a proper(ish) review of Phantom
Phantom of the Opera
June 19, 2009
Charlotte, NC
46th time seeing the show! I'm getting old. XD
Cast
Phantom - Tim Martin Gleason
Christine - Kelly Jeanne Grant (alt...ish) [note at the bottom]
Raoul - Sean MacLaughlin
Andre - DC Anderson
Firmin - Michael McCoy (drat, I missed seeing Bruce Winant again by less than two weeks!)
Carlotta - Tonna Miller (I think Kim Stengel is on vacation)
Mme Giry - Nancy Hess
Piangi - John Whitney
Meg - Jessi Ehrlich
Random note: I hate, hate, hate downtown Charlotte. Practically every street I wanted to take was closed and had no marked detour, so I was all turned around and almost late. :P
AUCTION
LOL Stephen Trafton with a mustache. Also, why do people laugh when they bring out the monkey? I don't think it looks funny...maybe a little creepy.
OVERTURE
Since I was sitting in the first row, it went right over my head. This was cool. I've never been that close to the chandelier. Still, Vegas' chandelier has spoiled me rotten.
HANNIBAL/ETC
Okay, whoever is playing the Slavemaster is hilarious. XD He kept learing at this one ballet girl, and she was making the most epic DO NOT WANT face ever. I laughed. I guess Kim is on vacation (hooray!) so I got to see a new Carlotta - Tonna Miller. She is the most adorable little Carlotta I've ever seen. Seriously. I never think of Carlotta as being adorable, but Tonna is so tiny and has these huge blue eyes. Anyway, she had a gorgeous voice and her acting was really fresh. The only problem was that she had a hard time projecting her voice loud enough to be heard over the other people. Andrew Valera is Lefevre now...I don't know how I like him in that role. He had his moments. Buquet is now played by Justine Lee Miller, who in spite of being BUQUET, is very very cute. I shouldn't think Buquet is cute. XD DC is a total Carlotta fanboy as always, but really amped it up with Tonna. Tonna was practically molesting him over in the corner while singing ToM - she was rubbing the fur of his coat and she WINKED at him. Did I mention that I love her Carlotta already? Because I totally do. Michael McCoy as Firmin...meh. He's better than when I've seen him in the past, but he's overly grumpy and his sideburns look like they're living creatures. :| REYER = LOVE. Thomas Schumacher was my first Reyer ten years ago (is it odd that I remember this?) and still one of my favorites. Oh, and I looked up who played the princess now, because she is cute as a button and emotive and I'd love to see her play Christine someday, and Juliette and Stephen got married! Aww, that's seriously adorable. ♥ Now I want to see Juliette as Christine and Stephen as Raoul at the same time...
THINK OF ME
Ehhhh... Kelly's voice is pretty good, but her acting was way flat for a while. And then she switched into high gear in the second act and looked like she was about to tear everyone's throat out for the rest of the show, so...I don't know which I preferred. Sean is very, very cute. His features are really severe, so he tends to look like he's scowling until he smiles. But when he smiles - woah, watch out. XD He was very enthusiastic in the box...I always like that.
BACKSTAGE
Okay, already mentioned it, but Thomas' Reyer = LOVE. Other than that, not much to add. Kelly had the 0_0 face going for all of this, no change in expression at all. Jessi hit some really sour notes...eep. I felt bad for her.
LITTLE LOTTE
Sean is definitely different from most Raouls I've seen, although I can't really explain how. It's just his delivery. Which I like, because seriously, once you've seen the show as much as I have, things start running together. Also, he was giving her some "hey baby" looks. XD It made his Raoul look like a total perv, which I don't think was intentional...or maybe it was! Who knows! All I know is, he was looking kind of like a playboy up there, haha. And when they hugged, he turned his face towards her, and it was "almost smooch" central. I've never seen that before; I like it.
