The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, a fully-staged, lavish 25th anniversary mounting of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running Broadway and West End extravaganza, comes to Great Performances in March (check local listings) on PBS.
To mark the musical’s Silver Anniversary, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh presented “The Phantom of the Opera” in the sumptuous Victorian splendor of London’s Royal Albert Hall. International audiences were invited to join the celebration when the evening was transmitted live to cinemas worldwide. This dazzling restaging of the original production recreates the jaw-dropping scenery and breathtaking special effects of the original, set to Lloyd Webber’s haunting score.
Watch a preview:
The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall stars Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine. Both had triumphed in the London premiere of “Love Never Dies,” Lloyd Webber’s sequel to “The Phantom of the Opera,” both earning prestigious Olivier Award nominations for their roles.
Karimloo and Boggess are joined by Barry James as Monsieur Firmin, Gareth Snook as Monsieur André, Liz Robertson as Madame Giry and Wynne Evans as Piangi, together with a cast and orchestra of more than 200 including special guest appearances by the original Phantom and Christine, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman. Illustrious past Phantoms Peter Jöback, John Owen-Jones, Anthony Warlow, and Colm Wilkinson join forces for a powerful “Music of the Night,” all introduced by a beaming Lloyd Webber. Besides that hit tune, the show contains such favorites as “All I Ask of You,” “Think of Me,” “Prima Donna,” “Masquerade” and “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.”
Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” first opened in 1986 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London and is based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Set against the glamor and spectacle of the Paris Opera House, Leroux told of a horribly disfigured Phantom, once a promising musician, who now terrorizes the opera company. Shamed by his physical appearance and feared by all, the Phantom is drawn to the beautiful ingénue Christine Daaé and begins coaching her secretly, as a tragic romance unfolds between the unlikely pair.
Worldwide, “The Phantom of the Opera” has grossed over $5.6 billion. It has been seen in 145 cities in 27 countries and played to more than 130 million people. The show has won more than 50 major theatre awards, including seven Tony® and three Olivier® Awards in the West End. It is currently showing in London, New York, Budapest, Las Vegas and Kyoto. In 2006, it became Broadway’s longest running show ever.
Cast:
Ramin Karimloo … The Phantom
Sierra Boggess … Christine
Hadley Fraser … Raoul
Wendy Ferguson … Carlotta Guidicelli
Barry James … Monsieur Firmin
Gareth Snook … Monsieur André
Liz Robertson … Madame Giry
Wynne Evans … Ubaldo Piangi
Sergei Polunin … Slave Master – Hannibal / Shepherd – Il Muto
Daisy Maywood … Meg Giry
Nick Holder … Joseph Buquet
Earl Carpenter … Auctioneer
Philip Griffiths… Monsieur Reyer
Simon Green … Monsieur Lefevre
Stephen Davis … Don Attilio (”Il Muto”)
Garðar Cortes … Passarino (”Don Juan Triumphant”)
Heather Jackson … Madame Firmin
Ellen Jackson … Wardrobe Mistress
Rosemary Ashe… Confidante (”Il Muto”)
The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall was directed by Laurence Connor with musical staging and choreography by Gillian Lynne, based on the original London Production Directed by Hal Prince with Musical Staging and Choreography by Gillian Lynne. The Royal Albert Hall was transformed with a spectacular and unique design by Matt Kinley inspired by Maria Björnson’s original design. Lighting was by Patrick Woodroffe and Andrew Bridge and Sound by Mick Potter. The production was produced by Cameron Mackintosh.
The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall was directed for television by Nick Morris.
The fully-staged production will be released on Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on February 7.
THIRTEEN’s Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN for WNET, one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers. For nearly 50 years, WNET has been producing and broadcasting national and local arts programming to the New York community.
For Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell is series producer; David Horn is executive producer. Great Performances is funded by Vivian Milstein, The Starr Foundation, the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Joseph A. Wilson, public television viewers, and PBS.
