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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 27, 2021 22:32:33 GMT
I love that I made 2 statements about the show during the interval, and the one that turned out to be most accurate is the one people disbelieved 🤣 Candelabra must have malfunctioned in Act I. Did seem the oddest thing to cut. Whereas Piangi is most definitely gay! He couldn’t get enough of the ballet boy (and I don’t blame him). What is this candelabra being talked about? |
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Post by westendboy on Jul 27, 2021 22:32:40 GMT
From what I've read on Facebook, tonight's performance was a first preview so maybe things may get tweaked around.
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Post by drfootlights on Jul 27, 2021 22:35:39 GMT
On the train home it’s been an interesting night at Her Majesty’s. I’ve been lurking on the board for years, and feel compelled to write after observing the angst of this thread for the past 18 months, I’ve seen the show numerous times over the year and enjoyed it tonight was I believe, my 7th time. This review will be disjointed I imagine.
SPOILERS AHEAD as I’m not technically minded enough to add the spoiler tags!!
The elephant in the room (or should that be horse?!) is that the pros. does look naff. There’s no other way to put it. It looks like the decorators have started well and then got bored as they’ve moved down to the bottom. Did this put me off before it started? No.
Although those dubious bits of rag “covering” it..?- let’s say no more about that!
The show was Almost 10 minutes late of going up - Cameron came on and did a very coy speech and welcomed us to “the new version of phantom”.
There was a chandelier. It rose. The audience clapped. It’s a new one. And looks better than the old. The naff pyros are still there. I thought the new bits of scenery looked great during the overture.
THE GOOD
Quite rightly, it looks fresh (finally). The last time I saw it you could see the dust sitting on so I’m delighted that it looks better. And for 90% of it, it looks no different and sounds no different.
For the purists, the travelator is still there, the candles still rise, as do the candelabras (albeit not tracking!) the trap doors are still there and phantom still disappears at the end of masquerade.
Killian Donnelly as The Phantom was terrific. I wasn’t sure at first but was converted by the end.
The orchestra played well and I thought the sound was fabulous. Shoot me down in flames but there’s not that much difference of orchestration REALLY, it doesn’t sound thin, as the fearmongers forecast.
THE BAD
I thought the casting on the whole was bang average. Everybody was servicable, the crowd whooped and cheered as it seems to have become custom - but in all honesty I didn’t think much of any of the principals apart from The Phantom. There was plenty of scenery chewing to be had, namely after the hanging, and either Andre or Firmin (the one who looked a bit like him off homes under the hammer) did his one man comedy routine which wouldn’t have looked out of place in Hi-De-Hi. Very strange.
I’ve always thought that Meg was a bit of a non-role - and the business at the end with the mask I’ve always found over indulgent (shoot me!) I don’t know what was different this time but I cared even less for megs character than I have done before. (Sorry Meg!)
Back to the scenery - It’s like they’ve kept everything naff from the old version and decided to pay homage (with the exception of the thunderbolts!!) The skull on the stick that shoots flames, the self playing piano, those flamin’ mannequins in masquerade, the noose on the bit of fishing wire, the clunky magic chair. All still there in all their former glory.
The rooftop scene I thought was the worst of the “new” - it just doesn’t have the finesse of the version 1.0. The clouds still roll by though and look gorgeous and yes, the Angel is gone but as I always say - why have a flying Angel, when you can have the phantom wheel downstage on a mechanical horse??! Say no more.
All of the phantom interactions during “poor fool” was all a bit eggy. A light on some sort of owl in the prosc didn’t quite cut the mustard (although I did titter). There was a very tense moment where I thought the chandelier wasn’t going to drop - But it did.
I could go on, but to summarise.
I had a really lovely evening and the show will settle and to the general public, it will be marvellous as it always was. I just felt a bit frustrated as all the things that the creative team COULD have done, as they’ve clearly spent some money bringing it into town - why not make the old naff bits I’ve mentioned - well, less naff!
For me, what has brought me back to phantom time and time again is the stagecraft of the entire piece. You still get the moments where you think, “where did that come from” which all stems back to how extraordinary the original designs were.