THE MIRROR
And, finally, Tim shows up. Pretty good entrance here, and he has a very forceful voice. Kelly still had her 0_0 face, although it looked mostly appropriate here.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Holy dry ice, Batman! I kept getting practically pummeled in the face with it; I don't know how the conductor stands it, because my eyes were so dry after this. Umm, anyway. Tim has a very commanding stage presence; you know when he steps onto the travelator for the first time. He also did this hot little "yes!" when Kelly started singing for him. Hello there. Also, I don't know if he does this on purpose, but he leaves noooo room for doubt that his boat pole is a metaphor for something, if you know what I mean. XD And hooray, his hat didn't bounce off the candles like it did the time I saw him on Broadway.
MUSIC OF THE NIGHT
You know, Tim looks very bulky/chubby in the Phantom costume, and I don't know why. I've seen him in person a few times, and he's not a chubby guy at all; in fact, I think he's a little too skinny. So why does the Phantom costume (and even his Raoul costume) make him look like he's gained thirty pounds? I don't get it. Anyway. Meh, not the best scene in the performance, that's for sure. Tim was trying, but he hit a few notes wonky, and he had no chemistry at all with Kelly (she has no chemistry with either of the male leads). Sigh. I missed Jennifer Hope Wills' Christine. Anyway, Kelly just stood there with her 0_0 face and Tim tried very hard to make this scene work, but it just didn't.
I REMEMBER/STYDI
Mehhhh. Kelly still had her 0_0 face for most of it, until she collapsed on the floor, when she inexplicably switched to "I AM GOING TO TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT WITH MY TEETH ROOOOOOAR." Which...was really weird. Tim's crawl was really weird, but his emotion when he reached out to her was nice.
MANAGERS' OFFICE
Meh Firmin. DC's the same. Sean was out of breath for most of this scene...I don't know why. Haha. Loved Tonna's acting, but she kept getting drowned out by the ensemble. I think they were having mic problems or something, because Hess' Giry was drowning out everyone, at least from my vantage point. I heard every word she said.
IL MUTO
LOL return of the pervy Raoul! When Sean noticed that Christine was shaking her butt while dusting, he raised his eyebrow and did this really lecherous grin. XD And then he looked "very interested" when she and Carlotta were fake-kissing. XD Oh lord, I laughed. Other than that, not much to say.
THE ROOFTOP
Hmm. Kelly was very angry here too. You know what? She's kind of reminding me of Sara Jean Ford's Christine. :P Except I am more disappointed in Kelly's Christine because she's opposite two great leads, whereas Sara was opposite two leads I didn't like (except for Tewks' Phantom when I saw him). Sean was trying here, really trying, but Kelly had zip chemistry with him. He kissed her palm a few times and was generally adorable, although his face is so severe when he doesn't smile. I've read some reviews about him "scowling," but I just think it's his facial features. Anyway. He really swung her around. And the kiss was AWFUL. :\ Kelly looked like she was trying to devour his face, and it was just horribly bad. The couple next to me and I laughed about it during the intermission. :| Tim's reprise was good, but not spellbinding. For once, it was interesting watching the tour chandelier coming down, since it swooshed right over my head. Still spoiled by Vegas' chandelier, though.
INTERMISSION
LOL the guy beside me thought that I was a reporter, since I was scribbling down my notes in my notebook. When I informed him that I wasn't and that I was just jotting down reminders since things tended to blur together otherwise, his wife heard me and wanted to chat Phantom. She's seen the movie six times, so she's a Big Fan. Sigh. She asked me how many times I'd seen the show, and then she was pestering me for the rest of the intermission. I should just learn to lie.
MASQUERADE
You know, I don't think that I've ever seen DC flub anything ever until tonight. He forgot to come in with one of his lines, and then he seemed to remember it and rushed through it. Odd. Tim's appearance was rather anticlimactic. I hate the staging for him ripping off her ring. Always have. LOL, Sean zeroed in on Giry and locked in on her position like a torpedo.
GIRY'S TALE
I liked Sean here...
MANAGERS' OFFICE II
Good god, Kelly's Christine needs some serious anger management classes. I've never seen the character portrayed so angrily! She looked like she was liable to rip out everyone's throats. I liked Sean's Raoul here, too - he gave this horribly overbright smile when he looked at Christine, but he was glaring at the managers. I don't know; it worked with his Raoul. And then he did this "I am having a brain aneurysm" move and ruined it. XD
REHEARSAL
Yeah, no wonder Reyer let Christine in late to the rehearsal, with the glare of death she gave him! :O And Trafton with a fake mustache. LOLZ Schumacher Reyer is still great.