Do you air Channel 13 Great Performances at prime time on Channels 12 and 39 on Sundays? Am disabled and unable to watch during work week.
Dear Belle,
THIRTEEN / WNET will be airing GREAT PERFORMANCES: The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall this Sunday, March 4th at 7 p.m. We hope you are able to watch and enjoy it.
Thank you for your question.
I missed the chance to order the pbs/oeta special because of vacation,,,,is there anyway to order the complete video and extras presented during this showing as a support fundraiser …..please say yes. i heard the 5 Phantoms singing at the end was fantastic….and then there was Sarah………..please say this is available
I taped the recent showing on Great Performances, then awkwarding deleted the episode on my DISH TV DVR. When will it show again? Thank you
Belle,
Channel 12 (WHYY, Philadelphia) will air this on Sunday, March 4, at 7 p.m.
When is Phantom of the Opera on television? My zip is 02465 and I have Verizon
Dear Susan,
Please use the schedule widget on our site here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/schedule/ or the national PBS schedule widget below.
http://www.pbs.org/tv_schedules/
This program will be airing on PBS throughout March, starting this Sunday, March 3rd.
Thank you for your question.
Oh wow cant wait!!!!! My favorit Broadway Show of all time :)
I am with KLRN Just wondering if we get to see Phantom as well, because the schedual keeps saying KLRU.
PETER JOBACK IS NOT A “PAST” PHANTOM; HE WILL BE PLAYING THE ROLE LATER THIS YEAR IN THE WEST END PRODUCTION.
Will you be showing this any other times throughout the month? Is there a DVD available?
Re: message above: On WGVU, Grand Rapids, MI…
I had a chance to Phantom not only once, but twice. The first time I was in 8th grade in Kansas City, Mo, and I feel in love with the music. The second time was when I was in college in March of 2009 I saw it in London!
I have LOVED Phantom since the beginning; first time at the Fox in St Louis. Still in love with the music. Today’s production from Royal Albert was just FANTASTIC.
I would like to send donation (for 2 DVD Set) to Channel 9, KETC-TV, ST Louis MO, but I can’t find the phone number and failed to copy it when the show was on. Will you please advise.
Hi, I love the play completely and was wondering about some of the lyrics I heard during this production. Does anyone know if they’ve been changed recently and/or are the original lyrics that were changed for different productions?
Why did Michael Crawford not sing Music of the Night? He is, after all,THE Phantom of the Opera. I just don’g understand
He did not perform because he had just finished a matinee of The Wizard of Oz.
IT is not the phantom without Michael!!!!!!!!!!!
You are so right. Just as Yul Brynner was the King of Siam, Michael Crawford is the ONLY Phantom forevermore. It was such a shame that he wasn’t the Phantom in the first movie remake. I never did watch that movie because there could never be anyone other than Michael as the Phantom. I saw Michael in New York, then 6 times in LA. That man has no equal.
Yes, please, I, too, would like to know why Michael Crawford did not sing. Also, would like to see the answer to Andrea’s question about changes from the original.
My husband and I have seen Phantom on Broadway five times. “Twice with Michael Crawford”. The first time was on on June 17, 1988. No others can compare. I loved tonights show, until the man who made Phantom a household word, did not sing. How could everyone else perform except Michael Crowford?/ I am in tears!!
Just viewed the Phantom on KPTS channel 8 in Wichita Kansas and it was AMAZING!!! Always such a passionate story that never fails to bring a tear to my eye at its close.
SPLENDID performances by all!!
I too was disappointed Michael did not sing. But more disappointed with the sound quality of the broadcast. Lots of audio breaks and “pops” – I contacted our DTV service and after some checking was told it was a problem with the broadcast itself – wondering if anyone else experienced the same problem. Tried other receivers in our home as well as other channels – only this channel had the audio issue on all our receivers. I called WHRO and left message as no one on customer service line answered the phone. I LOVE Phantom – saw it at least 4 times but very very dissapointed to the problems with this evenings broadcast.
