Farewell to Broadway’s “Phantom”

 It’s been a while since I posted here, and I wish I had happier news . . . but as most Phans know by now, this weekend marks the finale for the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera.” After 13,973 performances since it opened on January 26, 1988 (a 35-year run, the longest in Broadway history), the final curtain will close on Sunday. The final public performances are today, and tomorrow is just for invited guests.

In a somewhat amusing but now mostly sad way, although the Broadway production was the reason why I discovered the show and story, I never got to see it there. I’ve seen two touring productions, the Las Vegas Spectacular multiple times, and school/community versions, but never made the trip to New York. I’ll probably regret that for the rest of my life.

Of course, the show is bound to return to Broadway sooner or later in some form, but it’s almost certain to be fundamentally different. Director Harold Prince, choreographer Gillian Lynne, and set and costume designer Maria Björnson have all passed on; and producer Cameron Mackintosh has shown with other recent productions of this and other shows that he’s determined to change things up and go with cheaper, often less ornate and impressive versions. The original London production, for example, has had some of those changes and also had its orchestra reduced. Japan may be about the last of the truly original productions, though it also had some changes since reopening after the pandemic.

Still, I have found things to enjoy about non-replica productions in Hungary, Poland, Greece, and elsewhere when I saw videos from them; and I saw the restaged tour and two amateur productions live and loved those experiences for many reasons. So while I understand some Phans’ desire to boycott future non-replica versions, I still want to see the show live whenever I have the opportunity. And like many, I’m glad to see more people of color getting the opportunity to play leading roles in the show in recent years. The future of “Phantom” will be different, certainly . . . but hopefully, those in charge of new productions can learn from what came before and create something excellent for established and new audiences.

Your obedient servant,

I.A.E.

Did you think that I had left you for good?

Greetings, Phriends and Phans, and Happy Halloween!

It's been a while since my last post here, I know. Quite a few things have happened in my life since then, but I've certainly been keeping up with happenings in the Phanverse as well. (Mainly through Tumblr and Discord, as most of the Phan message boards have disappeared in the last few years, alas.) And a couple of months ago, I even got to see the ALW musical live on stage again! This time, it was the restaged tour currently traveling through the US -- it visited Hawaii back in August, and was the first touring production to come here since the Canadian Tour in 1994. Overall, I enjoyed it; it was very different from previous versions I've seen, but the cast was great and well worth seeing. A more detailed review will be coming soon, as well.

Overall, I hope to update more frequently now. And I hope everyone's having a Phantastic Hallow's Eve! And here's a photo I took with Derrick Davis, currently playing the Phantom in the tour. ^_^

On this Hallow's Eve, I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.

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.

A Decade of Phandom

Greetings, everyone!

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post here -- almost a year, in fact. The reasons for that are mainly due to being rather busy with school and life in general, but there was also a period last summer/fall where I just wasn't feeling it anymore; I couldn't get enthusiastic about POTO the way I had before. I'm not sure exactly what caused it or what brought me back into the Phandom around late November (though I have some ideas on both that I'll get into in a future blog post), but the main thing is that I'm back now!

It occurred to me that this past March marks ten years since I first got into POTO. (The thrilling tale of when and how can be found in my introductory post from way back in the day.) A lot has changed in the world of the Phantom in the last decade, but some things have remained more or less the same. And POTO has led to quite a few changes in my life and how I see myself, as well.

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.