The Phantom of the Opera - His Majesty's Theatre

[theatre-turtle]

I thought it was a bit weird they gave sierra the opportunity to totally upstage celinde at the end with her solo

[indis]

Oct 10, 2016 22:39:10 GMT hitmewithurbethshot said:

Who was the 4th Phantom in the title song? I recognised JOJ, Ben & Gardar

Scott Davies

[couldileaveyou]

Oct 10, 2016 22:39:10 GMT hitmewithurbethshot said:

Who was the 4th Phantom in the title song? I recognised JOJ, Ben & Gardar

Scott Davies?

[indis]

Was very disappointed staying up to see this finale. It was all the great Sierra Show again. And i did not like her singing at all. Not a fan of Celinde too tbh. Somehow something was lacking. And on too of it whats the point in bringing on Harriet Jones in Masquerade if they hide her behind the Ensemble? ??

[daniel]

I was there tonight and have to say I absolutely loved it. It was the first time I've seen Phantom in London and not been massively underwhelmed by it. Ben I was pleasently surprised by as the Phantom, he wasn't perfect by any means but was a heck of a lot better than I was expecting him to be. Celinde I thought was okay...vocally very strong, but overall I didn't love her portrayal in the same way that I did Harriet Jones/Olivia Brereton on previous performances. Nadim as Raoul I really liked - had Liam Tamne last time and it was possibly the most phoned in performance I've ever seen in a theatre, so the bar wasn't exactly set high for Nadim, but I thought he was really really good. The other characters were fine, no one else really has a big enough part to make a really big impression. Messieurs Firman and André handled the comedic side of their roles very well and got a great response from the audience, Madame Giry was no way fierce/feisty enough in my mind.

The finale was wonderful. Perhaps it didn't come across great online but the atmosphere in the theatre was electric. I do think that Cameron and Andrew chatted a bit longer than they needed to but the performances were brilliant, and it was lovely to have the French segment too.

Definite highlight had to be the entire Upper Circle and Balcony getting in for a big photo! (Can be seen on Twitter #phantom30th)

[Ade]

Oct 10, 2016 22:59:04 GMT daniel said:

I was there tonight and have to say I absolutely loved it. It was the first time I've seen Phantom in London and not been massively underwhelmed by it. Ben I was pleasently surprised by as the Phantom, he wasn't perfect by any means but was a heck of a lot better than I was expecting him to be. Celinde I thought was okay...vocally very strong, but overall I didn't love her portrayal in the same way that I did Harriet Jones/Olivia Brereton on previous performances. Nadim as Raoul I really liked - had Liam Tamne last time and it was possibly the most phoned in performance I've ever seen in a theatre, so the bar wasn't exactly set high for Nadim, but I thought he was really really good. The other characters were fine, no one else really has a big enough part to make a really big impression. Messieurs Firman and André handled the comedic side of their roles very well and got a great response from the audience, Madame Giry was no way fierce/feisty enough in my mind.

The finale was wonderful. Perhaps it didn't come across great online but the atmosphere in the theatre was electric. I do think that Cameron and Andrew chatted a bit longer than they needed to but the performances were brilliant, and it was lovely to have the French segment too.

Definite highlight had to be the entire Upper Circle and Balcony getting in for a big photo! (Can be seen on Twitter #phantom30th)

Just found this pic and spotted myself. Well done that man for doing it!

[Deleted]

Way, way too much French nonsense. I know it's supposed to be the language of luuurve and all that, but it sounded really ugly. I hoped when Sierra broke into English that would be it for the French promo, but no. I want her dress, though.

I rather liked the comedy routine to All I Ask of You - possibly because when it's played straight it's one of the drippiest songs in the MT repertoire, featuring two of the drippiest characters in MT, and I can't stand it.

Deeply disappointed no JOJ singing Music of the Night. Hardly worth getting those Phantoms up on stage, for what we saw of them.

[potomusicalfan]

It was wonderful, but there was so much missing in the celebration. I guess we have been spoilt by the 25th with Colm and Anthony Warlow and Sarah Brightman et al.

