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.

Been A While...

Greetings, everyone!

Well, it's been quite some time since I last posted; so much for weekly updates! (I will try to get on those soon, though.) However, I did have some very Phantomy experiences recently. For instance, around the end of June, I finally got to see the show again. I went to see "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular" twice -- two nights, two Christines -- and the show definitely lived up to its name. I'll be posting my reviews from those experiences in due time.

Also, I found some interesting information that will allow me to see the show live again in about a month's time... Palikū Theatre, which is very close to where I live, will be doing the show soon, and it's being directed by Ron Bright, who literally built my high school's theatre program from the ground up. I'll definitely spill all the juicy details once I've seen it.

Lastly, I've gotten involved in some Phantom-related projects. One that I can talk about is that I will soon be starting a podcast with a friend and fellow Phan. The podcast won't be exclusively to do with POTO; instead, we'll be covering all our favorite dark fictional works and the adaptations based on them. At the moment, we're trying to figure out where to host our show... so I'll give updates on that once we've got it started (and also post links here for any POTO-related episodes we do).

Anyway, yes. More updates and a couple of reviews coming up... Stay tuned!


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

Orchestras: Canned Or Alive

Greetings, all! In the spirit of trying to be more active on this blog, I've decided to attempt a weekly format. Instead of waiting for an awesome topic to pop up in front of me, I'm just going to blog about anything that pops into my head that has to do with the world of POTO. That is, after all, how most blogs tend to work, right?

Fortunately, this week's topic is something pretty interesting. A recent post on Mark Shenton's blog points out that stage musicals seem to be turning increasingly to artificial things in order to save costs, potentially leading to greater profits. For example, some use projected sets and effects rather than ones that actually have to be constructed by hand. And some stage productions, as Shenton notes, use pre-recorded instrumental tracks rather than hiring live musicians.

Now, the example Shenton brings up near the end isn't a great one if he wants to argue the point that this is a bad thing – I don't think anyone could deny that the use of canned music in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a stylistic choice rather than merely a cost-cutting one. And it's certainly not a new thing; in its early days, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom was mocked by critics for its use of drum machines and prerecorded synth instruments. (The organ, percussion, and synth strings of the Overture and the title song, for example, are entirely prerecorded.) And in the Japanese productions, the orchestra has been completely prerecorded since the beginning. Going back even further, it's often said that Bye Bye Birdie was the first musical to feature some prerecorded singing, and that was way back in 1960.

So what do I think of this? In short, I think it can work well as an artistic choice to create a new and different sound. And as a cost-cutting measure... well, I'm not the biggest fan of it, but given the economic situation, it may be the only way for new musicals to make enough money to last for a good length of time on Broadway. In any case, feel free to weigh in on this issue by posting your comments!

Keep an eye out for another blog post next week – perhaps one that's more POTO-related!


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

Understudies Need Some Love

Greetings, fellow Phans! Well, the semester is officially over for me. I'm now enjoying summer vacation and should be able to blog here more frequently. Also, I'll be going to see POTO in Las Vegas in a little over a month, so you can expect a review of that performance. I'm definitely excited to see the stage show again, and I've heard great things about the cast! Speaking of stage show casts...

Joyeux anniversaire à toi, Monsieur Gaston Leroux!

143 years ago today, the man who created the original story of Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, was born. This year also holds the honor of being the 100th anniversary of the novel's first English-language publication. (It had first been published in French 2 years prior as a newspaper serial, and debuted in novel form in 1910.)

Whatever version of POTO each of us might hold nearest and dearest to our hearts, we must give credit where it is due... so cheers to the man without whom none of this -- not the movies, musicals, Phan webpages, fanfics, or even this very blog -- would exist. Thank you, Monsieur Leroux, for creating a story that has stood the test of time and continues to touch audiences to this day.


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