Hadley Fraser News

Fathom Events made a great decision this week showing THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL and LOVE NEVER DIES on the big screen again. On Monday, May 21, 2012 and Wednesday, May 23, 2012, these two grand productions were brought back to the big screen for one night only and shown throughout the United States.

In honor of this week's US release of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL on DVD/Blu-ray - PHANTOM 25 for short - today we are focusing on the multitude of attributes that have made Andrew Lloyd Webber's unforgettable gothic musical the most successful entertainment of all time, now in its 25th year onstage and about to reach 10,000 performances on Broadway, where it is the reigning longest running show of all time. The gargantuan excitement generated by and the enthusiastic reception enjoyed by PHANTOM for audiences worldwide is unprecedented, yet, the new ultimate presentation of the show - PHANTOM 25 - is even more spectacular and thrilling than any iteration of PHANTOM on any stage or screen thus far. Bringing together the cast of a lifetime with the electricity of a live audience, the HD preservation of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL is positively peerless in its sleekness, precision and polish of presentation. Never before - not even in the vaunted hands and cords of original show stars Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford - has the show been this contemporary, sexual and hypnotizing. Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom brings a rawness and austerity to the role that commands attention and Sierra Boggess is, in a word, supreme, as the young ingenue under the Phantom's watchful musical tutelage. So, too, does Hadley Fraser's perfectly painted Raoul hit the right mark, as do the rest of the exceptional cast in their commitment to making clear-cut, strong and colorful impressions in their roles. The LED-enhanced set is an imaginative reworking of the designs by Maria Bjornson and the musical staging is smooth and assured thanks to original show choreographer Gillian Lynne. Yet, the star of PHANTOM 25 is, unquestionably, Andrew Lloyd Webber's rapturous, rich and enveloping score. Bringing together an impressive and inspired assortment of genres in creating the quintessential pop opera, Lloyd Webber employs elements of grand opera, opera bouffe, operetta and musical theatre, as well as incorporates a diverse range of musical styles - even a little heavy metal guitar in the title song, as we shall see (and hear). The score of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's finest achievements and stands tall alongside his other classic scores for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, EVITA, CATS, SUNSET BOULEVARD among many other international hit shows. Indeed, the story and score of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is so very complex and decadent as to allow for a continuation of the story, score, characters and overall themes in the form of the new musical, LOVE NEVER DIES, which premiered in a new version in Australia last year and whose story traces the relationship of the Phantom, Christine and Raoul from the end of the original show all the way from Paris to Coney Island ten years later where PHANTASMA is the show everyone must experience thanks to a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows beyond the carousel. In today's celebration of PHANTOM 25, we will take a look at the original music videos, the legendary Hal Prince production on Broadway and in the West End, the forthcoming LOVE NEVER DIES - coming to Fathom-equipped theaters nationwide later this month - all with a special spotlight on the most phantastic anniversary concert of all time, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL.

Cover art has been released for Scott Alan's newest CD, which was recorded live in April at Birdland. The two-disc recording, which is simply titled 'Live,' will be released physically and digitally June 26 via iTunes, CDbaby, Amazon, Dress Circle and everywhere digital music is available.

The full, star-filled track list been announced for composer-lyricist Scott Alan's fourth recording, 'Live,' which follows his critically acclaimed 'What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up,' 'Dreaming Wide Awake' and 'Keys.' A fall release is expected. The full track list, as featured on his blog, is as follows:

Composer-lyricist Scott Alan records his fourth album 'LIVE' at famed New York City Jazz Club, Birdland tonight, April 30th.

The LES MISERABLES London cast just started a new Q & A series with David Shannon, who is currently playing Jean Val Jean. In this video, Shannon answers fan questions and elaborates on his past work experience, challenges in the show, and embarrassing moments on stage.

Additional artists have been announced for composer-lyricist Scott Alan's fourth recording, 'Live,' which follows his critically acclaimed 'What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up,' 'Dreaming Wide Awake' and 'Keys.'