Your cable company was not telling the truth. Just watched this from Miami, FL WPBT2 and it was crystal clear, with the exception of one stop. But, what a performance. This was great.
Kathy well there is a bluray, and it is excellent with the sound quality, and of course the picture quality is even sharper….broadcast is always bitrate starved.
The performance and the finale with the original cast make it a must have bluray title:)
Sandra and I first experienced The Phantom in Edinburgh in 1996 and were BLOWN AWAY by the production and the music. We have just watched the UNC presentation of the production in Albert Hall and want to share it with others!!
Thanks so much
Larry
I first saw Phantom in Chicago in the ’90s. Twenty minutes into the first act, the woman in front of me had a heart attack. Needless to say, we came back a second time to see the show in its entirety. Tonight’s performance was wonderful – music, performers, scenery, costuming – and…..no cardiac arrests!
We checked online. He apparently had just finished performing in a matinee at the Palladium as the Wizard in another Andrew Lloyd Webber production, The Wizard of Oz. It was disappointing none the less.
Watched in South Florida WPBT. No sound problems I was aware of. Please, though I guess it shows my lack of comprehensive knowledge of the artists, theproduction and its history: What is the name of the Phantom with the white hair and beard: and the one who was bald. Are all the Phantoms tenors; I’ll be researching to learn more about the range and definition, but were any of those artists baritones rather than tenors. I was thrilled to see this magnificent production; I had seen only a traveling company at the Broward Theatre of Performing Arts more years ago than I can remember. I remember it as an excellent production, and of course, I was already in love with the music. That said, I do think that the finale was the best part of the entire performance, and will watch it repeatedly to re-experience the thrill of soul that that I felt hearing it.
Yes, all of the Phantoms are tenors as are all of the Raouls. The Christines are high sopranos. I enjoy when the characters of Christine and Raoul appear young, innocent & demeur – this was not the case in this performance though both of their voices were lovely. I agree the finale was the forte of this anniversary performance of the Worlds best musical. I was thrilled that Sarah Brightman held her own with all of the Phantoms (except Michael Crawford.) Just in Heaven that 25 years later “The Angel of Music” still lighted beautifully on that E3. She is phenomenal and continues to perform wonderful concerts.
When will it air again, I wasn’t able to see it tonight.
I’m in Buffalo and TV schedule says tonight 3/5, 11:30 pm. Loved it, Loved it, Loved it! I
Oops!
I too was disappointed MC didn’t sing. Every time there was a break I expected him to walk out, I’ve seen the show 6 times; 5 in Toronto (Once w/ Colm Wilkinson!) once in Bflo.
I had the opportunity in September of traveling to England and France. One of the highlights of my trip was to see this same cast in Phantom at the Queen’s Theatre on Sept. 21st. I had seen it before in San Antonio TX 16 years ago but this rendition was just fabulous. Saw the televised show at Royal Albert last evening and was just absolutely enthralled once again!!! Thank you for bringing this to us!
I missed most of the performance
on pbs our home channnel 8 in Phoenix Az. March 4. Will this be airing again soon?. So want to see it as it is my favorite of all . Will be going to see Love never dies at our local theatre on Wensday . So excited.. T/Y
Hi Nancy,
Please check your local schedule using the PBS schedule widget below. Remember that the schedule can only see two weeks into the future, so if you don’t see it immediately it may be playing later in the month.
http://www.pbs.org/tv_schedules
Thanks for your question.
This 25th anniversary production was wonderfully produced and performed. I never considered myself a “groupie” but there I was at five productions of POTO and by far, Michael Crawford was the best. We say him twice, went back stage, met Hal Prince and Michael came out and signed programs and went off to dinner with one of his family members (sister). He had a fan who came every night to his LA performance and each time she left a red rose for Michael. His vocal range is amazing coupled with his mesmerizing acting! You just couldn’t take your eyes off of him. What a shame he did not sing at the anniversary show. I read that he just sang a matinee of Wizard of Oz. Michael-I still want to hear you sing again in concert-hope to have that chance.
