I really have never had any particular interest in seeing this show, but now Mr. Lewis has made it a must see. Well played, producers, well played.
"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel
Seriously, I've been wanting these two to do this show together for many years. The fact that it is happening is absolutely blowing my mind right now. My hat goes off to the producers and casting directors who imagined this.
I think Sierra's ok, but she manipulates her voice in some weird way which makes her sound really odd. Norm Lewis? He's good but is he right for Phantom? Maybe he'll be great. It seems Phantom is going through casting rather quickly these days. Used to be actors had years with the show...now only a few months to a year. Anyway, it's an interesting casting choice and a welcome change in a show that's been running so long. Interested to see/hear how he is.
as awesome as this news is, I think it's a shame that it took this long for a person of color to play the Phantom on Broadway... wait... was Kevin Gray white or just ambiguous (since he played The Engineer in Miss Saigon)
I think it's a shame that it took this long for a person of color to play the Phantom on Broadway
Well come on, there have only been 12 people who have played the Phantom on Broadway. (Not counting understudies or limited engagement/vacation covers.)
Robert Guillaume was never a Broadway Phantom though - he was the first replacement in Los Angeles. Nicholas Nkuna also understudied the Phantom in South Africa. This is a Broadway and West End first. A very damn exciting one.
I think Norm Lewis is a brilliant actor and cannot fathom how he hasn't got himself a Tony so far. So with this news I should be ecstatic right? Wrong, I always regarded the role of Phantom should be sang by someone in the range of a Tenor, however I have always regarded Norm as a baritone.
If someone is great in a role, what the hell is the problem if they keep coming back- that just means that more people who may have missed them before can get to see them- and they will see someone who is good in the role. If they like playing the role, who are you to say they need to move on. And I never understood why people frown when actors become replacements, has it never occurred to anyone that maybe they always wanted to play the part, and just haven’t gotten the chance, been able to make it work with their schedule. (Not saying that’s the case with Norm).
Note: this rant isn't directed at anybody personally, just has bothered me that through reading this threads over the years, I hear the same thing- and it bothers me.
I think Norm is certainly capable of singing the role...he's definitely a baritone but has a very strong higher register. I can't wait to see what he does with it.
The Phantom is indeed best sung by a tenor, but a baritone with a big range can pull it off. It's just a high tessa tura, but I think his top note is only an A flat.
Very happy that Norm will have a chance to do this, as are many of his fans and friends. It is indeed a dream role for him. He IS one of the nicest persons in the industry to work with and to know.
Does the actor playing the Phantom typically have an alternate?
From what I've been given to understand, the role of the Phantom is not a particularly vocally strenuous role, and since the character actually only has roughly about a half hour of stage time (and all of the Phantom's voiceovers are pre recorded), the role doesn't warrant having an alternate.
I believe the Vegas production double cast the roles of the Phantom and Christine, but that was probably more because that version played more than 8 shows a week.
"You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!" - Betty Parris to Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible