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Post by pjaye on Jan 18, 2023 3:11:54 GMT
I went to see it again last night, the current production is by the Australian Opera so they were all fantastic singers We bought tickets almost 2 years ago...and of course covid hit and we finally got there last night, and it was worth the wait.
The last time I saw it was in Jan 1991, 32 years apart! Which seems so weird to even think about. The 1991 version was the big touring musical that played here for 2.5 years straight and it was the first of the 'big' musicals I saw and I was awed by it.
We were in the second row this time, so we got the full impact of the orchestra as well, the last time I was in the nose bleed seats right on the highest level in the back row, but the tickets were so hard to get we took whatever we could back then. The first we saw it the Phantom was Anthony Warlow who is the bald guy in the clip below.
Who else has some Phantom memories? Where did you see it? Did you get famous Phantom like Michael Crawford?
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Post by pajamamama on Jan 18, 2023 4:18:22 GMT
Yes, I saw it in Pittsburgh during the big 90's tour! Also my first opera so I was just gobsmacked. I also saw Les Miserable there and quite a few shows on Broadway. Also La Traviata in Cleveland.
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quiltz
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Post by quiltz on Jan 18, 2023 4:48:00 GMT
I saw the Toronto Phantom of the Opera in the 90's and went 4 times and never paid once.
1st time was a gift from a friend and the last 3 times were comp tickets. A friend who used to *hang* at our home in high school was the assistant conductor. When a show wasn't sold out, she would call and ask if I wanted to go and bring along a friend. She usually called a couple of days in advance. I saw the show with 2 different Phantom's and in 4 different sections of the former Pantages theatre in Toronto. I also have the official sound-track cd from the Toronto show.
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Post by pjaye on Jan 18, 2023 4:53:41 GMT
went 4 times and never paid once. Lucky you! It would have been great to see different performers. During the 90's I didn't have much disposable income so the cost of a ticket was a big deal and as much as I would have liked to see various shows again, I just couldn't afford to.
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Post by hennybutton on Jan 18, 2023 4:54:03 GMT
I saw it at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. I don't even know how long ago it was. My daughter was in high school and she's turning 40 this year. Yikes! The Pantages was the most perfect theater for Phantom. It was originally built in 1930 and is so....I can't really describe it.
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Post by scrapmaven on Jan 18, 2023 4:56:08 GMT
I saw Michael Crawford in a different show. I just missed him in Phantom. I've seen it 3 times. The last time they had changed the sets and Music of the Night was choreographed so that he was sort of throwing Christine around the stage. It was much better when she was just standing there under his spell, imho. It's my favorite musical to date. I saw the Video of Love Never Dies(the sequel)and would love to see it on stage. My very favorite thing in life is Broadway musicals. Performing is much more fun than watching, but watching is still incredible fun.
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Post by holly on Jan 18, 2023 5:15:30 GMT
I went years ago in Los Angeles and Robert Guillaume was the Phantom. I was in my late teens I believe. It’s the only time I’ve seen Phantom.
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lesley
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Post by lesley on Jan 18, 2023 5:15:31 GMT
I got free tickets to see it in the Playhouse in Edinburgh, I think in 93/94. I got the tickets on the afternoon of the performance, and I can remember phoning my friend right away to tell her to get ready. Then I had to leave work a couple of hours early to get through to Edinburgh on time. I enjoyed the show but it’s not one of my favourites, so I’ve never really wanted to see it a second time.
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Post by cadoodlebug on Jan 18, 2023 5:21:48 GMT
DH and I took DS to see Phantom in San Francisco and scored 5th row seats. He was in band so being able to watch the orchestra tune up was a great experience for him. We all loved the performance.
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Post by pjaye on Jan 18, 2023 5:39:13 GMT
I’ve never really wanted to see it a second time. Sacrilege!
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wellway
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Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Jan 18, 2023 5:44:58 GMT
I saw it performed in London, back in the late eighties. My boss, a director of the small company I worked for, and I had put in a lot of work and the managing director bought tickets as a work outing.
It was around the time Prince Edward was working for Andrew Lloyd Webber and when one half of curtains got stuck while opening, high up in the centre of the stage, you could hear people wonder if Prince Edward was being sent up to fix it.
My boss composed classic type music as a hobby, he commented on a few things which had bypassed me. I told him it was like going clothes shopping with a friend who made clothes as a hobby and would rate the finishing on dresses etc.
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Post by leannec on Jan 18, 2023 6:20:15 GMT
I'm another who saw it way back in the 90's ... here in Calgary at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium ... it was the Canadian cast and was excellent ... loved every freaking minute! I managed a CD store at the time and remember playing the soundtrack in the store for weeks after I saw the show
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Post by gillyp on Jan 18, 2023 7:41:12 GMT
I got free tickets to see it in the Playhouse in Edinburgh, I think in 93/94. I got the tickets on the afternoon of the performance, and I can remember phoning my friend right away to tell her to get ready. Then I had to leave work a couple of hours early to get through to Edinburgh on time. I enjoyed the show but it’s not one of my favourites, so I’ve never really wanted to see it a second time. It must have been around that time I saw it in Edinburgh! Sadly I’ve only seen it live once but I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve watched it on TV, particularly the Anniversary show linked above which was on a lot during lockdown.
