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| re: LET ME JUST SAY.... | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 11:27 pm EDT 04/19/20 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 11:21 pm EDT 04/19/20 | |
| In reply to: re: LET ME JUST SAY.... - GavinLogan1 09:35 pm EDT 04/19/20 | |
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| Add me to the list of ''Phantom'' fans. I couldn't agree more about Lloyd Webber's glorious and soaring score and Prince's spectacular staging, which emphasized the magic and mystery of the Phantom's appearances. Plus, brava for Maria Bjornson's extravagant and stylish sets and costumes. (I, too, loathed Laurence Connor's recent touring edition, but I wish I could've seen the 95-minute, one-act version of ''Phantom'' in Las Vegas.) |
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| I saw the Vegas Version | |
| Last Edit: LynnO 01:45 am EDT 04/20/20 | |
| Posted by: LynnO 01:35 am EDT 04/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: LET ME JUST SAY.... - WaymanWong 11:21 pm EDT 04/19/20 | |
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| I had friends in the Vegas cast, so I saw it around 15 times. Also participated in the amazing Phan Fest that they put on, where I met Hal Prince! Loved the multi-day event so much, wished that they had done it again. Anyway, the Vegas version was cut way down to be around an hour and 40 minutes without an intermission. Seeing the show in Vegas was worth the price of admission for two things (well, maybe three..). The theatre itself was built to recreate the interior of the Paris Opera House, and it was stunningly beautiful -- there were actual dummies dressed in period costumes in the boxes surrounding the orchestra section. Second, the chandelier was mind-blowingly incredible! It started out as five or six pieces that looked like art suspended over the orchestra seats. When the famous music started after the auction, the huge chandelier pieces started to slowly move in circles overhead, circling, circling, crossing over and around each other (if there were wires attached, they would have all been tangled up), but eventually meeting at the center in the correct order to assemble the chandelier. The pieces all came together at the same moment like a huge choreographed magnet , and then it slowly moved up to the ceiling. But the DROP was just downright SCARY. It came down super fast, and straight down on the audience, no swing to the stage. It came down so fast, and the lights would go out at the very last second, accompanied by a massive cold WHOOSH in the dark -- that you really thought that you were going to die if you were sitting underneath it (which I did a couple of times). The third reason to go was to see Andrew Ragone as Raoul, who has a glorious velvety voice, is drop-dead handsome, and made the role out to be so much more than it was. Also, if you went early in the run, they had two different Phantoms, and you could have also seen Sierra Boggess... if memory serves, they had two Phantoms and three Christines in the beginning. Always one Raoul. The downside of the Vegas production was that they cut down the roles of Carlotta, Piangi, and the managers so much that they became minor characters. Also, the chandelier did not come down after Il Muto, it came down as a distraction during Don Juan Triumphant, which changed some things in the story. They did have some actual fireworks in the theatre in place of intermission, as entertainment for the New Year's party that normally opens the second act. Overall, the Vegas show felt like it had a faster pace, of course. They kept the theatre very chilly for the fireworks. I saw the Vegas version many times, but after a while, I longed to see the Broadway version again because I missed Carlotta, Piangi, and the managers, as well as the wonderfully slow rhythmic pace of the original version. And all the beautiful little details. |
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| re: I saw the Vegas Version | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 02:02 pm EDT 04/20/20 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 01:53 pm EDT 04/20/20 | |
| In reply to: I saw the Vegas Version - LynnO 01:35 am EDT 04/20/20 | |
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| Thanks, LynnO, for your delightfully detailed account of the ''Phantom'' in Las Vegas. I've read that their chandelier effect was amazing and always wondered how it looked. I also was curious about the cuts. (If I were cutting, I'd excise ''Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.'' Ha-ha!) I just looked up video of Andrew Ragone at YouTube, and you're so right. Any idea why he's never done Raoul on Broadway? Finally, ''Phantom'' is such a showcase for Andrew Lloyd Webber's melodies, but why do we almost never hear about the show's lyricist, Charles Hart? Wikipedia says that Richard Stilgoe (''Starlight Express'') wrote most of the original lyrics to the show, but Hart came in and rewrote many of them. (And reportedly some of Stilgoe's contributions are still there uncredited. Do you know which ones?) How did Hart's lyrics differ from Stilgoe's? Wikipedia even says Alan Jay Lerner worked briefly on an early version of ''Phantom's'' lyrics, too. Does Lloyd Webber address this in ''Unmasked''? |
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| Why doesn't Charles Hart get more praise for his PHANTOM lyrics? | |
| Last Edit: GrumpyMorningBoy 09:48 am EDT 04/21/20 | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 09:45 am EDT 04/21/20 | |
