Studying the Phantom: Some Resources, and a Search for More

Hey again!

I recently discovered a review of a Phantom-related book that, until recently, I wasn't really interested in getting (mainly due to its cover price -- a new copy is $110 on Amazon.com). This review, though, made me want to get the book.

The book's title is a bit long and ungainly, but sounds fascinating all on its own -- The Undergrounds of the Phantom of the Opera: Sublimation and the Gothic in Leroux's Novel and its Progeny, by Jerrold E. Hogle, published in 2002. The review was one of many (and I do mean many) posted on The Phantom Project, a website by Anne Myers that was itself started as an academic project. Ms. Myers' self-made project is to review every version of POTO she can, ranging from the original novel to the various film and stage versions, and even down to things like video games, radio shows, and self-published spinoffs and sequels created by Phans. It seems like a monumental task, but I admire Ms. Myers' gusto in taking it on, and it seems that getting to read superb works like Hogle's book would make the whole thing worthwhile.

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.

Hallow's Eve

Greetings, everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic Halloween, and that you have something fun planned for tonight. I'll once again be at the annual Halloween parade downtown... Looking forward to seeing what kinds of characters will be prowling the streets this year.

Last weekend, I got to see POTO at Palikū Theatre again. That turned out to be their penultimate performance; their final one was the next day. And as it turns out, there were quite a few surprises in store. I found out that some cast members had discovered my review from last time I saw it (you can see comments from Johnny Reed and Tom Holowach, who played Ubaldo Piangi and Monsieur Lefevre, respectively), and were apparently impressed by it. I got a tour of the backstage area and a chance to meet several of the actors to congratulate them in person. I'll post a review of that experience shortly... Promise!


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

Happy Birthday, Dear Erik!

Greetings once again, everyone!

Small update today... but to anyone who's interested, today marks 102 years since a story you may have heard of, titled Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, was first published in France by Gaston Leroux. This year also marks 100 years since the novel's first English publication, and (as more of you might be aware) 25 years since Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version premiered in London. Happy Birthday all around!

Last Saturday, I attended a performance of ALW's POTO at Palikū Theatre here in Hawaii. The performance was simply amazing, and I'll be posting a detailed review of it soon.


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

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.

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.

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.

Phandom Heresies

I'm a huge fan of the website TVTropes. It's a really fun site on which you can find a lot of popular devices and conventions used in well-known fictional works, be they novels, films, TV shows, video games, and yes, even stage shows. (The section they have for POTO is quite fun and informative, covering the novel, ALW musical, and a few of the film versions.)

The title for this post comes from one of my favorite tropes to return to (and also look at the Troper Tales page for): Fandom Heresy. That trope illustrates the idea that within a fan community, there are certain opinions so unpopular that they may drive people to send hate mail to a fan who expresses them, particularly on fan websites, blogs, and forums -- heaven help you if you're a Star Wars fan who liked Episode I, or if you're a Batman fan (or a movie fan in general, really) with anything negative to say about Christopher Nolan.

Although reactions to differing opinions on the internet can often be intense, I like to think the majority of Phantom Phans are a pretty tolerant bunch. No version of the story nor any actor in a film or stage production is universally loved or hated (with the possible exceptions of Lon Chaney under "loved" and the Forsyth and Argento versions under "hated"), and most Phans seem to be pretty okay with that. No version or actor is going to please everyone because we all have our own visions of what the story is or should be. It's a lot like how everyone who reads a novel is going to have different views of how characters and locations look, how the dialogue is spoken, or what certain things are supposed to represent; therefore, even the most faithful attempt at a film adaptation isn't going to please everyone who loved the book.

There are, however, some Phantom Phans who do take it personally when someone else disagrees with them on favorite and least favorite versions and actors. As I said previously, I understand to an extent why some react so harshly -- the reason why we are Phans is because the story and characters mean something to us and touch us on some deep, emotional level. It can sometimes be a bit shocking to hear that someone really didn't like a version or performance that profoundly moved you. Sometimes, we may try to rationalize it -- for example, if someone didn't like a particular actor, we may tell ourselves that maybe the person was unlucky enough to catch that performer on an "off-night." Other times, as with hot-button issues like religion or politics, we may become convinced that our own opinions are the "right" ones; therefore, everyone who disagrees is "wrong" and has to have their opinion changed to conform to ours.

"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.