I love Channel 13, but missed THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA performance on March 7, 2012 at 7pm. When will it be re-televised? Thank you.
Hi Janie,
Thank you for your comment. You can check the Great Performances schedule by clicking the SCHEDULE tab above on this page or by visiting the PBS schedule widget below.
http://www.pbs.org/tv_schedules/
I walked in just after the actual show ended, but there was a fabulous performance of some of the songs at the end with the cast and others watching. Who were all the singers, who else came on stage at the end?
Bravo
I finally got to see the whole performance on Tues. the 8th. I know all the words and all the music since I first got my tape. I missed Michael Crawford in NYC. Ofcourse he was my favorite. Sara Brightman also was my favorite and have seen her in concert. But I enjoy anyone who sings it in concert. I also enjoyed the movie tremendously. I play it while I do my housework.
The performance was fabulous! The costumes, the singing the dancing. I cried at different times and at the end.
I was dissapointed that MC did not sing and got my answer today. Not sure as if I agree that something could have worked out before hand. I have seen him perform at Foxwoods in Ct.
I loved the performance at the RAH. Most of all, I love Andrew Lloyd Weber for all of the happiness I have recieved from his music.
nancy eisele says:
March 4, 2012 at 9:06 pm
Why did Michael Crawford not sing Music of the Night? He is, after all,THE Phantom of the Opera. I just don’g understand
Reply
Tamela says:
March 5, 2012 at 12:33 am
He did not perform because he had just finished a matinee of The Wizard of Oz.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Interesting… Ramin Karimloo had just minutes earlier, performed the WHOLE POTO role, but he still got to sing a little more at the end of the finale w/ Brightman, etc.
Perhaps because Karimloo is 34, and Crawford is 70.
Also, matinee means MC had already performed a show TWICE over. Anyone would be shot for the day.
Wow! What a fantastic presentation! I’ll have to purchase the BLU-RAY copy for my wife and I. Phantom of the Opera is without a doubt the best play EVER – best music, best story-line, etc. Lloyd Weber is a genius – but remains humble! Thank you to all the cast and producers and thank you Mr. Weber for sharing the music in your head!
I live in outside of the US and watch PBS on WGHB, I missed half of tonight’s show, will it air on this channel again soon? I could not find the info.
Thanks.
I was wondering where I could find the name of the other Phantoms that sang in the special production, at the end. They were fantastic too. I was sorry that Michael didn’t sing either..
Names of the other Phantoms that sang at the end of the PBS show are: Peter Joback, John Owen-Jones, Anthony Warlow & Colm Wilkinson.
Saw the show last night – also would like to purchase the DVD – no phone number. How can I buy it? Thank yoi
the show came on last night. it was so incredible. the cast did an awesome job. the show will be back on next tuesday night @ same time @ 7:00 pm. the songs were beautiful including the music of the night.
Will Phantom ever be repeated again, esp. w/o breaks?
Just get the bluray Ellen, the extra bitrate makes a difference, its flawless, and of course no pledge breaks:D Broadcast hd is over compressed, detail is lost.
A+ – The show last nite was absolutely OUTSTANDING!! I thought Ramin was PERFECT as the Phantom! He was fantastic, energetic, passionate and sang brilliantly!! Everyone has their favorite, hes definitely mine! ;-) Sierra too as Christine, she was beautiful.
I liked the encore ending because I didnt want the show to end. However, as much as I love Sara Brightman (have all of her CDs), I thought her singing the Phantom of the Opera with all the lead Phantom ‘guys’ was a bit out of line as it upstaged Sierras performance. Anyone else think so? I mean, really, after a performance where you sing and perform your heart out (Sierra), then have a song ‘re-sung’ in the end by a bigger star (Sarah), thinking shes the star of the show, was a bit much for me. Where was Sierra? Pushed to the back while Sarah Brightman had all the ‘men’ around her…was that ‘really’ necessary? It was a completely rude upstaging of the REAL ‘female’ star of the show that nite: Sierra Boggess!!! You go girl!