I wish they had mentioned Sarah a bit more (she is currently performing in Turkey from what I gathered), and if they could have had messages from her and Hal Prince, which would have made the evening complete. When they started playing Angel of Music after the OLC came out and Cameron M naughtily said, 'Andrew there's a tune coming up' my heart leapt thinking it would be her. Michael Crawford should also have been asked to speak a few words (and if he had sung, he would surely have brought down the roof). His Frank Spencer like reaction when he realized they started singing Happy Birthday too early was hilarious!

Sierra was amazing (Wishing seems to have become 'her song' now) and Michael Ball was so funny interacting with ALW ... I kind of wished he sang the whole song to him

[Deleted]

Just started to watch it on facebook, skipped through a bit and gave up - hugely underwhelming. Sierra singing in French was lovely but once she switched to English she started painfully oversinging it and I'd had enough.

I saw JOJ sing Music of the Night (and Bring Him Home from Les Mis) at the Proms in Belfast a few weeks ago, which was so much better.

[zermatt]

Wow this thread is full of some catty people. It was FUN. It was so refreshing that this gala finale was tongue in cheek and light hearted - for crying out loud, we've seen a million 'serious' performances of these songs. They obviously went for something for fun and uplifting and it worked. The atmosphere in the theatre was magnificent, the audience were treated like guests at a party. I would never have imagined paying £19.86 and getting the show, lots of laughs and free champagne. Lighten up will you?! It was an EXCELLENT night at the theatre. I feel very privileged to have been there.

[indis]

I found the 3way All i ask funny, the speeches at the beginning way too long

[Anniek]

Celinde nailed that wishing and almost received a standing ovation. I first thought 'huh?! when they let Sierra sing it as well' but I liked it nonetheless.
It isn't about who sings it better or whatever. They're both just very good singers who had their moment to shine yesterday.
I wouldn't say the finale was done to be the very best ever anyway, for example what they tried with the Les Mis 30th. It was just fun, and the atmosphere in the theatre was AMAZING. Totally agree with you zermatt

[mrbarnaby]

Happy Birthday blah blah.. now, wouldn't it be nice if this dated and tired old show popped its clogs so we could have this theatre back for something NEW?

It's 96% watched purely by Japanese tourists anyway so they could ship the whole thing out there.

[CG on the loose]

As I posted in the interval, I was a little underwhelmed by the current cast, but the gala finale was fabulous - fantastic party atmosphere in the theatre, aided no doubt by the champagne, and I thought what followed fitted that spirit really well. A tad too much whiffling from Andrew and Cameron, but a real treat to have the Lord play for Sierra, Michael B etc., and that massed Masquerade (which is perhaps my all-time favourite musical theatre scene) was brilliant. An opportunity missed, perhaps, to include the original Phantom in the performances, but may be that was Michael C's choice, while still a fantastic actor (I loved him in The Go Between) his voice is not quite what it was when he held the role. All in all a fitting celebration.

[zak97]

The only thing I didn't like about the finale was the very beginning of the sequence with Ben, John Owen Jones and the French Phantom - it sounded a bit messy. Sierra was brilliant, I really liked the French adaptation.

[theatre-turtle]

Oct 11, 2016 7:38:33 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Happy Birthday blah blah.. now, wouldn't it be nice if this dated and tired old show popped its clogs so we could have this theatre back for something NEW?

It's 96% watched purely by Japanese tourists anyway so they could ship the whole thing out there.

One thing I did notice is that it does feel a little more tired than les mis. I wouldn't be surprised if it popped its clogs in the next few years

[meisner]

To be honest i was really lookng forward to this but felt quite underwhelmed by it all.
The masquerade sequence felt a bit like a flash mob had arrived at Her Majestys and it all looked a bit messy.
Why they didnt get Mr Crawford to do just the last bit of Music of the night for his entrance is beyond me...Would of brought the house down..its not like he isn't singing at the moment is it??....and he should of been the one coming down the stairs in the skeleton mask......Now that would o f been a good finish.
But no...all rather average IMO.

[lonlad]

and Ben Forster is REALLY a poor Phantom - can't act at all and has the strangest singing voice, which veers from being nonexistent and virtually inaudible to an ear-splitting bray with almost nothing in-between to seduce the ear. That is a real problem in a show where that character HAS to play the seducer, otherwise it makes no sense (Crawford of course understood all this entirely). But Celinde by contrast was a total revelation - possibly the best-sung Christine I have ever seen and without any doubt the best acted. I don't know how many other roles there are for her around the West End, but she is a major talent. (The Raoul was a blank, and not especially prepossessing.)

