Behind the scenes at "Phantom"

[jelliclekat24]

@LowellBekker I've seen her live once, and her voice is.. Well, her voice is..well...different, but its still beautiful. But, then again, everyone has their opinions :) I personally really like Marni's voice, as dark as it may be. :)

[LowellBekker]

Am I the only person who absolutely hates Marni Raab?

[jelliclekat24]

@LowellBekker I think you are lol.

[LowellBekker]

@jelliclekat24 -.- I just don't see what everyone else sees in her. I've seen her live twice, and her voice is just not suited for Christine.

[SuperGingerNija]

i aactually stared in this production!!

[phantomphan4ever1]

John Cudia is so my favorite phantom! :)

[cudiafan]

Just think how AMAZING the movie would have been if they had filmed it like this! Or at least release the full footage of the video

[MsDarkrosebud]

NOTHING can beat the 2004 phantom!!!!! The people in the theater and broadway have had too much, how do i put it, experience? and have lost the natural beauty in their voice. And it makes them sound like sheep. I'm not kidding!

[ItalianGirl903]

@MsDarkrosebud I'm sorry but i have 2 disagree.The 2004 movie did good but the orginal cast is on a WHOLE different level. You also have 2 remember that in 2004 it was a MOVIE, which means that they can add more effects &go out more than a stage show. Crawford has an angelic voice while Butler has a more harsher, rock-like voice which doesnt fit Erik(Emmy did great and she & Sarah are both amazing singers)This clip is the traveling show,Crawford & Brightman are 10x better & are not "sheep-like"

[MsDarkrosebud]

@ItalianGirl903 I see your point, but i'm sorry, I will always love the movie!!!!!

[TLKthing3]

@MsDarkrosebud Different opinions, lol :p

The actors in the film really lost their NATURAL beauty due the audio-editing :p

[PurpleBritishPanda]

@MsDarkrosebud It's called vibrato, dipshit

[MagicMaddy]

I REALLY hope this doesn't end before I'm older. I'm 14 and my dream/goal in life is to be the Phantom. I know that I have the skills, its just the time that I'm worried about.

[MsDarkrosebud]

@MagicMaddy I can assure you that it won't end. What, the most popular broadway musical will just cease to continue? Nahhh! I always wanted to be christine, and I'm 14. Don't loose gumption!!

[aShLeYlUvSrOcK098]

@MagicMaddy Really? The Phantom? AWESOME! I wanna be Christine and I'm close to your age (12)! Where do you want to preform?

[seansuth]

I dispise the day Phantom has it's final curtain call... Bad enough the tour is over

[audiesgirl]

So, if it's too expensive to tour anymore, the time has come to release a video of the stage production.  Don't say "watch the movie" because you can't compare the two. I don't see how anyone can watch that ghastly film after seeing the live stage version. ALW owes it to the millions of stage fans worldwide to do a decent video. I understand the rights to the original cast video are tied up, but there are many wonderful versions to choose from if the fans are polled to choose their favorite.

[seansuth]

@audiesgirl Couldn't agree with you more.

[LucyInSoManyWays]

okay in true honesty the Phantom here looks like Prince Poppycock from America's Got Talent.

There will never be another phantom like Gerard Butler.

[clevm002]

@LucyInSoManyWays ... WTF!!!!... are you serious... Gerard is nothing but pre recorded take after take rubbish.. he looks good.. thats it.

[LucyInSoManyWays]

@clevm002 that's great.

[elphabaize]

John Cudia is THE BEST Phantom ever!!! <3

[sjloki02]

I love the phantom I've seen it seven times live and a ton of times on dvd its always been my favorite musical

[Barbiebratzgal123]

i like the 2004 version better

[JoSwan21]

I saw the musical last week at broadway in New York and I loved it!!! It was fanastic!! From now on it's my favourite musical!!

[LOVxxE]

How they filmed that in the beginning with christine and phantom to about 0:53....WHYYYYYYYY couldn't they have just filmed the stage version like that, it would have been so much better and it captures the magic of the show!

[camlenoir16]

Saw it the day after thanksgiving 2008 at the Cadillac Theatre. Beautiful!

[Exalibur101]

you are not a true phan if you always wonder who they are talking about when they say the name " Erik." " Oh, who's erik, was he one of the directors? MEEEEOOWWW." OK, Erik IS THE PHANTOM! got it gerrard butler Phans. No, you can not call yourself phans. Fans.

[KelliLynn1000]

*Vegas. I love how they added the wow factor even more but I already think the base is pretty much amazing. It doesn't need that much bing that it started of as. Still good to see the Vegas one once you've seen the full one.

[thecrazyclown1]

The Guy who plays Phantom in this video is pretty good. But every phantom phan has to love PHANTOM:THE LAS VEGAS SPECTACULAR.

[KelliLynn1000]

@thecrazyclown1: That is John Cudia. He plays the phantom on broadway now.Yes the vafas spectacular is good there is nothing like the full show they was it started off as.

