wow - Phantom was scary bad....

[thoreau]

omg - what a mess!

That has to be the cheapest touring broadway production I've ever seen. and the stage crew made no effort to obscure themselves - ruining the magic of several scenes. It almost played like American Idol does Phantom of the Opera. (with a program ad for Grease - starring "American Idol winner Taylor Hicks as "Beauty School Dropout") It was cheesy, oversung and just looked cheap. Nevermind that ALW really struggles to find anything original in the piece - the cast included a leading voice in one of the "new owners" characters - who sang above and beyond everyone else. There were technical issues with mics cutting in and out. so some characters were never heard. The diva over-diva'd making everything she sung sound like the peanuts teacher - whawhatwhatwhawha - ugh.

It was terrible to watch. I laughed outloud during the second act as it spiraled out of control. ALW repeating the same page of notes with different words, stage hands being hit with the spotlight, pyrotechnics going off early - clearly startling the actors.

Raul broke character in the Masquerade dance to sneer at a stage hand.. completely visible to the audience. How poor!

I was embarrassed for the cast and crew. and the poor orchestra must have been hacking drowning in the 'dungeon fog' that was over produced and flowed out into the audience - at one point obscuring the poor conductor. Add to it that I had some folks sitting next to me that had never been in the Orpheum before - and almost gave every number a standing ovation - and it made for a very entertaining evening for all the wrong reasons. It was like watching a once proud play simply go through the motions.

Having seen the touring production of "Drowsy Chaperone" rock the roof off of the Orpheum this felt extremely second tier.

Comments

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Is this the first night at The Orpheum? If it was, the local crew may be blame. The cast probably arrived in town in time for sound check and hit the stage. Remember, the local crew isn't part of the tour. I guess I'm a bit offended, Bob, by the description, "the cheapest touring Broadway production ever". The show was just here in Seattle and the costumes are in good shape. I had $130,000 of costumes just for myself. So, hardly cheap. My friend DC Anderson was Monsieur Andre. I hope he's the one person you did like. Phantom is a gothic romance, a bit camp. I knew you wouldn't like it, but didn't expect this kind of bile.

[celtictats.livejournal.com]

Sorry the production you say wasn't up to grade, it really can be a great show.

[lbbuzz.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear your first Phantom experience was a dud.

Really, I'm not a big ALW fan myself, but the sheer production of the original B'way cast and the LA Cast were incredible!

Maybe you could go get the Vegas version experience at the Venetian :)

Don't worry, there are more shows to see ...

[eric-mathgeek.livejournal.com]

I have to echo those -- I'm sorry it was so shoddy, but the production I saw in Boston (er, something like 14 years ago) was first rate.

[urbear]

Was it anything like this (possibly the funniest thing I've ever heard on radio)?

[wescobear.livejournal.com]

Oh puhleeze MrDreamJeans. I saw the original cast on Broadway and it reeked then. The actors may have been first rate but the ALW material was derivative and the production was drenched in tinsel. I remember thinking how outrageously cheesy it was to have a bunch of mannequins in costume for a party scene (Masquerade?) instead of paying supernumeraries given they were charging the highest ticket prices in New York at the time.

So I guess the production was craptastic, eh LFM?

ALW

[capy.livejournal.com]

Glad they were ticket freebies...

ALW :: **shudder**

I'm with Wesco on this one... derivative, flashy and insubstantial. A true ALW work, through and through.

[brunorepublic.livejournal.com]

...ALW repeating the same page of notes with different words...

Yup, that was my thought too. "Why is everyone going on about the music, when there are really only four songs in the entire show?"

[volunqueer.livejournal.com]

Your review was hilarious!!!!

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

my biggest issue was with the sloppy execution by the crew - there were miscues all evening long. both of the new owners were good. it just didn't look like anyone was having any fun and from my perspective (I was in the 19th row) it looked cheap - some lovely costumes but it didn't have much visual wow factor.

