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