Whilst the cut backs are frustrating and to some may seem a sin - somebody, somewhere will have worked out how much money it would cost to remount the original over bringing this new verison in - they probably also looked to see if it was indeed financially viable to bring it back at all.
We all have our memories of the “brilliant original” but given the choice of having this verison or no Phantom at all - I’d much rather we have Phantom 2.0 so that the next generation can be inspired by it for however long it may run.
See it. Support It. But most of all, enjoy it!
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5,877 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 27, 2021 22:36:23 GMT
I love Lucy St Louis , but I cannot bring myself to line CM’s pockets further and pay to see her in this.
Camelot however will do nicely.
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Post by scarpia on Jul 27, 2021 22:39:15 GMT
My advice to the armchair critics is to go and see for yourself then make your mind up about whether it has improved or not. Pluses for me were costumes and lighting, bits of the set wowed me, other bits less so. Sound design was good for the surround effects. The big question for most is around the orchestra, right? Going to be completely honest and say there is a noticeable difference. The depth and swells are lost, no amount of keys can replicate what has been removed, the most obvious being Primadonna which lost that glorious crescendo moment. So for me, whilst it was a great show and very well received tonight, it's definitely Phantom-lite with the reduction in musicians. What did you you consider outdated and creaky that this production has now addressed? It sounds like, if anything, anything that anyone ever complained about was retained and bits people liked were axed. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 27, 2021 22:39:47 GMT
On the train home it’s been an interesting night at Her Majesty’s. I’ve been lurking on the board for years, and feel compelled to write after observing the angst of this thread for the past 18 months, I’ve seen the show numerous times over the year and enjoyed it tonight was I believe, my 7th time. This review will be disjointed I imagine. SPOILERS AHEAD as I’m not technically minded enough to add the spoiler tags!! The elephant in the room (or should that be horse?!) is that the pros. does look naff. There’s no other way to put it. It looks like the decorators have started well and then got bored as they’ve moved down to the bottom. Did this put me off before it started? No. Although those dubious bits of rag “covering” it..?- let’s say no more about that! The show was Almost 10 minutes late of going up - Cameron came on and did a very coy speech and welcomed us to “the new version of phantom”. There was a chandelier. It rose. The audience clapped. It’s a new one. And looks better than the old. The naff pyros are still there. I thought the new bits of scenery looked great during the overture. THE GOOD Quite rightly, it looks fresh (finally). The last time I saw it you could see the dust sitting on so I’m delighted that it looks better. And for 90% of it, it looks no different and sounds no different. For the purists, the travelator is still there, the candles still rise, as do the candelabras (albeit not tracking!) the trap doors are still there and phantom still disappears at the end of masquerade. Killian Donnelly as The Phantom was terrific. I wasn’t sure at first but was converted by the end. The orchestra played well and I thought the sound was fabulous. Shoot me down in flames but there’s not that much difference of orchestration REALLY, it doesn’t sound thin, as the fearmongers forecast. THE BAD I thought the casting on the whole was bang average. Everybody was servicable, the crowd whooped and cheered as it seems to have become custom - but in all honesty I didn’t think much of any of the principals apart from The Phantom. There was plenty of scenery chewing to be had, namely after the hanging, and either Andre or Firmin (the one who looked a bit like him off homes under the hammer) did his one man comedy routine which wouldn’t have looked out of place in Hi-De-Hi. Very strange. I’ve always thought that Meg was a bit of a non-role - and the business at the end with the mask I’ve always found over indulgent (shoot me!) I don’t know what was different this time but I cared even less for megs character than I have done before. (Sorry Meg!) Back to the scenery - It’s like they’ve kept everything naff from the old version and decided to pay homage (with the exception of the thunderbolts!!) The skull on the stick that shoots flames, the self playing piano, those flamin’ mannequins in masquerade, the noose on the bit of fishing wire, the clunky magic chair. All still there in all their former glory. The rooftop scene I thought was the worst of the “new” - it just doesn’t have the finesse of the version 1.0. The clouds still roll by though and look gorgeous and yes, the Angel is gone but as I always say - why have a flying Angel, when you can have the phantom wheel downstage on a mechanical horse??! Say no more. All of the phantom interactions during “poor fool” was all a bit eggy. A light on some sort of owl in the prosc didn’t quite cut the mustard (although I did titter). There was a very tense moment where I thought the chandelier wasn’t going to drop - But it did. I could go on, but to summarise. I had a really lovely evening and the show will settle and to the general public, it will be marvellous as it always was. I just felt a bit frustrated as all the things that the creative team COULD have done, as they’ve clearly spent some money bringing it into town - why not make the old naff bits I’ve mentioned - well, less naff! For me, what has brought me back to phantom time and time again is the stagecraft of the entire piece. You still get the moments where you think, “where did that come from” which all stems back to how extraordinary the original designs were. Whilst the cut backs are frustrating and to some may seem a sin - somebody, somewhere will have worked out how much money it would cost to remount the original over bringing this new verison in - they probably also looked to see if it was indeed financially viable to bring it back at all. We all have our memories of the “brilliant original” but given the choice of having this verison or no Phantom at all - I’d much rather we have Phantom 2.0 so that the next generation can be inspired by it for however long it may run. See it. Support It. But most of all, enjoy it! So the candles still rise of out the stage? And as many as did before ? That’s encouraging at least. The treatment of the Proscenium is a huge misfire from what I’ve seen. |
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Post by scarpia on Jul 27, 2021 22:44:03 GMT
The elephant in the room (or should that be horse?!) is that the pros. does look naff. There’s no other way to put it. It looks like the decorators have started well and then got bored as they’ve moved down to the bottom. Did this put me off before it started? No. Although those dubious bits of rag “covering” it..?- let’s say no more about that! Whilst the cut backs are frustrating and to some may seem a sin - somebody, somewhere will have worked out how much money it would cost to remount the original over bringing this new verison in - they probably also looked to see if it was indeed financially viable to bring it back at all. We all have our memories of the “brilliant original” but given the choice of having this verison or no Phantom at all - I’d much rather we have Phantom 2.0 so that the next generation can be inspired by it for however long it may run. See it. Support It. But most of all, enjoy it! And given the proscenium is stationary, are they really saving that much money putting in this version of it in? Hal Prince and Maria Björnson REPEATEDLY stated while they were alive that it was the key to the show. And then ALW writes his programme note today saying how it pays homage to Hal Prince's production and improves on it. It's so disrespectful. I'm in the minority here I think when I say this, but I'd rather have no Phantom than one that misrepresents the achievement of the original creative team. |
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Post by anthony on Jul 27, 2021 22:44:17 GMT
Oops sorry for the weird boost - it took me to page 1 for some odd reason :S |
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Post by anthony on Jul 27, 2021 22:45:51 GMT
On the train home it’s been an interesting night at Her Majesty’s. I’ve been lurking on the board for years, and feel compelled to write after observing the angst of this thread for the past 18 months, I’ve seen the show numerous times over the year and enjoyed it tonight was I believe, my 7th time. This review will be disjointed I imagine. SPOILERS AHEAD as I’m not technically minded enough to add the spoiler tags!! The elephant in the room (or should that be horse?!) is that the pros. does look naff. There’s no other way to put it. It looks like the decorators have started well and then got bored as they’ve moved down to the bottom. Did this put me off before it started? No. Although those dubious bits of rag “covering” it..?