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Post by katlady on Jan 18, 2023 8:03:49 GMT
I saw the show in L.A. with Michael Crawford as the Phantom. Christine was played by Dale Kristien.
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Post by gar on Jan 18, 2023 9:08:36 GMT
I enjoyed the show but it’s not one of my favourites, so I’ve never really wanted to see it a second time. Same here. Dh saw it with a work thing years ago with Michael Crawford (I think?) and we watched the lockdown anniversary show but it wasn't one I particularly enjoyed and would rather see something else in a theatre.
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Post by elaine on Jan 18, 2023 11:04:57 GMT
I went to see it again last night, the current production is by the Australian Opera so they were all fantastic singers We bought tickets almost 2 years ago...and of course covid hit and we finally got there last night, and it was worth the wait. The last time I saw it was in Jan 1991, 32 years apart! Which seems so weird to even think about. The 1991 version was the big touring musical that played here for 2.5 years straight and it was the first of the 'big' musicals I saw and I was awed by it. We were in the second row this time, so we got the full impact of the orchestra as well, the last time I was in the nose bleed seats right on the highest level in the back row, but the tickets were so hard to get we took whatever we could back then. The first we saw it the Phantom was Anthony Warlow who is the bald guy in the clip below. Who else has some Phantom memories? Where did you see it? Did you get famous Phantom like Michael Crawford? I remember memorizing all the music before it came to the USA. I saw it with my sister in Los Angeles in 1989 (I came home from grad school just to see it) and was lucky enough to see Michael Crawford play the Phantom. ❤️❤️❤️ It remains one of my favorite musicals. I’ve seen it 3 times since then, the last being at the Kennedy Center in 2016.
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Post by coaliesquirrel on Jan 18, 2023 12:41:25 GMT
Glad you had a wonderful time!
I saw Phantom in London in 1992, and honestly it and Cats are the only two musicals I know of that I don't like. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but the characters just irritate the shit out of me, so I couldn't get into it. Nevertheless, I LOVE musical theater and am thrilled that shows are back on. I have tickets to a touring production of SIX in a few months and can't wait!
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Post by Bridget in MD on Jan 18, 2023 12:44:15 GMT
I saw it at the Kennedy Center too, and maybe National Theater? It was one of the first musicals I saw and I just loved it.
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anniebeth24
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Jun 26, 2014 14:12:17 GMT
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Post by anniebeth24 on Jan 18, 2023 12:44:39 GMT
I saw it in Detroit at the Masonic Temple in the early 90's.
At the time, I didn't know enough about the world of musical theater to pay attention to who was starring in the particular roles. I do remember being shocked by the price my parents paid for the tickets.
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Post by jenb72 on Jan 18, 2023 12:57:34 GMT
Phantom is my favorite musical. I've seen it twice, both times in the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The first time was with my mother when I was a teenager and it was first touring. In that production they actually had a chandelier hanging from the ceiling that "crashed" to the stage at the appropriate time. It was spectacular - everything my geeky little chorus/Broadway-loving heart could desire. The second time was in 2015 with my DH. It was the one and only year I bought season tickets to the Fox. It was a "reimagining", so some things in the set design/choreography/etc. were different. The singing was fabulous, especially the woman who played Carlotta. It came back again the next year and DH took younger DD as a gift - it was her first time seeing it and she became obsessed with it after that. So much so that she has read the book and seen every possible movie version, lol.
Unfortunately, I never got to see Michael Crawford in the role. He will always be the Phantom to me. Other performers are good, or even great, but to me they never seem measure up or capture the same essence.
Jen
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anaterra
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Jun 29, 2014 3:04:02 GMT
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Post by anaterra on Jan 18, 2023 13:04:55 GMT
Dh and I saw it a few years ago... broadway across America in San Antonio... i loved it!!!
No super famous phantom.... we saw rent (again) last year... and this year we will finally see Hamilton... weve had tickets for that since before covid...
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Post by pjaye on Jan 18, 2023 13:11:55 GMT
it and Cats are the only two musicals I know of that I don't like I didn't really like Cats. It was the first big musical that toured here but we could never get tickets so I missed out. Then I saw Phantom and Les Misérables and loved both of those, and they both had proper stories. Then Cats toured again about 15 years later and I finally got to see it, and I was disappointed because there was no real story and after all of the amazing set changes of the other two, the Cats set wasn't that impressive. If I'd seen Cats first I think I would have liked it better. I would have loved to see Miss Saigon with Lea Salonga, it had a big run in Sydney, but it never came to Melbourne, I heard it was because we didn't have a theatre that could accommodate the helicopter prop. I like 'proper' musicals that are specifically written as musicals, I'm not a fan of turning Disney shows and movies etc into musicals.