Neil - you know I have the deepest respect for what actors like yourself go through on these tours. But last night was just a mess.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

it really wasn't meant to be funny... (sigh)

[volunqueer.livejournal.com]

But from an observer never having seen the show, you certainly captured a "train-wreck" onstage with an amusing flair that made me giggle :-)

Exit Stage Left!

[stivalineri.livejournal.com]

People who are Andrew Lloyd Weber fans are like people that like shrimp and pineapple on their pizza. You can't reason with them. It's their taste, and you mock it at your peril. I had an "Ah Hah" moment with my ex over "Phantom", he loved it with a passion. That should have been my cue.

And don't get me started with Sarah Brightman....

[stivalineri.livejournal.com]

I laughed, I cried!

[wescobear.livejournal.com]

It sounds like all that was missing from this theatrical disaster was a Great Dane playing a reindeer (apologies to David Sedaris.)

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

DC Anderson had mic problems - particularly in the first "we were given a note" scene with all the cross singing. Bruce Winant's mic seemed turned up comparatively- so he was the one you could hear so clearly. The diva and her tenor also had real bad mic-ing issues. Which role did you play in the production?

Last night was their 8th night open, so I'm guessing they just had a rough night.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

to be fair to Neil (mrdreamjeans) he makes his living traveling as an actor in touring shows and did multiyear stints in both Phantom and Evita - and is currently opening in Seattle in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. ALW is the kind of composer you either love or hate - there doesn't seem to be ay in between.

[wescobear.livejournal.com]

Okay, if we're discussing qualifications, I'm an architectural lighting designer who worked for Jules Fisher; I've been to over a hundred broadway and off broadway shows... including some of the worst stinkers ever (Into the Light - the musical about the Shroud of Turin.)

I would imagine that it is difficult for Neil to be completely objective about a production he has worked on.

Re: Exit Stage Left!

[inbhirnis.livejournal.com]

OH - how can you belittle Sarah Brightman when she was responsible for this 70s gem:



I remember this as a teen in the UK - I'm sure she'd rather we all forget about it!

Phantom Of The Opera

[cruisebear.livejournal.com]

It was at the Curran theater for almost 5 years in the mid 90's and I saw it 5 times. I am so sorry. I inititially saw it in London with Sara Brightman and I was sold on both Sara Brigtman and Phantom of the Opera.

I prefer happy musicals like Hello Dolly and A Chorus Line as opposed to non-happy musicals like Phantom and Les Miserables. But I was so drawn to Phantom of the Opera and its music.

BTW what are tickets prices running at?

Re: Phantom Of The Opera

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

I'm sure when the production is done on a relatively permanent theater stage - its much more impactful. (like perhaps the gabillion dollar version in Vegas) I also am not a big ALW fan - but I do like Evita and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Prices?

Peak Performances:
Fri & Sat eves at 8pm
Sat & Sun mats at 2pm
Fri mat 11/28 and 12/26 at 2pm
Orchestra/Loge $98.00
Mezzanine $78.00
Balcony $63.00
Side Balcony $43.00

Non Peak Performances:
Tue, Wed & Thu eves at 8pm, Wed mats at 2pm
Sun eve, 12/7 at 7:30pm, Wed eve 12/31 at 7:30pm

Orchestra/Loge $88.00
Mezzanine $68.00
Balcony $53.00
Side Balcony $33.00

Re: Exit Stage Left!

[otterpup.livejournal.com]

It burnses! It freezes! Aaaargh!

Re: Exit Stage Left!

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

you can't say you weren't warned. :)

Re: Exit Stage Left!

[inbhirnis.livejournal.com]

I loves it! This is part of my teen DNA... :-) Quite a testament to 70s pop/porn, isn't it?!

Re: Exit Stage Left!

[inbhirnis.livejournal.com]

I expect to see you stage a production inspired by Ms. Brightman's first pop debut - I'd love to see some SF boys in spandex... ;-)

Re: Rat Nose Lady

[stivalineri.livejournal.com]

what's with the tiny dumbells?