- let’s say no more about that! The show was Almost 10 minutes late of going up - Cameron came on and did a very coy speech and welcomed us to “the new version of phantom”. There was a chandelier. It rose. The audience clapped. It’s a new one. And looks better than the old. The naff pyros are still there. I thought the new bits of scenery looked great during the overture. THE GOOD Quite rightly, it looks fresh (finally). The last time I saw it you could see the dust sitting on so I’m delighted that it looks better. And for 90% of it, it looks no different and sounds no different. For the purists, the travelator is still there, the candles still rise, as do the candelabras (albeit not tracking!) the trap doors are still there and phantom still disappears at the end of masquerade. Killian Donnelly as The Phantom was terrific. I wasn’t sure at first but was converted by the end. The orchestra played well and I thought the sound was fabulous. Shoot me down in flames but there’s not that much difference of orchestration REALLY, it doesn’t sound thin, as the fearmongers forecast. THE BAD I thought the casting on the whole was bang average. Everybody was servicable, the crowd whooped and cheered as it seems to have become custom - but in all honesty I didn’t think much of any of the principals apart from The Phantom. There was plenty of scenery chewing to be had, namely after the hanging, and either Andre or Firmin (the one who looked a bit like him off homes under the hammer) did his one man comedy routine which wouldn’t have looked out of place in Hi-De-Hi. Very strange. I’ve always thought that Meg was a bit of a non-role - and the business at the end with the mask I’ve always found over indulgent (shoot me!) I don’t know what was different this time but I cared even less for megs character than I have done before. (Sorry Meg!) Back to the scenery - It’s like they’ve kept everything naff from the old version and decided to pay homage (with the exception of the thunderbolts!!) The skull on the stick that shoots flames, the self playing piano, those flamin’ mannequins in masquerade, the noose on the bit of fishing wire, the clunky magic chair. All still there in all their former glory. The rooftop scene I thought was the worst of the “new” - it just doesn’t have the finesse of the version 1.0. The clouds still roll by though and look gorgeous and yes, the Angel is gone but as I always say - why have a flying Angel, when you can have the phantom wheel downstage on a mechanical horse??! Say no more. All of the phantom interactions during “poor fool” was all a bit eggy. A light on some sort of owl in the prosc didn’t quite cut the mustard (although I did titter). There was a very tense moment where I thought the chandelier wasn’t going to drop - But it did. I could go on, but to summarise. I had a really lovely evening and the show will settle and to the general public, it will be marvellous as it always was. I just felt a bit frustrated as all the things that the creative team COULD have done, as they’ve clearly spent some money bringing it into town - why not make the old naff bits I’ve mentioned - well, less naff! For me, what has brought me back to phantom time and time again is the stagecraft of the entire piece. You still get the moments where you think, “where did that come from” which all stems back to how extraordinary the original designs were. Whilst the cut backs are frustrating and to some may seem a sin - somebody, somewhere will have worked out how much money it would cost to remount the original over bringing this new verison in - they probably also looked to see if it was indeed financially viable to bring it back at all. We all have our memories of the “brilliant original” but given the choice of having this verison or no Phantom at all - I’d much rather we have Phantom 2.0 so that the next generation can be inspired by it for however long it may run. See it. Support It. But most of all, enjoy it! Wait... what's this about a horse? Is it as bad as it sounds? :S |
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Post by drfootlights on Jul 27, 2021 22:47:00 GMT
On the train home it’s been an interesting night at Her Majesty’s. I’ve been lurking on the board for years, and feel compelled to write after observing the angst of this thread for the past 18 months, I’ve seen the show numerous times over the year and enjoyed it tonight was I believe, my 7th time. This review will be disjointed I imagine. SPOILERS AHEAD as I’m not technically minded enough to add the spoiler tags!! The elephant in the room (or should that be horse?!) is that the pros. does look naff. There’s no other way to put it. It looks like the decorators have started well and then got bored as they’ve moved down to the bottom. Did this put me off before it started? No. Although those dubious bits of rag “covering” it..?