I don’t really think she was upstaged, brightman fans are brightman fans, her warbly voice does not appeal to me so for folks like me her performance was pretty far from upstaging sierra boggesses performance. I prefer the texture of sierra boggesses voice, and she’s better looking to boot;)
The grand finale bit was done as well as it could have been, a grand remembrance of the history of the show.
Hi Fred,
Well, I bought the DVD anyway that night and just got it this past week in the mail! I have watched it twice already. I think this performance was fantastic. It was ‘real’ theater! I agree with you though…re Sarahs ‘wabbaly’ voice. Shes older now, but is still very good and she did not upstatge the beautiful Sierra Bogges. These two really had chemistry!! ;-) I wish I could see them live in this production. After seeing the DVD again, the end finally is really terrific, especially with all the former Phantoms! Enjoy…
This may be random, but its slightly bugging me, in the last song one of the men singing (greyish white hair and beard) seemed alot like a man that has played Jean ValJean in Les Miserables, and I have been trying to figure out if it was him or not, help?
YES! That’s Colm Wilkinson. He’s marvelous! I liked all the Phantoms except the younger guy with the dark hair. Just didn’t care for his timbre. Other than Mr Wilkinson, I don’t know who’s who among the other 3 Phantoms.
It was a wonderful performance. Thank you for broadcasting it. It saddens me I was not able to watch the first half. The second showtime was at midnight, so I wasn’t able to watch it either. I do wish PBS will allow another broadcasting.
Love Phantom. Seen it 3 times onstage and the movie (what a disappointment-lead actors had no charisma at all) Of course, no one could touch Michael Crawford. If anyone did not see him as the Phantom, get the c.d. with him and Sarah Brightman and listen. What a disappointment that he didn”t sing. I waited and waited and thought that he would be the last to sing as grand finale of the evening.
Thought it was wonderful, wish others would stop with the comparisons and just enjoy the performance.
just caught the very end of this performance. Will it be on again?.today is march 13′ 2012,
Hi Ron,
Thank you for your question. You can check the Great Performances schedule by clicking the SCHEDULE tab above on this page or by visiting the PBS schedule widget below.
http://www.pbs.org/tv_schedules/
Please tell me where to purchase the dvd. Thank You .
Hi Nancy,
The DVD of our production of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall can be found on the pbs store at http://www.shoppbs.org. Many stations are showing this program as a part of their pledge season and the DVD can also be obtained through your support of your local station as well.
Thank you for your question. We’re so glad you enjoyed the program.
I LOVE THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA! I love listening to this story ever since I was first told about it and seen the movie when I was a kid, it had such a huge impact on me.This performance is one of the most magnificant performance I had ever seen in my life. Great Performance have such great shows, plays, musicals and performances, this is my favortie show to watch and I do watch it a lot with my mom. I love this performance of the Phantom of the Opera, especially the leading actors, Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Bogess. They are both very talented actors and have such beautiful and powerful voices. Sierra Bogess is very beautiful and Ramin Karimloo is so hansom!!! These people have class and culture and appreciate wonderful things in this world like the performance they give for everyone to enjoy. Thank You!!
Could u let me no when Phantom of the Opera will be on again. I missed it.
So very much enjoyed this program the other night and hope PBS will re-broadcast it again! Surprised with all the rave reviews for Ramin and Sierra (tho they are certainly well-deserved) that there haven’t been compliments for Hadley Fraser’s interpretation of ‘Raoul’? I though his passion and strength were fantastic, and the range and clarity of his voice are amazing! I could listen to him and Sierra over and over! I will definitely be purchasing this DVD set!! Thank you thank you thank you PBS for sharing this one with us!! :D
When Will this be on again in Tucson
Enjoyed the anniversary performance.A little later I rented “Love Never Dies” from my pay per view service.I was reminded of a couple of other musicals I’d like to see
one was “cats” ,it came to Alberta this passed year to celebrate it’s anniversary performance.The music written for “Love Never Dies” sounded much like “love changes everything”.The musical that might be interesting to revive in concert was the 1986 musical”Edwin Drood”.I believe they opened in New York about the same time.I love Great Performances and as soon as I am in a better financial place,I’ll be supporting PBS again.Elizabeth
When it will be aired again in San Francisco? Thanks
Are there any plans to air “Love Never Dies”? I know it was recorded and also recently released on Blu-ray.
