phantom of the opera national tour?

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 11:30am

I've never seen the show live. Is it worth seeing?

[Dave13]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 12:08pm

Its a classic. You can't call yourself a Broadway fan without seeing it.

Although, the tour has been updated with new sets, costumes and etc, but I believe the music is the same. I believe the Broadway version is still the original. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.

My only gripe about Phantom is they digitally enhance the actors voices and include pre-recorded material, which I believe is a sin for a Broadway show.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 12:10pm

If you've never seen the original you might not miss the original scenery and staging as much as I did. This tour has a new director and designers. The costumes are mostly the same but everything else is different from the Broadway production so just be aware of that. You won't be seeing a tour of the Broadway show.

[Johnnycantdecide]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 12:11pm

I call myself a broadway fan and I've never seen/never plan to see the show.

[jkl011]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 2:33pm

People who have seen the broadway show before seeing the new tour hated it, and people who are seeing the new tour without seeing the original like it because they don't know any better. In my opinion, the new tour sucks and is not worth seeing. It just doesn't have the same magic that the original has. I guess seeing the tour is better than seeing nothing at all, but the general consensus from fans seeing the tour is that it's a big disappointment.

[Dave13]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 2:49pm

Good to know. I guess I won't be catching the tour anytime soon.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 4:53pm

I am a pretty hardcore phan, and have been since 1988 when it premiered and I was only six years old. I consider myself a pretty good authority on most things phantom. There is nothing wrong with the current tour. Some will be disappointed that it is not the original, and that is its main fault.

There is pleanty of magic in the new production, when I saw it the cast did a fine job, and it never felt too cheap. Some of the staging was a bit awkward, one of the new costumes was a but lacking, but as a whole, it presented the material well. if you have never seen a production before, this is still a good introduction. That being said, if you have a chance, see the original. it is part of theatre history.

[PattyO'Furniture]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 5:02pm

I sort of agree with jimmycurry01. I, too, was six when it premiered and have spent the majority of my life loving it. I have seen a past tour, the Broadway production, and the current tour just a few weeks ago. The tour was top-notch.

I suppose I am glad to have seen it in the Majestic, but the updates were just so smart - so necessary to keep the narrative going. There's much more action, more fluidity, in the new tour that propels forward the narrative. During the overture, we are taken into Raoul's flashback. Practicing chorus girls slowly ease onto the stage, cast and crew get ready for the rehearsal. Instead of hanging out in the managers' office for ten minutes, in the tour, we are in their office, outside of the office, and then on "the stage" of the opera house for IL MUTO. I was more than pleased.

I'm happy to have seen Linda Balgord as Mme. Giry. Catch the tour if you can.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 10:39pm

What exactly do you mean by the actors' voices being "digitally enhanced?" Do you mean that the show is mixed on a digital console and the microphones are EQ'd and reverb is added? Because in that case, EVERY Broadway show is digitally enhanced (except maybe John Weston's).

And in reality, it's more common than not for Broadway musicals to use pre-recorded vocals in certain instances. Sorry for the bubble-bursting.

[Showface]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 10:50pm

"Its a classic. You can't call yourself a Broadway fan without seeing it."

This can be debated...I think the majority of those two sentences are incorrect...

Updated On: 11/13/14 at 10:50 PM

[phan24]

Posted: 11/16/14 at 10:51pm

If you've never seen the show and you have the opportunity to see this tour, then I say go see it! The magic is still there, from the chandelier to the awesome new set for the Phantom's Lair. The cast is OK, but the music/story makes up for it.

The Broadway production is a little darker and you can feel the 80's magic while watching the show, which is pretty cool. And the cast is always good.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 12/7/14 at 1:21am

I'm looking into seeing this in Tampa when I am there for the holidays. From reading this, I am curious as to if this is still the general opinion that the show is solid on tour. I confess, I have never seen the original production. All I have seen are a few youtube videos and the movie. Also, does anyone know what days the alternate Christine goes on? I only ask because I am looking at going to the Christmas Eve matinee. I'd be happy to see either, just curious. Any input would be great!

[SweetLips]

Posted: 12/7/14 at 1:31am

If you love musical theatre then go see it and you will be able to tell us what you think.
Don't be swayed by others either way-the world won't stop spinning if you don't go but you will always be curious and wonder if....

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 12/7/14 at 5:47am

"My only gripe about Phantom is they digitally enhance the actors voices and include pre-recorded material, which I believe is a sin for a Broadway show."

They do this during the title song because of how it is staged. Christine and the Phantom are offstage part of the number too and I believe at one point they have body doubles.

I've seen it on Broadway as well as the most recent tour. The girl who played Christine (Julia Udine) had an amazing voice, but lacked chemistry with both Raoul and the Phantom. For example, during All I Ask of You when (spoiler???) when she kisses Raoul, it was anticlimactic; didn't really feel the passion.