- let’s say no more about that! The show was Almost 10 minutes late of going up - Cameron came on and did a very coy speech and welcomed us to “the new version of phantom”. There was a chandelier. It rose. The audience clapped. It’s a new one. And looks better than the old. The naff pyros are still there. I thought the new bits of scenery looked great during the overture. THE GOOD Quite rightly, it looks fresh (finally). The last time I saw it you could see the dust sitting on so I’m delighted that it looks better. And for 90% of it, it looks no different and sounds no different. For the purists, the travelator is still there, the candles still rise, as do the candelabras (albeit not tracking!) the trap doors are still there and phantom still disappears at the end of masquerade. Killian Donnelly as The Phantom was terrific. I wasn’t sure at first but was converted by the end. The orchestra played well and I thought the sound was fabulous. Shoot me down in flames but there’s not that much difference of orchestration REALLY, it doesn’t sound thin, as the fearmongers forecast. THE BAD I thought the casting on the whole was bang average. Everybody was servicable, the crowd whooped and cheered as it seems to have become custom - but in all honesty I didn’t think much of any of the principals apart from The Phantom. There was plenty of scenery chewing to be had, namely after the hanging, and either Andre or Firmin (the one who looked a bit like him off homes under the hammer) did his one man comedy routine which wouldn’t have looked out of place in Hi-De-Hi. Very strange. I’ve always thought that Meg was a bit of a non-role - and the business at the end with the mask I’ve always found over indulgent (shoot me!) I don’t know what was different this time but I cared even less for megs character than I have done before. (Sorry Meg!) Back to the scenery - It’s like they’ve kept everything naff from the old version and decided to pay homage (with the exception of the thunderbolts!!) The skull on the stick that shoots flames, the self playing piano, those flamin’ mannequins in masquerade, the noose on the bit of fishing wire, the clunky magic chair. All still there in all their former glory. The rooftop scene I thought was the worst of the “new” - it just doesn’t have the finesse of the version 1.0. The clouds still roll by though and look gorgeous and yes, the Angel is gone but as I always say - why have a flying Angel, when you can have the phantom wheel downstage on a mechanical horse??! Say no more. All of the phantom interactions during “poor fool” was all a bit eggy. A light on some sort of owl in the prosc didn’t quite cut the mustard (although I did titter). There was a very tense moment where I thought the chandelier wasn’t going to drop - But it did. I could go on, but to summarise. I had a really lovely evening and the show will settle and to the general public, it will be marvellous as it always was. I just felt a bit frustrated as all the things that the creative team COULD have done, as they’ve clearly spent some money bringing it into town - why not make the old naff bits I’ve mentioned - well, less naff! For me, what has brought me back to phantom time and time again is the stagecraft of the entire piece. You still get the moments where you think, “where did that come from” which all stems back to how extraordinary the original designs were. Whilst the cut backs are frustrating and to some may seem a sin - somebody, somewhere will have worked out how much money it would cost to remount the original over bringing this new verison in - they probably also looked to see if it was indeed financially viable to bring it back at all. We all have our memories of the “brilliant original” but given the choice of having this verison or no Phantom at all - I’d much rather we have Phantom 2.0 so that the next generation can be inspired by it for however long it may run. See it. Support It. But most of all, enjoy it! So the candles still rise of out the stage? And as many as did before ? That’s encouraging at least. The treatment of the Proscenium is a huge misfire from what I’ve seen. They do and Six candelabras. Versions of all the previous trapdoors (I think) have all been put back in too. Which I’m assuming malfunctioned during the first lair scene. Your 100% right about the pros. The gold/black curtain that has been posted is the interval curtain and revealed once the iron has gone out. Its printed cloth and doesn’t look great. |
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Post by drfootlights on Jul 27, 2021 22:51:33 GMT
with no Angel in the pros to hide behind, the phantom has to hide behind a bronze statue of a horse.
It’s on a mechanical arm (which reminded me of Killer Queen) that swings from upstage right to downstage centre. As it’s doing this the horse spins round to reveal Phantom. It was very creaky.