WOW!!! What a fantastic experience! Now I will have to see the Phantom LIVE somwhere! Thank you for bringing this show to PBS. — WOW!!!
When will Phantom be aired in Youngstown Ohio????
Hi Marcia,
Thanks for your interest in The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall. Please check your local listings by either clicking the SCHEDULE tab above and putting in your local station info or going to the PBS schedule website below.
http://www.pbs.org/tv_schedules/
Hope you find this information helpful.
are you finished airing phantom of the opera? i can’t find it on any listings.
thank you for airing it in the first place. i can’t believe i’ve missed out on the amazingness that is hadley fraser before now.
Thankyou PBS for allowing us to see this wonderful production!
I prefer Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. Ramin is singing a bit out of his range. Sierra’s voice is a little too “thin” and her annunciation isn’t great. I think Wendy Ferguson did a wonderful version of the coloratura Carlotta. The production, set design, costumes etc. are wonderful. My only complaint there would be the grainy background video. They should have used jumbo plasma panels or something.
Just my two cents.
Will you be airing Phantom again (Tampa). I missed it the first time.
Hi Kimm,
As it’s the end of March, chances are that there are very few repeats left of Phantom. However, a DVD or blu-ray of the production is available at shoppbs.org. We’re sorry that you missed the broadcast!
Thanks for your question.
GP Team
If the pink uggs stained with the stains, you can soak into the water washing, drying after going to put shoes in the shoe stays in the tube to keep the boots upright nature.
Will Phantom ever be on PBS again so many people missed the few viewings.
Hi Rob,
We’re glad you enjoyed The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall. As Phantom is a pledge program, chances are you’ll see repeats in the summer and possibly in December. As always, if you can’t wait, you can go to shoppbs.org and order the DVD or blu-ray.
Hope this answers your question.
Took your advise and went to your shopping website. Phantom 25th anniversary was not offered.
Hi Jan,
Below is the direct link to the DVD on shoppbs.org. The blu-ray or CD is also available. The title of the 25th anniversary concert is The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall.
http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=12722092&cp=&kw=phantom&parentPage=search
Thank you for broadcasting the special 25th Anniversary production of the “Phantom of the Opera.” Haven’t seen it in years and was blown away! A stellar cast. They had chemistry, beautiful voices, wonderful acting, drama, suspense, love, humor. It had it all. Can not get the music out of my mind!
Wish it would be re-aired! And soon.
i am only but a child,a musican none the less and i have been touched by the phantoms music.i guess this is prof that opera and young kids can go hand in hand,though i do have great love with music.i have bought the dvd and i have showed it to my freinds.they all loved it.even my teachers loved it,my band dirceters and my regular teachers.i wish to one day play the part of christine.my heart was touched most by ‘music of the night’.i am also a peot in many forms. i will like to say that by far,the cast was 100% amazing.i can tell they all work very hard to put in a great show. :D,and thank you for your gift of music that will always be a part of my world.
Sierra Boggess – after watching the 25th Anniversary show I’m a huge fan. Ms. Boggess voice is anything but thin. How absurd. Ramin Karimloo – a perfect Phantom. If the producers had any sense they would set up a tour so us poor folks who live in all points west of London and New York (and didn’t catch them in Las Vegas) could see these two perform Phantom live. They were made for this music. Or maybe just tour the Vegas version. Pay them both a ton of $$$ and get them on the road for a year so the rest of us can appreciate them live. And throw in Hadley Fraser. Sierra Boggess has got IT and yes it seemed odd that she was left out of the ending sequence of performers. Noticed that when the past Phantoms came out she and Michael Crawford exited the back fo the stage. My thought is they went to a warm up room to see if he and any voice left and sadly the Wizzard had taken it all. Sierra’s omission at the end was the only negative in this ‘great performance’.