I just read an article that she is transferring to the Broadway production, so I'm curious as to how she will do there. According to the official website, there is a different Christine.

[RENT_is_Wicked2]

Posted: 12/7/14 at 4:16pm

gleek4114, I'm seeing it in Tampa as well. I saw Dirty Dancing last night and the Straz Center lists their shows in programs by month. So looking at the cast list for Phantom, it doesn't say when alternates go on. I'm curious how the schedule for the Tampa run will go considering that there are extra matinee's for the holidays.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 12/11/14 at 12:58am

Just got home after seeing this show at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center, which is a beautiful new theatre. I've never been a big fan of Phantom, but this show kinda blew me away. I wasn't expecting much, but I happened to think that the whole show was gorgeous.
I loved the new set. The way that it unraveled was incredible. It reminded me of a pop up book with its ornate backdrops. There were also quite a few brilliantly staged scenes. The one scene in which the stagehand is hanged is amazing. They split the stage to show the ballet happening onstage and the stagehand offstage.
As for the cast, Christine was beautiful and earned a standing ovation after
"Wishing you were somehow here again." Her voice was powerful and filled the theatre wonderfully.
Roul (I think that's how it's spelled) was good. Not great. But good. His voice wasn't as pleasant as the others, but it was still glorious.
The Phantom was great. He did have a strange nasal tone, but his soaring falsetto made up for it. I'm happy that I got to see him.
My favorite was Carlotta though. Her voice was FANTASTIC. She didn't make the character over the top. She didn't come off as a huge diva. Just a talented artist who worked really hard to be where she is and everything is going wrong. She made me wonder if Christine actually deserved all of the roles she was getting.
They also focused a bit more on the Phantom dedicating his life to making Christine a star. The way they do this was incredibly touching but i won't give Iit away.

Here's my quick little review. Go see this production if you can. It may not be
The original but it is still beautiful. Updated On: 12/11/14 at 12:58 AM

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 12/14/14 at 11:59pm

I thought the tour was darker than Broadway. The only thing I really missed was the staircase during "Masquerade." The new set is extraordinary.

Audrey

[bryan]

Posted: 12/15/14 at 5:14pm

I think that we have had enough of the phantom of the opera and all show like the Broadway show should just colesd to many years on broadway

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 12/15/14 at 6:35pm

^Ummmm?


Whut...

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 12/15/14 at 6:47pm

Whatever someone thinks about the new POTO tour, it's clear that Cameron Mackintosh did NOT give in to the temptation to make the touring production a pale, inexpensive copy of the original. "Forbidden Broadway" has a hilarious spoof of that phenomenon called "Teeny Todd" (the little brother of Sweeney).

[Marway44]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 11:52am

Like Audrey (AHLiebross), the one thing I missed was the staircase as well in "Masquerade". On a side note and Audrey will agree with me, the show deck was very high and I did not like missing the monkey when it was on the stage. Other than that, it was far enough away between the pit and stage to afford a great view.

Updated On: 12/16/14 at 11:52 AM

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 12:48pm

Marway44, I definitely agree with you that sitting in the front row makes it almost impossible to get even a glimpse of the new monkey. I assumed that it was just the venue (in Philadelphia -- I've forgotten the theater's name). In the original, the monkey spends a lot of time higher up, and people get to see him in all his glorious detail.

Audrey

[Marway44]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 5:11pm

It was the Kimmel Center Audrey and normally the stage is not so high. They just had very tall show deck. I don't know why the monkey wouldn't be on something high, but then again he's on the stage in the original production as well.

[NoName3]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 5:58pm

Forbidden Broadway's Sweeney Todd parody had nothing to do with Phantom. It spoofed the first Broadway revival of Sweeney at Circle in the Square, which was a very small, intimate production (in fact, it began off-off-Broadway in a church). We used to call it either Teeney Sweeney or Tiny Todd. At the time, Phantom was only about a year into its Broadway run and had not yet launched a national tour, unless you want to count the sit-down production that played several years in LA before moving to San Francisco as a tour.

Updated On: 12/16/14 at 05:58 PM

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 12/16/14 at 9:08pm

NoName3, I didn't mean to imply that Forbidden Broadway's Sweeney Todd parody had anything directly to do with Phantom. Instead, I said that Cameron Mackintosh avoided doing what Sweeney Todd's producers did -- making everything less expensive, till the show became a pale imitation of the original.

In Britain, when the new POTO production toured, Mackintosh wisely refused to skimp on talent. He hired two experienced Phantoms to reprise the role. However, he made one big mistake as far as the phans were concerned: The chandelier did NOT fall in the British touring version. He corrected this error for the new U.S. tour. The new version is so complex that it takes something like 64 trucks to move the sets.

There are some major improvements in the new version, but I don't like the Phantom's willingness to shove Christine around. Also, the Phantom's new wig is rather goofy -- why wear a wig that suffers from cowlicks? Based on the photos I've seen of the new cast, however, the wig problem may have been fixed.