Phantom From the East

Greetings once again, Phans!

Alas, a new year is upon us, and with it comes another anniversary or several -- this time, my 4th anniversary of seeing the ALW musical live for the first time (on January 3rd) and the 25th anniversary of the Broadway production (which will be celebrated with a special performance starring Hugh Panaro as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine). In my case, it's also been a time for me to play catch-up with some POTO versions that I hadn't seen before.

Another Hallow's Eve Has Come

Greetings once again, Phans!

It's that time of year once again, and I just couldn't let it pass by without a post here. I wore my ALW!Phantom outfit once again, and it was a big hit during class. I do wish Halloween lasted longer than just one day a year, but alas, we must make do.

A bit of POTO news, since that's what this blog is for, after all... The new UK Tour now has a new Phantom; John Owen-Jones left the production around the end of September and was replaced by Earl Carpenter. The Broadway production is also having a somewhat major cast change; Trista Moldovan will soon be leaving the production and Marni Raab will be promoted to principal Christine while a completely new performer, Samantha Hill, will be the alternate. Later on, Marni will also leave the cast and Sierra Boggess will take over in time for the Broadway production's 25th anniversary celebration next January.

In other news, the Broadway production's official Facebook page has said that the show is back on tonight after a 2-day hiatus due to Hurricane Sandy. I'm glad to know the actors, crew, and theater all got through the storm safely, and hopefully, the rest of the areas affected by the hurricane will soon be back in action as well.

Oh, and I've a bit of personal news, as well. I've started up another Blogspot where I can post about stuff besides Phantom -- check it out here. Don't worry, though; I'll still be updating this blog as often as I can, as well.

In any case, Happy Halloween to all!


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.

Another Loss for the Phantom Community

Happy October, all!

This post is a bit late... but for anyone who was not yet aware, another classic Phantom has passed away. On September 27th, Herbert Lom died of natural causes. He was 95 years old.

Filmgoers likely know Herbert Lom best for playing gangster Louis Harvey in the 1955 film The Ladykillers, and also Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther film series (beginning with 1964's A Shot in the Dark). But to Phantom Phans, he will always be Professor Petrie, the Phantom of the 1962 film by Hammer Film Productions. The film was directed by Terence Fisher and also starred Heather Sears as Christine Charles, Edward de Souza as Harry Hunter, and Michael Gough as Lord Ambrose D'Arcy.

While I wasn't personally a huge fan of that film (mainly due to the script and direction), I did like some of the cinematography in it. I also appreciated Herbert Lom's acting, particularly as Professor Van Helsing in the underappreciated 1970 film Count Dracula, directed by Jesús Franco and also starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, Klaus Kinski as Renfield, and Soledad Miranda as Lucy. Despite the film's minuscule budget (which resulted in some pretty poor-looking effects), I adore it; it's one of the most faithful to the novel of any Dracula film, and there are a lot of great acting performances in it.

In any case, rest in peace, Mr. Lom, and thank you for your many contributions to film, the arts, and the Phantom community.


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

The End Of An Era

Well, Phans, the time has come.

It's Sunday, September 2nd, 2012. Tonight, after six wonderful years, the company of Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular at the Venetian Hotel and Casino will take its final bow.

Six years. It's amazing to think about, isn't it? The production opened in June of 2006, and initially, a lot of Phans were skeptical that a production with some songs and scenes abridged would ever match the original, even with a custom-built theatre modeled after the Paris Opera House. I was one of those skeptics, and it took me a while to come to the party... but in the summer of 2011, any doubts I had were erased when I saw the show for the first time. Here's a comment I made on a Facebook post about the closing, in response to a question from a Phan who had never seen the production about what it was like:

I saw it 5 times, and every single time, the experience was wonderful. Because the theatre was made to look like the real Paris Opera House, as soon as you walked in, you felt like you were somewhere else; you were in the Phantom's world. Even the entrance outside the theatre was decked out in Phantom, and the energy from the people there (especially in the hour or so before a show when folks were lining up to buy tickets and go inside) was just amazing. What I also loved was that even when you weren't able to go inside and see the show, they played the audio from the current performance in the lobby. Once or twice, I wasn't able to get tickets, or it was a 2-show day and I could only afford to go once, but I still sat in the lobby and could listen to the show.

As for Anthony Crivello... If you're a fan of Leroux's novel, I think you'd really appreciate all the things Anthony did in the role. What really amazes me is that he hadn't read the novel, and yet he got so many details spot-on. And from a psychological perspective, you can see how his Phantom operated -- what set him off and made him violent, and what could pull him back from that. He's one of the few stage performers where I didn't feel like I was watching an actor playing a role; he WAS the Phantom, to the point where I was actually a bit nervous to meet him the first time. lol

But yes... It was an amazing experience, and I consider myself lucky to have seen it as many times as I did. The world of Phantom will never be quite the same after tonight.