Did not know it was coming on PBS (New Jersey-Comcast chanel 23) this past weekend until I accidently turned the station on. By that time it had already started. Would have purchased the DVD & CD but caught me at a “non-pay” week. Please let me know ahead of time when this is coming on again. Purchased tickets for my son & daughter-in-law to see the actual show with Michael Crawford in New York years ago. They said it was fantastic & very emotional. Never got to see it myself. Want to know ahead of time when it’s coming on so I can see it again on PBS and purchase. Phanton, Le Mis & more. Andrew Lloyd Webber is so talented.
Phantom is by far the best musical to have graced the stages! My mum always goes on about how she saw it 25 years ago with Micheal Crawford in it. I saw him recently in the London production of The Wizard of Oz, which he was great in.
I saw Phantom a few years ago, I wasn’t going to because I thought I was into newer musicals like Wicked, however after reading reviews of Phantom and finally listening to my mum, I thought I would.
BEST DECISION EVER. Turns out new musicals have A LOT to learn from golden olides like this one, and cats, les mis etc.
The staging in the London production was FANTASTIC, it actually looked like they were gliding along a river. And the moment that the chandelier fell was heart stopping.
I wish I could have seen the Royal Albert Hall production too!
I cannot see an end to this musical.
Friend had DVR of the presentation. FABULOUS!!! FANTASTIC!! Gorgeous production, loved every minute of it. Thank you PBS.
I also watched the 25th anniversary show and I was blown away.
Phantom is seriously one of the best musicals EVER created! This is Andrew Lloyd Webber at his absolute best! If only he could create something as game changing as Phantom for today’s theatre. I did see Love Never Dies but it wasn’t anything compared to its counterpart.
I agree with MarJay – the moment the chandelier fell was wonderful. Gasps echoed across the room.
How many times has Phantom been shown on New Mexico’s KNME channel 5 station within the past 6 months? Thank you for your timely response.
When will the Phantom air again on PBS/OPT…………SW Missouri?
When the writer, after this evening’s performance, started inviting a bunch of other performers of roles in previous productions of The Phantom it was pretty tacky, esp. having his “musical angel” Sarah Brightman come out to sing, too.
The production with Karimloo, Boggess et al. deserved to bask in the audience’s grateful pleasure, and the audience deserved to leave the theatre and head on home with a deep, rich, clean feeling of having communed with a fantastic ensemble of actors and an exceptionally moving story and orchestral gift –
— RATHER THAN HAVE THAT WHOLE EXPERIENCE SLICED AND DICED INTO SNIPPET HIT-SONG RENDITIONS BY A DOZEN PREVIOUS PERFORMERS OF THE ROLES, regardless of how delightful each of those previous performers may be personally or professionally. Tonight wasn’t the night for them.
I don’t know if i’m the only one to feel and think this, but i think the author should have had the tact, no, the class, to let it be, to let the night the audience and present cast shared be their night, period. Maybe he’s going to die soon, and it wasn’t his idea to have all his old musical compadres jump up on stage to celebrate this production (maybe the last he’ll see in his lifetime?). But whoever’s idea it was, it sure diluted the experience of the evening for me. Why couldn’t they have given all his buddies and his Brightman Muse a separate night, and properly honor the performers of THIS evening’s Phantom — for the audience’s sake AND for this evening’s cast’s sake. Commercialism has seriously diseased some people’s judgment, methinks….
I’m with you 100% SteveG. Sierra and Ramin and the other cast menbers should have been the only ones receiving ‘bravos’. Can’t say it any better than you have. Their performance was outstanding. And what a voice Sierra has!!