I had no words really. Haha
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Post by scarpia on Jul 27, 2021 22:55:28 GMT
with no Angel in the pros to hide behind, the phantom has to hide behind a bronze statue of a horse. It’s on a mechanical arm (which reminded me of Killer Queen) that swings from upstage right to downstage centre. As it’s doing this the horse spins round to reveal Phantom. It was very creaky. I had no words really. Haha The words you're looking for are "better than ever" and "for the 21st century". |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 27, 2021 22:58:35 GMT
The elephant in the room (or should that be horse?!) is that the pros. does look naff. There’s no other way to put it. It looks like the decorators have started well and then got bored as they’ve moved down to the bottom. Did this put me off before it started? No. Although those dubious bits of rag “covering” it..?- let’s say no more about that! Whilst the cut backs are frustrating and to some may seem a sin - somebody, somewhere will have worked out how much money it would cost to remount the original over bringing this new verison in - they probably also looked to see if it was indeed financially viable to bring it back at all. We all have our memories of the “brilliant original” but given the choice of having this verison or no Phantom at all - I’d much rather we have Phantom 2.0 so that the next generation can be inspired by it for however long it may run. See it. Support It. But most of all, enjoy it! And given the proscenium is stationary, are they really saving that much money putting in this version of it in? Hal Prince and Maria Björnson REPEATEDLY stated while they were alive that it was the key to the show. And then ALW writes his programme note today saying how it pays homage to Hal Prince's production and improves on it. It's so disrespectful. I'm in the minority here I think when I say this, but I'd rather have no Phantom than one that misrepresents the achievement of the original creative team. Totally agree. The disrespect for the people that actually made the show this massive success is quite astonishing. He did it with Les Mis, and he’s done it again here. |
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Post by anthony on Jul 27, 2021 23:02:10 GMT
You know, the thing which annoys me most is Piangi's sudden realisation that he's gay. I can sort of understand the changing of the set and the trimming down of the orchestra (although I completely disagree with it!), but changing elements of the plot?!?!?!? I assume that means there must be subtle lyric changes too?
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Post by drfootlights on Jul 27, 2021 23:06:36 GMT
You know, the thing which annoys me most is Piangi's sudden realisation that he's gay. I can sort of understand the changing of the set and the trimming down of the orchestra (although I completely disagree with it!), but changing elements of the plot?!?!?!? I assume that means there must be subtle lyric changes too? I missed that completely! They seemed to have added dialogue at the start during “these things do happen” ... I thought carlotta was never going to leave! |
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Post by fiyerorocher on Jul 27, 2021 23:07:13 GMT
I think people are slightly over concerned about the 'Piangi is gay' thing... He doesn't come out (pun intended) decked in rainbows or burst into a chorus of a song from Kinky Boots, he literally just gives the male ballet dancer a mutual flirtatious look. Unless I missed something???
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Post by interval99 on Jul 27, 2021 23:07:23 GMT
Excellent. Killian was superb, Lucy St Louis has such a beautiful voice and is gorgeous - one of the best Christine's I've seen. The chap playing Raoul was also very good - can't remember his name, but very strong characterisation. Raoul is played by Rhys Whitfield. Great to see him and Lucy get praised for their actual stage performances after the hammering they got on the board for their duet in the show must go on performance |
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Post by anthony on Jul 27, 2021 23:07:48 GMT
"I would maintain the once again the proscenium design - the picture frame - is key to the show. Its magnificently carved gilt figures erotically entwined. And when it is revealed after the prologue, I don't believe the audience examines it, but I'm certain that it casts a heavy erotic atmosphere over the entire show" - Hal Price in his 2017 memoir. This ain't a tribute to Prince, it's the opposite. Given that he died less than a year prior to theatre closures, it can't help but make you feel that those involved with these decisions started planning the moment his death was announced.
Grim.
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Post by scarpia on Jul 27, 2021 23:09:57 GMT
"I would maintain the once again the proscenium design - the picture frame - is key to the show. Its magnificently carved gilt figures erotically entwined. And when it is revealed after the prologue, I don't believe the audience examines it, but I'm certain that it casts a heavy erotic atmosphere over the entire show" - Hal Price in his 2017 memoir. This ain't a tribute to Prince, it's the opposite. Given that he died less than a year prior to theatre closures, it can't help but make you feel that those involved with these decisions started planning the moment his death was announced. Grim. A few ex-cast members who I'm not going to name told me this had been planned before Prince's death, but they were waiting until the inevitable happened.  Prince would have been dead against that new front cloth too. ALW then claiming this production pays homage to Prince's concept and improves on it...is a bit much, even for ALW. |
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Post by anthony on Jul 27, 2021 23:13:04 GMT
So, Phantom's official Twitter has removed 'The Brilliant Original' from it's bio. I guess at least they're sort of acknowledging it...