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Post by coaliesquirrel on Jan 18, 2023 13:19:23 GMT
it and Cats are the only two musicals I know of that I don't like I didn't really like Cats. It was the first big musical that toured here but we could never get tickets so I missed out. Then I saw Phantom and Les Misérables and loved both of those, and they both had proper stories. Then Cats toured again about 15 years later and I finally got to see it, and I was disappointed because there was no real story and after all of the amazing set changes of the other two, the Cats set wasn't that impressive. If I'd seen Cats first I think I would have liked it better. I would have loved to see Miss Saigon with Lea Salonga, it had a big run in Sydney, but it never came to Melbourne, I heard it was because we didn't have a theatre that could accommodate the helicopter prop. I like 'proper' musicals that are specifically written as musicals, I'm not a fan of turning Disney shows and movies etc into musicals. Agreed! And I'm actually a cat person, so I expected to like it. But yeah, the story was just not there, at least enough to keep my interest. I saw Miss Saigon in London as well, and it was incredible! And I agree about the Disney ones - I left those off my dislike list because I'm sort of over them in any form - theater, movies, etc. And, I hate to say it, but as much as I enjoyed Hamilton at first, I find myself skipping those songs on my playlist because I think I've sort of overdosed on that.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2023 13:48:51 GMT
I got to see it in New York City in 1993 - it was my high school graduation present from my Grandparents. <3. They took me to New York for a week and we saw Phantom and Crazy for You. I LOVED it! I had it memorized before we went so that made it even more fun.
**My DD and I are seeing Les Mis next month in Chicago - we can't wait! I rarely get to go to anything because we are very rural...plus DH HATES musicals...or theater in general.
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Post by auntkelly on Jan 18, 2023 14:03:07 GMT
My husband and I drove from Oklahoma City to Tulsa to see a traveling production of the show on a Sunday afternoon in Tulsa in 1996. He surprised me with the tickets for our anniversary. Our son was 2 1/2 and our daughter was just a few months old. I felt really guilty leaving them with my mom all day on a Sunday, but I loved the performance. I read a review of the production in the local paper a few days before I saw the musical. The reviewer talked about how the city had to spend several thousand dollars to reinforce the ceiling of the theatre to accommodate the weight of the massive chandelier used in the production. The reviewer then went on to say “Of course by now everyone knows what happens to that chandelier . . . “ He then went on to give away a major spoiler which I didn’t know about. (Apparently I was the only person on the planet who didn’t know about the spoiler).
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Post by pjaye on Jan 18, 2023 14:11:59 GMT
(Apparently I was the only person on the planet who didn’t know about the spoiler). " Based on the audience reaction last night, I'd say you aren't the only one - it caused quite a reaction. My friend was on my right side, but a stranger was on my left, and it was clearly the first time she's seen it because I felt her physically jump out of her seat by at least several inches.
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oh yvonne
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Post by oh yvonne on Jan 18, 2023 14:44:39 GMT
I saw it at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. I don't even know how long ago it was. My daughter was in high school and she's turning 40 this year. Yikes! The Pantages was the most perfect theater for Phantom. It was originally built in 1930 and is so....I can't really describe it. this is where I saw it too, back in the 90's twice! I just love the Pantages. The first time with my bff and the second time I took my mother. She loved movie musicals but growing up we didn't have the money for live theatre, so when my mom's bff took her to see Fiddler on the Roof I swear it was like a religious experience for her. She raved on and on about it for months on end. Its such a sweet memory of my mom who worked so hard and and put my dad and us kids first before her always to get to experience live theatre was such a treat for her. That was her only play until I took her once I started working to see Phantom. Such a magical beautiful play, it's truly my favorite of them all. Wicked is second, and I do love Evita but Phantom is everything. The first few months of COVID shutdown there was this program, Broadway something where once a week they'd telecast a different musical. Phantom is one they aired and I had it on the tv constantly. I remember I was working in the garden and I had it absolutely blasting so I could hear it outside and during the "sing for me.." song and she holds that high note my neighbor looked over my fence and said 'my God what is that?" He had a good laugh at that and he admitted it was beautiful music.
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oh yvonne
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Post by oh yvonne on Jan 18, 2023 15:00:22 GMT
and adding that I absolutely hated Cats. It was so hyped and I remember sitting there thinking "WTF is this?"
That's the only play I regretted spending my money on.
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Post by guzismom on Jan 18, 2023 15:11:28 GMT
I first saw Phantom in 1991 on Broadway and have seen it so many times since then~~and in so many places~~I have lost count. It is my absolute favorite show and I have passed that love on to both of my daughters. As a matter of fact, the eldest was gifted tickets at Xmas to see it in London in April, I believe.
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wellway
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Post by wellway on Jan 18, 2023 15:24:43 GMT
As I mentioned up thread I've seen Phantom but I didn't actually say what I thought. I'm glad I saw it but if someone said you can choose any musical theatre performance to go to, I won't pick Phantom.
I love musical theatre, I remember seeing Starlight Express back in the day when they skated from the circle to the stage and around again. It was a "what the hell is going on" moment
Years later, when it was staged again we went and health and safety had clearly intervened and that particular aspect of the show was replaced by a video on a large screen.
Now I'm remembering so many good shows I've seen, good times.
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