[ali973]

Meh..that celebration was a bit tired. How many re-arrangements of All I Ask Of You and the title song can they chug out?

I saw the show last month and thought it was in great shape. Too bad Celinde wasn't on. She does sound fabulous compared to the rather plain Harriet Jones who I saw.

Ben Froster (all this time I thought it was Foster!) was okay as far as I'm concerned. Is it me or did he seriously put on some pounds since JCS? His face even looks bloated.

It's funny how there is this dissatisfaction with the lead Phantom. I remember back in the 10th anniversary celebration, no one was pleased with the current Phantom of the time, Simon Bowman. Funny enough they had a similar celebration at the end. At the theatre, with various Phantoms singing the title song with Sarah Brightman, and a similar (but bigger group Raoul) doing All I Ask of You.

Cameron's and Lloyd Webber's Monsieur Firman and Monsieur Andrew schtick was a bit forced.

[Anniek]

Oct 11, 2016 13:01:13 GMT lonlad said:

and Ben Forster is REALLY a poor Phantom - can't act at all and has the strangest singing voice, which veers from being nonexistent and virtually inaudible to an ear-splitting bray with almost nothing in-between to seduce the ear. That is a real problem in a show where that character HAS to play the seducer, otherwise it makes no sense (Crawford of course understood all this entirely). But Celinde by contrast was a total revelation - possibly the best-sung Christine I have ever seen and without any doubt the best acted. I don't know how many other roles there are for her around the West End, but she is a major talent. (The Raoul was a blank, and not especially prepossessing.)

Bloody offtopic; Although I really dont like Wicked, I hope to see her as Elphaba once.So let's hope she isn't done with West End yet. That's what I love about her, she can do classical aria's and then powerhouse-belt-blow me away the next 5 minutes

[ali973]

Wasn't it rumored that she was going to take over as Ellen in Miss Saigon before Siobhan took over (who I thought was fantastic as Ellen, btw). Unfortunately with exception to Cameron's fully sung musicals (and maybe Wicked, I guess?) I don't see her being an automatic choice for many roles. Her biggest challenge will be playing a role with no accent, which is much easier to conceal in fully sung shows or shows like Phantom where Christine's accent is so cartoonishly posh.

[Michael]

Oct 11, 2016 13:31:03 GMT Anniek said:

Bloody offtopic; Although I really dont like Wicked, I hope to see her as Elphaba once. [...] That's what I love about her, she can do classical aria's and then powerhouse-belt-blow me away the next 5 minutes

Don't know much about Celinde, but does she really have the range to play both Christine (high soprano) and Elphaba (mezzosoprano/belt)? Personally, I think it's either or, and as much as I loved Louise Dearman's Glinda, I really disliked her Elphaba as she clearly struggled with the part - and I wouldn't even characterize her as soprano.

Oct 11, 2016 13:31:03 GMT Anniek said:

So let's hope she isn't done with West End yet.

She still got until March 2019

[Anniek]

Oct 11, 2016 14:09:20 GMT Michael said:

Oct 11, 2016 13:31:03 GMT Anniek said:

Bloody offtopic; Although I really dont like Wicked, I hope to see her as Elphaba once. [...] That's what I love about her, she can do classical aria's and then powerhouse-belt-blow me away the next 5 minutes

Don't know much about Celinde, but does she really have the range to play both Christine (high soprano) and Elphaba (mezzosoprano/belt)? Personally, I think it's either or, and as much as I loved Louise Dearman's Glinda, I really disliked her Elphaba as she clearly struggled with the part - and I wouldn't even characterize her as soprano.

Oct 11, 2016 13:31:03 GMT Anniek said:

So let's hope she isn't done with West End yet.

She still got until March 2019

I think she can: 'd say this is a pretty damn impressive soprano and then she belts this out  haha.
March 2019; did I miss Wicked closing? Brexit? The Mayans? 

[Michael]

Oct 11, 2016 14:16:39 GMT Anniek said:

haha.
March 2019; did I miss Wicked closing? Brexit? The Mayans? 

This. Two years from March 2017.

[Anniek]

sh*t. Two more years to find a UK citizen to marry for me as well then.