So it ends tonight. After one final performance this evening, the cast will get together for one last party in the Phantom Theatre before going their separate ways. Then (and this is what really upsets me) the custom-built theatre that was made specially for this production and modeled after the real Paris Opera House will be gutted. While some features like the proscenium and the box seats might remain, all the things that made it the Phantom Theatre will be removed and either destroyed or sent to other productions of the show. The chandelier will become a fixture -- still beautiful, but never again will it assemble over the audience's heads and then come crashing down. It pains me to write that; all I can think is "How could they?!"

Yet, in my view, this cloud does have a silver lining. There are many performers in the Vegas cast who were there since the very beginning and will be able to perform in the final shows. Anthony Crivello (the Phantom), Kristen Hertzenberg (alternate Christine; started out as the Mirror Bride and Christine understudy), Larry Wayne Morbitt (Piangi), Danielle White (Ensemble and Carlotta understudy), Michael Lackey (Auctioneer and Phantom understudy), Brianne Kelly Morgan (Meg), and many others in the company were there at the start and will be there tonight at the closing. It always felt to me like the Vegas company was one big family, and so I'm glad to see that so many people who were there from the beginning will be able to close the show together. And naturally, I'm hoping all the performers, musicians, and staff will be able to find good work worthy of their talent afterwards. Hopefully, some will even make it back to POTO one day on Broadway, in a future touring production, or elsewhere.

I'm thankful to everyone involved with the production -- everyone who had a hand in getting it started or keeping it running as long as it did, and that includes the cast, crew, musicians, ushers, gift booth folks, ticket sellers, and frequent audience members who spread the good word about this production. I'm especially thankful to the following people: Anthony Crivello, for being a truly frightening and compelling Phantom, but also one of the coolest and most giving people I've met. Kristen Hertzenberg, for showing me how well a Lerouxian interpretation of Christine can fit into the Lloyd Webber version, and for demonstrating how a performer can have all of their character's best qualities in real life. Danielle White, for being completely awesome, open, and honest, and for adding so many great phrases to my vocabulary (namely "Diva snooze"). Sarah Elizabeth Combs, for being my first Vegas Christine and showing me how a slightly modern twist can also work for the role. Brianne Kelly Morgan, for first getting me really curious about the show and for being so cheerful and energetic when talking to Phans online. Michael Lackey, for setting the bar higher for me when it comes to delivering monologues (especially those regarding music boxes and chandeliers). Daniel, a.k.a. BoBo, for taking me backstage so many times and telling me so many awesome stories about the show. And last but not least, my Vegas Phan crew for convincing me it was worth it, taking me there, getting me backstage, giving me a tour of the Strip, setting up a meeting and more with one of my childhood heroes (that would be our former Grantaire/Javert in Les Misérables, Mr. Crivello), and helping me find even more reasons to love this musical and story.

I'll conclude this blog entry with a letter I posted on the "Farewell" page for Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular:

Dear Company of "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular,"

I've seen the show five times -- twice last year and three times this year -- and every single performance of this production I attended was one of the most magical events I've ever experienced. The venue is simply breathtaking; this was how "Phantom" was meant to be performed, and it's wonderful to know that there has been a production with such care and attention paid to every detail of the experience. The effects (and especially the four-piece chandelier) are a marvel to watch, and the care taken to make the theater look like the real Paris Opera House has, in my view, paid off superbly. I've ended up sitting somewhere different every time I've seen the show, and no matter where I was sitting, the view has been great and the experience amazing.

The visual aspect, though, is far from the only wonderful thing about this production. As with any update to a great and long-running show, the make-or-break aspect is the cast. I've seen and heard a lot of casts perform "Phantom," and I can quite honestly say you've consistently been among the very best. I don't know how you do it; none of the performances I attended of your production ever felt stale or halfhearted. Every single time, I've been moved to tears. The vocal and acting performances from the whole company have been astounding. This was one of the few productions I've seen of any musical, opera, or play where, in many cases, I didn't feel like I was watching actors playing roles onstage; a lot of you became your characters in my eyes. And the orchestra is also one of the best I've ever heard in a "Phantom" production; the power and energy the players bring to the score were always a treat for the ears.

One more thing I love about this production is how personable everyone has been. All the cast members, ushers, and crew I've met have been incredibly nice and easy to talk to, and I'm glad to be able to call myself a friend of several people in the company. I learned more about what it's like to be in this show and to have a career in theatre from my one-on-one chats with the actors than any video interview could ever teach me, and I appreciated those opportunities. I hope every single person working in this production will find great work befitting their immense talent, and that perhaps someday in the future, they'll get to return to the world of the Phantom. I know that the Phan community has benefitted greatly from having your production around, and I'm sure Gaston Leroux and Maria Bjørnson would be proud to know that their work has inspired such consistent and overall greatness.

In closing, while I'm sad to see this production close and wish it could play longer or be preserved somehow, I'm also glad for the opportunities I've had to see such a marvelous theatrical work, and to talk to such amazing people. Best wishes to all of you for the future. Please know that all of you will be missed, and I hope to see you all onstage again someday! Thank you for living up to your name and making every performance a spectacular one.

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