Additional artists have been announced for composer-lyricist Scott Alan's fourth recording, 'Live,' which follows his critically acclaimed 'What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up,' 'Dreaming Wide Awake' and 'Keys.' Newly announced for the disc are Wicked's Julia Murney, Ragtime Tony nominee Christiane Noll, Newsies' Ben Fankhauser and Season 3 winners of 'The Sing-Off,' Pentatonix.

The 25th anniversary spectacular celebrating The Phantom Of The Opera airs on British TV for the first time today. The show, starring Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess and Hadley Fraser, begins on Channel 5 at 1.40pm.

To celebrate the reaching of the Final 4 shortlist in the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Audience Award in this year's Olivier Awards, the full London Cast of LES MISERABLES have created a video to rally for votes. Check it out below!

A host of some of the best talent in West End musical theatre will join Hollywood stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway in the film of Les Misérables. The talented list below will be playing non starring roles in the forthcoming film.

Daily Mail reports that the cast of Cameron Mackintosh and Tom Hooper's film version of the musical Les Miserables now includes Bertie Carvel (Matilda), Daniel Evans (Sunday in the Park with George) and Adrian Scarborough (Betty Blue Eyes). In addition, several cast members who have performed in stage versions of Les Miserables will star in the film including Caroline Sheen, Hadley Fraser, Killian Donnelly, Mike Jibson, Linzi Hateley, Gemma Wardle, Katy Secombe, Gina Beck, Fra Fee, Alexia Khadine and Katie Hall.

Last week BWW reported that Ramin Karimloo would launch his first ever North American tour later this year in support of his debut album 'Ramin'. Now, in an exclusive interview with Kelly Cameron, Ramin discloses his plans for a homecoming concert in Toronto. The West End star has never performed professionally on a Toronto stage, instead enjoying success in the UK in productions of Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Love Never Dies and the 25th Anniversary production of The Phantom of the Opera. This summer, Ramin plans to finally come home and share what he's been doing with his Canadian fans.

Scott Alan will record his fourth album 'LIVE' at famed New York City Jazz Club, Birdland on April 30th. Newly added to the roaster of performers is Award Winning Jazz Vocalist Jane Monheit, Broadway and Reality Television Star Laura Osnes and West End performer Richard Fleeshman, who will make his Broadway debut as Sam Wheat in the musical adaptation of Ghost after creating the role in the West End production.

Composer and Lyricist Scott Alan will record his fourth album featuring some of today's Broadway and International performers.

The concept album for a new musical, The In-Between, was released online today. Performers featured on the recordings include Sabrina Aloueche, Julie Atherton, Daniel Boys, Cassandra Compton, Hadley Fraser, Alexia Khadime, Dianne Pilkington, Lauren Samuels and Liam Tamne.

Cameron Mackintosh announced today that Ramin Karimloo will extend his run playing 'Jean Valjean' in the legendary musical "LES MISÉRABLES" at the Queen's Theatre until 31 March 2012. David Shannon will then return to the role of 'Jean Valjean' from Tuesday 3 April - Saturday 16 June 2012. He will be followed by Geronimo Rauch who will play the role from Monday 18 June 2012 until Saturday 15 June 2013

Today we are fortunate enough to feature an illuminating discussion with the star of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL - PHANTOM 25 for short - who is also known for her appearances on Broadway and the West End in shows like THE LITTLE MERMAID, MASTER CLASS and the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA sequel itself, LOVE NEVER DIES - the one and only Sierra Boggess! In this PHANTOM-based conversation, Sierra and I analyze the phenomenal live PHANTOM 25 performance itself - to go along with our pre-performance chat from last year (available here) - and she describes all of the time, talent and art that went into putting it all together in celebration of the show's 25th year onstage - led by legendary producer Cameron Mackintosh, of course. In addition to a complete performance rundown, we also dissect the character of Christine and the importance of her journey over the course of the musical thriller to its themes of social acceptance, the power of musical performance, and, above all else, love - which, as we know, never dies. Additionally, she shares her ample enthusiasm for the simply tremendous DVD and Blu-ray experience of PHANTOM 25 (also, my SOUND OFF review of the live performance is available here) and details the experience of having now played Christine in three distinctly different PHANTOM-based experiences - PHANTOM in Las Vegas, LOVE NEVER DIES in the West End and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA LIVE AT THE ALBERT HALL.