GRAVEYARD
Oh, okay. I now realize that Christine hates her father. Wut. :| Kelly practically shouted most of this song out. Oh lord. I'm not a huge fan of this scene by any stretch of the imagination, but...wow. This made me dislike the scene anew. Oh man, though, when Sean came onto the scene. He looked like he was ready to brawl with Tim right then and there. That is appropriate anger. ;)
SEAL MY FATE
Considering that the guy in the pit was directly in front of me, I covered my ears before the shot came. I wanted to keep my hearing. XD
DON JUAN/POINT OF NO RETURN/ETC
Oh Trafton...he looks way too young to be sporting that beard. XD This was one of the least sexy PoNRs I've ever seen. I probably wouldn't have felt so disappointed if I hadn't seen Tim have an INCREDIBLE PoNR with Jennifer Hope Wills last year. But I did, so I was. No chemistry, man. No chemistry. But Tim's reaction to being unmasked was really good. He seems very childish...which I normally like. But more on that later.
FINAL LAIR
Finally Tim kicked it into high gear. Maybe his Phantom was just scared of Kelly's Christine, I don't know. XD His acting was great. He was alternately snarky and sad, and it worked really well. Even though Kelly tried to devour his face during the kiss, he really worked it. He picked up one of her curls and rubbed it between his fingers and was just all awkward during the kiss. I love it when they're awkward. Sean just kinda hung around, literally...meh. I like it when Raoul does something in the noose. Michael Shawn Lewis has spoiled me forever when it comes to Raouls! The ring return was crap on Kelly's end, but Tim made do. The one thing I did like from Kelly was she almost bodyslammed Tim protecting Raoul. Which, I generally like. Umm...that's really it?
MISC RAMBLINGS
Tim plays the Phantom as a very childish, immature, self-centered person. I think this is fresh, especially since most actors try to amp up the sex (understandably). I just hope that he's allowed to develop the character as he sees fit instead of being told to act a certain way, because I think he has the potential of being awesome. Plus I get sick of all of the "I AM PHANTOM, SEE ME GROPE" stuff. When you think about it, ALW's Erik SHOULD be a very childish, immature, self-centered person, considering his other actions during the musical. And yet, that's one of the reasons why I'm not enthralled with the stage show anymore. I've been looking outside of the box and seeing how characters in similar, or even worse, situations react to the events of their life. It's not favorable for ALW!Erik. :P
I swear, I think I was the only person in the whole auditorium who didn't give them a standing ovation, but I refuse to be pressured into doing it. I only give standing ovations when I feel like the show merited it, and it did not.
I'm okay with seeing Tim and Sean again tonight, but I'm really wishing that I had gotten a ticket to the afternoon performance instead, so I could see them opposite another Christine. Hopefully they have chemistry with her. :P
Verdict? My love for Phantom is practically non-existent and is looking like it will stay this way for a good while, if not ever. I'm glad that I came, so I can at least say that I tried, but I tell you, I'm looking at the show with fresh eyes now, and I'm finally seeing all of the flaws and silliness and threadbare patches. Sigh.
And now I am off to find a grocery store so I can make some lunch. XD
NOTE [August 19, 2009]: I originally thought that I had seen Trista Moldovan as Christine, mainly because there was no announcement before the show, no understudy/change of cast slips in the playbill, and no mention on the understudy board (which is the very first thing I check once inside the lobby, as anyone who has seen the show with me knows) telling us that we would not be seeing Trista as Christine that night. I never would have known otherwise if Trista herself had not messaged me (twice within a six hour span, no less) about changing the cast listing error. I apologize for the unintentional mistake, because I had no idea that reviews posted on the intarwebz are such SRS F'IN BZNS.