| In reply to: re: I saw the Vegas Version - WaymanWong 01:53 pm EDT 04/20/20 | |
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| Why doesn't Charles Hart get more praise for his PHANTOM lyrics? 'Cuz I don't think they're all that good. They're CERTAINLY not as clunky as Tim Rice's often are. Throughout parts of JCS, JOSEPH & EVITA, it's not unusual at all for the audience to be thinking, "I'm sorry, but WHAT are you saying up there?" I once knew a cast of EVITA who would intentionally swap out the post-"Don't Cry for Me" crowd chant of "Evita Peron, la santa Peronista!" with "Evita Peron, a pepperoni pizza!" just to see if their stage management even noticed. Tim Rice's problematic issues are more often related to the way a lyric scans, with the emphasis of the words not matching up with the natural emphasis of a melody, making the singer sound as if they're putting the stress on the wrong syllable of a word. Or, with someone just blurting out things within a scene that they'd never say. "Monotony passed! Suburbia departed!" (I'm not saying that Tim Rice doesn't have his talents. His way of analyzing politics certainly led to some terrific commentary in both JCS & EVITA.) But if that's the standard that Lloyd Webber had, leading up to PHANTOM, I'd certainly say that Charles Hart was a step above. There isn't a single awkward lyric in "Music of the Night." That whole thing is pretty much exactly what you need it to be. Very singable, evocative, lush, romantic. Is it a bit too on the nose? Probably. Does it surprise the ear with cleverness? Never. Is it right for the moment of the show? Absolutely. Does it have anything actable, relying on dramatic action? Kinda. A bit. It's probably more of a true aria, but one could say that it represents the Phantom's seduction, especially within the context of the scene and Hal Prince's direction. It's good. As for the rest of the show, I think Hart fails to win notability because the lyrics are so often less than ambitious. Within all the sequences around "Notes," there were certainly all sorts of opportunities for clever turns of phrase, setups and payoffs, and he doesn't really aim for that. The lyrics work, though, and they're easy to understand, and they move the scene forward. They're definitely above average. But let's be honest: for most of the show, we get lyrics like this: "Christine, you must have been dreaming. Stories like this can't come true. Christine, you're talking in riddles, and it's not like you." Anything wrong with that lyric? God no. Does it scan? Yes. Do we understand it? Sure. Is it actable? Sure. Double meaning or cleverness? No. Clever internal rhymes or ear surprises? No. Room for actable subtext? Not much. There you have it. - GMB |
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| re: Why doesn't Charles Hart get more praise for his PHANTOM lyrics? | |
| Posted by: mikem 11:47 am EDT 04/21/20 | |
| In reply to: Why doesn't Charles Hart get more praise for his PHANTOM lyrics? - GrumpyMorningBoy 09:45 am EDT 04/21/20 | |
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| I agree completely. All I Ask of You has always bothered me as the title. It's a beautiful melody, and most of the lyrics are very romantic and sweeping: "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime," etc, etc. But then the kicker is: "That's all I ask of you." Um, what? What exactly does that mean in this context? It comes out of nowhere. Does the singer think they are asking for a lot or a little? It's a weird climax to this love song, and it kind of undermines the prior lyrics. | |
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| re: I saw the Vegas Version | |
| Posted by: LynnO 02:22 pm EDT 04/20/20 | |
| In reply to: re: I saw the Vegas Version - WaymanWong 01:53 pm EDT 04/20/20 | |
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| Wayman, you've hit the depth of my POTO knowledge, I don't know about the details of the lyrics. I haven't even read ALW's book, but I definitely want to now! Glad you found clips of Andrew Ragone, he is amazing! I've seen him in other shows (Vegas and regional), and he shines brilliantly! I have no idea why he hasn't done Raoul on Broadway... he should!! I bet he would be an awesome Phantom, too. I'm not a fan of "Wishing" either, but I do love the way that Sierra and Lisa Vroman used to deliver it... made it a more bearable lead up to one of my most favorite moments in the show, "Wandering Child." |
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| re: I saw the Vegas Version | |
| Posted by: mikem 01:35 pm EDT 04/20/20 | |
| In reply to: I saw the Vegas Version - LynnO 01:35 am EDT 04/20/20 | |
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| I saw the Vegas version and was extremely impressed with the physical production, particularly the chandelier. As LynnO said, it came down extremely quickly. I was sitting in the mezz, but I think someone in the audience below it actually screamed when it came rushing down. As LynnO mentioned, they basically cut out everything except the big songs and scenes. It was like watching the Cliff Notes version of the show. It felt a little bit like the whole show was at a 10, rather than having higher points and quieter points. The regular version is much better. I think I saw Brent Barrett, Sierra Boggess, and Tim Martin Gleason as the leads. I think there were more than 8 performances a week, which is why the roles were double-cast. |
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