The very best moments include Raoul and Christine’s declaration of love on the sunset-bathed roof of the opera house and, of course, the gondola that the Phantom steers across the smoke and candle-filled stage – it’s very 80s but one of theatre’s most memorable and still enjoyable illusions.įilm director Nick Morris working with stage director Laurence Conor focuses quite closely on the interplay between the three leads, keeping the camera tight on their faces and following them in the larger numbers. With projection designed by Jon Driscoll, the audience is easily and convincingly moved between the various locations of the story using video backdrops, including large-scale projections of the note-writing Phantom and large swishing curtains which do very well even on this filmed version. And this one is splendid, staged in full at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011 where the tiny stage transforms into a Parisian theatre with the orchestra placed above the action. You may sniff at the behemoths of the West End but never doubt their power, one that sings down the years, the absolute love and devotion they inspire, which decades on draws audiences to these anniversary versions. Contriving a lead role for her in the latest production the Phantom has almost all he wants until the arrival of Raoul steals her heart, so then the battle begins for Christine’s soul. Les Misérables recently made a virtue of necessity with a summer concert version while their usual home was redecorated, and now, for just 24 hours (UK), Andrew Lloyd Webber has made the fully-staged 25 th Anniversary version of Phantom of the Opera available on The Shows Must Go On YouTube channel.īased on Gaston Leroux’s novel, this is the story of Christine Daaé, a chorus girl in the Paris Opera and her relationship with the mysterious Phantom of the Opera whose mysterious – and slightly suspect – gaslighting methodology encourages her voice as well as a devotion to him. Book: Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd WebberĬelebratory, anniversary and concert versions of long-running shows are as much a part of musical theatre history as the West End-based productions they honour, bringing together a fantasy cast of the greatest performers from the past with the fans who adore it.
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