Also, comments now disabled because the lulz have been had and the macros have been made and the mocking has been fun, but now I think we are all done. Maybe. ;)
June 19, 2009
Charlotte, NC
46th time seeing the show! I'm getting old. XD
Cast
Phantom - Tim Martin Gleason
Christine - Kelly Jeanne Grant (alt...ish) [note at the bottom]
Raoul - Sean MacLaughlin
Andre - DC Anderson
Firmin - Michael McCoy (drat, I missed seeing Bruce Winant again by less than two weeks!)
Carlotta - Tonna Miller (I think Kim Stengel is on vacation)
Mme Giry - Nancy Hess
Piangi - John Whitney
Meg - Jessi Ehrlich
Random note: I hate, hate, hate downtown Charlotte. Practically every street I wanted to take was closed and had no marked detour, so I was all turned around and almost late. :P
AUCTION
LOL Stephen Trafton with a mustache. Also, why do people laugh when they bring out the monkey? I don't think it looks funny...maybe a little creepy.
OVERTURE
Since I was sitting in the first row, it went right over my head. This was cool. I've never been that close to the chandelier. Still, Vegas' chandelier has spoiled me rotten.
HANNIBAL/ETC
Okay, whoever is playing the Slavemaster is hilarious. XD He kept learing at this one ballet girl, and she was making the most epic DO NOT WANT face ever. I laughed. I guess Kim is on vacation (hooray!) so I got to see a new Carlotta - Tonna Miller. She is the most adorable little Carlotta I've ever seen. Seriously. I never think of Carlotta as being adorable, but Tonna is so tiny and has these huge blue eyes. Anyway, she had a gorgeous voice and her acting was really fresh. The only problem was that she had a hard time projecting her voice loud enough to be heard over the other people. Andrew Valera is Lefevre now...I don't know how I like him in that role. He had his moments. Buquet is now played by Justine Lee Miller, who in spite of being BUQUET, is very very cute. I shouldn't think Buquet is cute. XD DC is a total Carlotta fanboy as always, but really amped it up with Tonna. Tonna was practically molesting him over in the corner while singing ToM - she was rubbing the fur of his coat and she WINKED at him. Did I mention that I love her Carlotta already? Because I totally do. Michael McCoy as Firmin...meh. He's better than when I've seen him in the past, but he's overly grumpy and his sideburns look like they're living creatures. :| REYER = LOVE. Thomas Schumacher was my first Reyer ten years ago (is it odd that I remember this?) and still one of my favorites. Oh, and I looked up who played the princess now, because she is cute as a button and emotive and I'd love to see her play Christine someday, and Juliette and Stephen got married! Aww, that's seriously adorable. ♥ Now I want to see Juliette as Christine and Stephen as Raoul at the same time...
THINK OF ME
Ehhhh... Kelly's voice is pretty good, but her acting was way flat for a while. And then she switched into high gear in the second act and looked like she was about to tear everyone's throat out for the rest of the show, so...I don't know which I preferred. Sean is very, very cute. His features are really severe, so he tends to look like he's scowling until he smiles. But when he smiles - woah, watch out. XD He was very enthusiastic in the box...I always like that.
BACKSTAGE
Okay, already mentioned it, but Thomas' Reyer = LOVE. Other than that, not much to add. Kelly had the 0_0 face going for all of this, no change in expression at all. Jessi hit some really sour notes...eep. I felt bad for her.
LITTLE LOTTE
Sean is definitely different from most Raouls I've seen, although I can't really explain how. It's just his delivery. Which I like, because seriously, once you've seen the show as much as I have, things start running together. Also, he was giving her some "hey baby" looks. XD It made his Raoul look like a total perv, which I don't think was intentional...or maybe it was! Who knows! All I know is, he was looking kind of like a playboy up there, haha. And when they hugged, he turned his face towards her, and it was "almost smooch" central. I've never seen that before; I like it.
