost) the entire movie dubbed in another language – I enjoy listening to the Spanish and Italian soundtracks, and I've watched bits of the movie with the French audio track, but in that case, the Phantom's voice appealed to me even less than Gerard Butler's (even though he clearly had more training).

One thing to remember about shows videotaped in Japan: often, if the films were made in the US or other countries, they'll have 2 different audio tracks. Japanese TVs can switch between them, but on most American sets, you'll need to unplug either the right or left audio channel; otherwise, you'll have the English/other language and Japanese tracks talking over each other for the whole thing. In this case, the English track was on the left (red) audio channel, while the Japanese was on the right (white). Anywho, here's my review of the Japanese-language dub of the 2004 movie.

A Holiday Gift For My Phellow Phans

In the spirit of the holiday season, here is a video I made for an audio compilation I put together some time ago. I love listening to POTO in different languages, and this is something I made to demonstrate why. Enjoy, and please leave comments and/or subscribe to my YouTube account!




I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

POTO: The High School Version

A little over a month ago, I had my first experience seeing a high school production of our beloved POTO. The performance was at Punahou School in Hawaii (which happens to be my sister's alma mater). I tried not to come in with too many preconceived notions of what would and wouldn't work in such a production, but let's be honest. I think everyone reading this page has seen the stage show live, or at least watched YouTube clips of one or more productions. Plus, we've had the novel, the movie version, countless cast recordings and cover versions, and all sorts of other media telling us what to expect when we see "Phantom" somewhere.

I wasn't all that worried about a high school version "ruining" POTO for me -- I had seen many school versions, some good and others bad, for many other shows, and none of those shows had been "ruined" for me, nor have any that I consider to be poor shows been "saved" in my eyes by a high-quality production, whether done professionally or by students. Plus, there have been a few POTO adaptations I disliked, but clearly, none of them "ruined" the whole thing for me. But anyway, thus ends my rant over whether a high school or other amateur production has the potential to "ruin" Phantom. I now present my review of Punahou School's production, the first amateur one done in Hawaii.

"Love Never Dies": An Update

Greetings once again, and Happy Earth Day! Today, I bring you yet another post relating to "Love Never Dies" (the Broadway premiere of which appears to have been pushed back to next spring). I would have posted it a while ago, but didn't for two major reasons: 1) I was super-busy with school, and 2) I wanted to make sure I had as much accurate information as possible before posting. In this case, new info kept coming out pretty much non-stop . . . Such is life. But anyway, here's the post that was several weeks in the making.

Before I get into the meat of this post, though . . . First off, I'd like to make a couple of corrections to my previous post on LND, just so that nobody will think I intentionally got certain plot points wrong in order to make the show look bad (since it does a pretty good job of that on its own). The first is that the Phantom (or "Mr. Y.," as he's called -- ha ha, get it? Mr. Y = Mystery! Sheer genius, I say!) does not rape Christine; she returns to sleep with him the night before she marries Raoul, which puts their characters in a much better light. (For those of you playing along at home, that was sarcasm.)

The other correction I need to make is that the Phantom doesn't follow Christine and Raoul to New York; instead, he sets up his theme park/freak show/thingy on Coney Island ten years after the original (the math doesn't really make sense there as far as dates are concerned, but I guess we're supposed to just go with it), and then he tricks them into coming to work for him at a time when they're desperate for money thanks to Raoul's boozing habit . . . and somehow, Christine has no idea that this mysterious guy who wants her to sing but refuses to give his name or show his face is actually (gasp) the Phantom! Um, sure . . .

Since I'm in a "kernels-of-truth" kind of mood, I have an admission to make as well: I never intended to blog on LND again here. I heard the cast album from a free source a week or so after my last post on the show and found the music and lyrics to be so underwhelming that I thought it unworthy of review on this blog. (Certain melodies sound partially or mostly plagiarized, as well, and not always from ALW's previous work -- listen to "Sally's Song" from Nightmare Before Christmas, then listen to "Beneath a Moonless Sky" from LND and tell me they don't sound the same!)

Anyway, I thought my previous LND post would be my final word on that sorry, Twilight-ified show. Recent revelations about the show and Andrew Lloyd Webber's company the Really Useful Group, however, have made it necessary to bring up LND once again.