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Post by pitboy on Jul 27, 2021 23:14:17 GMT
Been following the discussions about the sad changes to one of my favourite shows for a while.
Interesting to finally see what they have done.
Unfortunately due to it being a ‘new’ interpretation then I guess they had to make changes otherwise they’d be up for legal action. CM has apparently stated that the original was no more and all the backers paid off.
Just a shame it had to be some of the more iconic parts.
He has stated that his company pays for itself and god knows producing theatre isn’t cheap (I worked in the industry for years and I know this first hand!) so who knows what financial state it’s in after Covid. Not a defence and I’m just disappointed that he didn’t stay true to the original of this and Les Mis.
However things move on and I’m glad Phantom didn’t go the way of Starlight Express which was in a shocking state when I saw it close to the end of its run (with even an usher overhead saying ‘if I had to watch this show one more time I’m going to scream’ . A very very tired set and cast to match.
Interesting that the new drop curtain (which I’m sure was not printed but hand painted) is almost identical to the one at the Paris Opera. Nice touch.
Not many Maria designed shows still around - but when it’s next revived check out Welsh National Opera’s Cunning Little Vixen. Genius. A shame the other work she did with them has been consigned to history.
I guess that’s showbiz folks!
P.S. Anybody know where the real Her Majesty’s chandelier has been stored? Wonder if it’ll ever see the light of day again...
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Post by steve10086 on Jul 27, 2021 23:16:11 GMT
This might just be me being daft (which is a common occurane with me) but I don't see what the second post has to do with the 'no candelabra' one? Well maybe not everything posted online is true? I’ll let that slide this once… |
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Post by scarpia on Jul 27, 2021 23:23:29 GMT
So, Phantom's official Twitter has removed 'The Brilliant Original' from it's bio. I guess at least they're sort of acknowledging it... ...After a year of telling audience members who were querying before buying tickets, through direct tweets and messages on social media, that it was definitely the "Brilliant Original" returning! Covent Garden was still showing her Contes d'Hoffmann just before the pandemic. Also gorgeously designed. |
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Post by ceebee on Jul 27, 2021 23:26:18 GMT
My advice to the armchair critics is to go and see for yourself then make your mind up about whether it has improved or not. Pluses for me were costumes and lighting, bits of the set wowed me, other bits less so. Sound design was good for the surround effects. The big question for most is around the orchestra, right? Going to be completely honest and say there is a noticeable difference. The depth and swells are lost, no amount of keys can replicate what has been removed, the most obvious being Primadonna which lost that glorious crescendo moment. So for me, whilst it was a great show and very well received tonight, it's definitely Phantom-lite with the reduction in musicians. What did you you consider outdated and creaky that this production has now addressed? It sounds like, if anything, anything that anyone ever complained about was retained and bits people liked were axed. The show felt much smoother tonight, fresher, modern. I wasn't a huge fan of the angel and quite like the horse - I enjoyed the way it pivoted around to the audience (and the audience seemed yo like it too). I'd recommend you go and see it to see what bits you like and the bits you don't - I've tried writing my comments with an open mind, including my disappointment that the reduction in orchestra is noticeable to me. Yet, another person felt it was barely noticeable and really liked it. Guess it comes down to taste. Many people around me (row C stalls) were diehard Phans, and they were animatedly discussing what they liked/didn't like at the interval and the end. My hunch is that this new production has won over some of those who were doubting how good it might be (and, bizarrely, left me feeling they didn't go far enough). There is plenty left of the original to satisfy even the harshest critics. |
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1,482 posts
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Post by steve10086 on Jul 27, 2021 23:30:03 GMT
So were they having a little dig at people during the auction when the chandelier was announced as “Until recently, believed to have been destroyed”? Sounded like a line written by Cameron himself 😁
Despite all the extra comedy in the show, the funniest thing tonight for me was someone approaching Charles Hart in the interval…
“Excuse me, are you… Richard Stilgoe?”
“No, I’m Charles Hart”
“Oh, I’m sorry!’”
“Richard Stilgoe is 70 !!”
🤣🤣🤣
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