THE MIRROR
And, finally, Tim shows up. Pretty good entrance here, and he has a very forceful voice. Kelly still had her 0_0 face, although it looked mostly appropriate here.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Holy dry ice, Batman! I kept getting practically pummeled in the face with it; I don't know how the conductor stands it, because my eyes were so dry after this. Umm, anyway. Tim has a very commanding stage presence; you know when he steps onto the travelator for the first time. He also did this hot little "yes!" when Kelly started singing for him. Hello there. Also, I don't know if he does this on purpose, but he leaves noooo room for doubt that his boat pole is a metaphor for something, if you know what I mean. XD And hooray, his hat didn't bounce off the candles like it did the time I saw him on Broadway.
MUSIC OF THE NIGHT
You know, Tim looks very bulky/chubby in the Phantom costume, and I don't know why. I've seen him in person a few times, and he's not a chubby guy at all; in fact, I think he's a little too skinny. So why does the Phantom costume (and even his Raoul costume) make him look like he's gained thirty pounds? I don't get it. Anyway. Meh, not the best scene in the performance, that's for sure. Tim was trying, but he hit a few notes wonky, and he had no chemistry at all with Kelly (she has no chemistry with either of the male leads). Sigh. I missed Jennifer Hope Wills' Christine. Anyway, Kelly just stood there with her 0_0 face and Tim tried very hard to make this scene work, but it just didn't.
I REMEMBER/STYDI
Mehhhh. Kelly still had her 0_0 face for most of it, until she collapsed on the floor, when she inexplicably switched to "I AM GOING TO TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT WITH MY TEETH ROOOOOOAR." Which...was really weird. Tim's crawl was really weird, but his emotion when he reached out to her was nice.
MANAGERS' OFFICE
Meh Firmin. DC's the same. Sean was out of breath for most of this scene...I don't know why. Haha. Loved Tonna's acting, but she kept getting drowned out by the ensemble. I think they were having mic problems or something, because Hess' Giry was drowning out everyone, at least from my vantage point. I heard every word she said.
IL MUTO
LOL return of the pervy Raoul! When Sean noticed that Christine was shaking her butt while dusting, he raised his eyebrow and did this really lecherous grin. XD And then he looked "very interested" when she and Carlotta were fake-kissing. XD Oh lord, I laughed. Other than that, not much to say.
THE ROOFTOP
Hmm. Kelly was very angry here too. You know what? She's kind of reminding me of Sara Jean Ford's Christine. :P Except I am more disappointed in Kelly's Christine because she's opposite two great leads, whereas Sara was opposite two leads I didn't like (except for Tewks' Phantom when I saw him). Sean was trying here, really trying, but Kelly had zip chemistry with him. He kissed her palm a few times and was generally adorable, although his face is so severe when he doesn't smile. I've read some reviews about him "scowling," but I just think it's his facial features. Anyway. He really swung her around. And the kiss was AWFUL. :\ Kelly looked like she was trying to devour his face, and it was just horribly bad. The couple next to me and I laughed about it during the intermission. :| Tim's reprise was good, but not spellbinding. For once, it was interesting watching the tour chandelier coming down, since it swooshed right over my head. Still spoiled by Vegas' chandelier, though.
INTERMISSION
LOL the guy beside me thought that I was a reporter, since I was scribbling down my notes in my notebook. When I informed him that I wasn't and that I was just jotting down reminders since things tended to blur together otherwise, his wife heard me and wanted to chat Phantom. She's seen the movie six times, so she's a Big Fan. Sigh. She asked me how many times I'd seen the show, and then she was pestering me for the rest of the intermission. I should just learn to lie.
MASQUERADE
You know, I don't think that I've ever seen DC flub anything ever until tonight. He forgot to come in with one of his lines, and then he seemed to remember it and rushed through it. Odd. Tim's appearance was rather anticlimactic. I hate the staging for him ripping off her ring. Always have. LOL, Sean zeroed in on Giry and locked in on her position like a torpedo.
GIRY'S TALE
I liked Sean here...
MANAGERS' OFFICE II
Good god, Kelly's Christine needs some serious anger management classes. I've never seen the character portrayed so angrily! She looked like she was liable to rip out everyone's throats. I liked Sean's Raoul here, too - he gave this horribly overbright smile when he looked at Christine, but he was glaring at the managers. I don't know; it worked with his Raoul. And then he did this "I am having a brain aneurysm" move and ruined it. XD
REHEARSAL
Yeah, no wonder Reyer let Christine in late to the rehearsal, with the glare of death she gave him! :O And Trafton with a fake mustache. LOLZ Schumacher Reyer is still great.
