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.
Fraser News
The Boomerang Theatre Company (Tim Errickson, Artistic Director; Sue Abbott, Managing Director) announced addition casting for their 2012 outdoor production of Shakespeare's Hamlet, adapted and directed by Artistic Director Tim Errickson and starring Zack Calhoon as Hamlet and Mark Souza as Laertes. The production opens June 23rd, 2012 in Central Park, and is free to the public. Check out www.boomerangtheatre.org for more information.
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.
Chip Zien will join a panel of original 'Falsettos Trilogy' cast members Michael Rupert, Alison Fraser, Stephen Bogardus and Jonathan C. Kaplan at a pre-show Benefit Dinner supporting L.I.C.C. on Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 5:30 pm at Le Pain Quotidien - 65 Bleecker Street, NY.
Presented last December to sold out houses at Sheridan College's Oakville campus, Theatre Sheridan transfers its production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical RENT to Toronto's Panasonic Theatre tonight, May 16, where it runs through to May 27 (preview May 15). Tickets go on sale TODAY through mirvish.com or call TicketKing at 416.872.1212.
Julian Sands' warmly rendered readings and reminiscences of a man he much adored make 'A Celebration of Harold Pinter' a must-see event for now and future Pinter and Sands fans alike.
In her first return to television since 'Sex in the City,' Emmy Award-winning actress and fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker will guest star in the fourth season of GLEE.
Producers Victor Syrmis and Carl Rumbaugh, along with Culture Project's World Premiere of In Masks Outrageous and Austere, the final full-length play by Tennessee Williams, ends its limited engagement following the matinee performance today, May 13, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. The show, which began previews at Culture Project (45 Bleecker Street at Lafayette Street) on April 6 and opened on Monday, April 16, will have played 9 preview performance and 28 regular performances.
This summer, one of the greatest family musicals of all time is touching down in Grand Bend. The Huron Country Playhouse presents The Wizard of Oz for a limited three-week engagement, June 4th though June 23rd.
Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Director Jenny Gersten has announced additional casting for the 2012 Summer Season. A host of Williamstown Theatre Fesival veterans and talented newcomers including Becky Ann Baker, Marylouise Burke, Tyne Daly, Brandon Victor Dixon, Alison Fraser, Heather Lind, Amy Spanger, Jeremy Strong, Lili Taylor and many more, will take the stage during the Festival's 58th Season.
Paul Gross, one of Canada's acclaimed actors, leads the cast of Are You There, McPhee? a world premiere by John Guare at McCarter Theatre Center. Directed by Sam Buntrock, the production runs now through June 3, 2012.
National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, Inc. (NBLCA) will host its 25th Anniversary Choose Life Awards Hall of Hope and Remembrance Benefit Reception on Thursday, June 7, 2012, at 583 Park Avenue in New York City.
Renowned journalist and commentator John Stossel joined the Stuttering Foundation at tonight's (May 8th) gala in New York to celebrate National Stuttering Awareness Week and the Foundation's 65th Anniversary as the world's leading charitable organization helping those who stutter. See a photo of Stossel at the gala below!
Hampstead Theatre's World Premiere of CHARIOTS OF FIRE, opens tonight, 9 May and runs to Saturday 16 June 2012. For tickets and more information, visit: www.hampsteadtheatre.com.
The New York Public Library (NYPL) and Souleo Enterprises LLC, an event/media production company, have formed a partnership to provide adult library patrons with an exciting line-up of artistic/cultural, LGBT and financial literacy summer programming, beginning June 2012. Highlighting the evolving role of libraries as educational culture hubs, programming includes improv performances by the National Comedy Theater; make-up makeovers by NYC's top drag queens such as Hedda Lettuce; a panel on LGBT hip-hop; celebrity impersonators discussing diva worship; music industry veterans Meli'sa Morgan, Full Force and Christopher "Play" Martin discussing overcoming financial struggles; a master class in career reinvention by George C. Fraser; interactive workshops featuring the iconic drag entertainer John Epperson (Lypsinka's Maid); a fashion reinvention design workshop with Beau McCall; and much more. Full program information below.
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:
Producers Victor Syrmis and Carl Rumbaugh, along with Culture Project, announced today that the World Premiere of In Masks Outrageous and Austere, the final full-length play by Tennessee Williams, will end its limited engagement following the matinee performance on Sunday, May 13, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. The show, which began previews at Culture Project (45 Bleecker Street at Lafayette Street) on April 6 and opened on Monday, April 16, will have played 9 preview performance and 28 regular performances.
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater produces the 2011 Tony Award-winning production of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, directed by George C. Wolfe. Wolfe, who directed the show's sold-out Broadway engagement last season, mounts the professional D.C.-area premiere of this production, which features returning Broadway cast members Patrick Breen and Luke MacFarlane, among others. Presented by special arrangement with Daryl Roth, The Normal Heart runs June 8-July 29, 2012 in the Kreeger Theater.
Paul Gross, one of Canada's acclaimed actors, leads the cast of Are You There, McPhee? a world premiere by John Guare at McCarter Theatre Center. Directed by Sam Buntrock, the production runs tonight, May 4 through June 3, 2012. (Opening Night: Friday, May 11.)
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Tony nominees celebrate, Broadway sings Adele, the POPS turns 29, and so much more!
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