GRAVEYARD
Oh, okay. I now realize that Christine hates her father. Wut. :| Kelly practically shouted most of this song out. Oh lord. I'm not a huge fan of this scene by any stretch of the imagination, but...wow. This made me dislike the scene anew. Oh man, though, when Sean came onto the scene. He looked like he was ready to brawl with Tim right then and there. That is appropriate anger. ;)
SEAL MY FATE
Considering that the guy in the pit was directly in front of me, I covered my ears before the shot came. I wanted to keep my hearing. XD
DON JUAN/POINT OF NO RETURN/ETC
Oh Trafton...he looks way too young to be sporting that beard. XD This was one of the least sexy PoNRs I've ever seen. I probably wouldn't have felt so disappointed if I hadn't seen Tim have an INCREDIBLE PoNR with Jennifer Hope Wills last year. But I did, so I was. No chemistry, man. No chemistry. But Tim's reaction to being unmasked was really good. He seems very childish...which I normally like. But more on that later.
FINAL LAIR
Finally Tim kicked it into high gear. Maybe his Phantom was just scared of Kelly's Christine, I don't know. XD His acting was great. He was alternately snarky and sad, and it worked really well. Even though Kelly tried to devour his face during the kiss, he really worked it. He picked up one of her curls and rubbed it between his fingers and was just all awkward during the kiss. I love it when they're awkward. Sean just kinda hung around, literally...meh. I like it when Raoul does something in the noose. Michael Shawn Lewis has spoiled me forever when it comes to Raouls! The ring return was crap on Kelly's end, but Tim made do. The one thing I did like from Kelly was she almost bodyslammed Tim protecting Raoul. Which, I generally like. Umm...that's really it?
MISC RAMBLINGS
Tim plays the Phantom as a very childish, immature, self-centered person. I think this is fresh, especially since most actors try to amp up the sex (understandably). I just hope that he's allowed to develop the character as he sees fit instead of being told to act a certain way, because I think he has the potential of being awesome. Plus I get sick of all of the "I AM PHANTOM, SEE ME GROPE" stuff. When you think about it, ALW's Erik SHOULD be a very childish, immature, self-centered person, considering his other actions during the musical. And yet, that's one of the reasons why I'm not enthralled with the stage show anymore. I've been looking outside of the box and seeing how characters in similar, or even worse, situations react to the events of their life. It's not favorable for ALW!Erik. :P
I swear, I think I was the only person in the whole auditorium who didn't give them a standing ovation, but I refuse to be pressured into doing it. I only give standing ovations when I feel like the show merited it, and it did not.
I'm okay with seeing Tim and Sean again tonight, but I'm really wishing that I had gotten a ticket to the afternoon performance instead, so I could see them opposite another Christine. Hopefully they have chemistry with her. :P
Verdict? My love for Phantom is practically non-existent and is looking like it will stay this way for a good while, if not ever. I'm glad that I came, so I can at least say that I tried, but I tell you, I'm looking at the show with fresh eyes now, and I'm finally seeing all of the flaws and silliness and threadbare patches. Sigh.
And now I am off to find a grocery store so I can make some lunch. XD
NOTE [August 19, 2009]: I originally thought that I had seen Trista Moldovan as Christine, mainly because there was no announcement before the show, no understudy/change of cast slips in the playbill, and no mention on the understudy board (which is the very first thing I check once inside the lobby, as anyone who has seen the show with me knows) telling us that we would not be seeing Trista as Christine that night. I never would have known otherwise if Trista herself had not messaged me (twice within a six hour span, no less) about changing the cast listing error. I apologize for the unintentional mistake, because I had no idea that reviews posted on the intarwebz are such SRS F'IN BZNS.
Also, comments now disabled because the lulz have been had and the macros have been made and the mocking has been fun, but now I think we are all done. Maybe. ;)