[MissAliGrace]

@thecrazyclown1 I know this was posted eight months ago...But anyway. I saw the Vegas production about a year back, and I have to honestly say I was pretty disappointed. It really felt like it was exploitation of success, like C. Mackintosh said in the video. Too many things were cut out, and while the performers sounded fantastic, it was obvious that they were rushing through the show and not feeling the performance at all. I didn't cry at all, and that disappointed me more than anything! :)

[ajponsig]

I heard they are retiring the Phantom World Tour at the end of 2010 leaving only two places to see it in North America - Las Vegas and New York. I'd go see it in Las Vegas its better there

[KelliLynn1000]

@ajponsig: I'd have to disagree, New York has and had some amazing people. Howard? John Cudia?..amazing.

[DarthxErik]

@ajponsig I'll also disagree, because the Las Vegas show is half as long... I'd feel cheated if I saw an uncomplete show!!!

[MsRumpleteazer]

This is awesome!

But 3:50 to 4:10 pains me... :'(

[RJungBroderick]

This Vhristine is so cute .

[DarthxErik]

I love this cast (John Cudia and Marni Raab) so much! And this behind the scenes video is great too!

[lmandlh]

same!

[RosesNightengales]

Favorite show on Earth. First show ever when I was five years old.

[nihaldubhe27]

Fantastic.

[dht23]

the girl is mani raab right, but who is the phantom brad little?

[TheGrimFandango]

Nope, it's John Cudia. I belive Brad Little was with Marni Raab for an earlier tour (2003?)

[DarthxErik]

John Cudia! The greatest!

[nintendo1yo1sasuke]

oh i just saw the one in Vegas.....it was kinda short though....like there was no intermission......?

[faustooo2000]

tha LAS VEGAS SHOW is a JOKE!!!! to commercial and the PHANTOM???? not good, "too short"

[applepooo]

Actually, although I am not sure about the title song, the phantom is John Cudia.

[stitchgrl777]

i'm always like don't show me how the chandelier works. Just give me close-ups of the actors and actresses singing because I can't see that from the stage!

[phantomrox87]

I saw phantom on broadway and during masqurade one of the maniquins fell and all of the actors had to step over it and pretend it didn't happen. It was the one with the bullhead.

[mooreentstudios]

I believe 'Phantom' has been touring the world for 150 years.

[clamp2005]

Actual, kinda hard since the first show was shown in 1986. Not quite 150 years. 22 years so far.

[DarthxErik]

and andrew lloyd webber wasn't alive 150 years ago. The story was first published in 1911 by Gaston Leroux, hardly 100 years ago, and the story takes place in the 1880's... only one hundred and twenty years. ;)

[aalg4c]

actually he wasn't an author he was an investigator into the matters that happened at the opera house, and they found the phantoms corpse because christine did not burry him like she was supposed and there is a tribute to carlotta in the court yard somewhere

[DarthxErik]

yes, but while some will argue that the story was true, some consider it as mostly fiction. He took facts and merged them into his story... but... who knows? I like to believe that it was *all* true... but we can never really know...

[thewzrdofoz]

@DarthxErik 1911 wasnt 100 years ago............it was 99 years ago

[DarthxErik]

@thewzrdofoz, I said, "hardly 100 years ago"... meaning, not quite 100 years ago. Meaning, anyone can do the exact math. The point I was making was that the story dates much longer than ALW's show.

[DarthxErik]

@DarthxErik And to add a tad more of precise info, even though Gaston Leroux's complete novel was published in 1911, the first bits of the story were published in a local newspaper as early as 1909... the story has already hit its 100 year anniversary.

[thewzrdofoz]

@DarthxErik i understand what you were trying to say............but bits and pieces of the story dont really matter...its about the FULL story!

and when one says, "hardly 100 years ago......", that implies that it was more than 100 years... infact, it MEANS that it was more than 100 years ago

[DarthxErik]

@thewzrdofoz Ok, sure, I understand your point regarding that... Just like we count the day Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" was published as 1862, not when he began the work some 15 years before, I believe. But unlike "Les Mis" (and other novels of the like) Phantom was written once through and revised once through and republished. Many people on online communities (in the "phandom") have already celebrated the 100-year anniversary of Phantom. Forgive me for confusing some.

[thewzrdofoz]

@DarthxErik haha. sorryu about all the confusion!! i have no idea what we are talking about!!!! like phandom, etc.. I just got into phantom last week cus i saw it in Austin TX

[DarthxErik]

@thewzrdofoz Really really? Well, good for you! It didn't take me long to become completely engrossed in Phantom. Just a month after I saw the film version (2004 with Gerard Butler) I bought tickets to see the show, and hauled my family with me to see it in a city hundreds of miles away! Ha ha. About four years have passed, and I've seen it, four times. It's a great story and I'm afraid I sometimes know too much about it. But it was nice conversing with you! Have fun exploring all the versions!

[DarthxErik]

@thewzrdofoz

And... Oops, I guess I was thinking hardly the number 100, whereas it sounds like it was hardly whatever date it was. I can see your point! Thanks for the correction, though I'm not sure who's technically right. I'll take your word for it.

[DarthxErik]

@DarthxErik And to add a tad more of precise info, even though Gaston Leroux's complete novel was published in 1911, the first bits of the story were published in a local newspaper as early as 1909... the story has already hit its 100 year anniversary.

[chocolatechick101]

Lol.. Well that's.... different...

I LOVE POTO. I'm completely obsessed.

[MichaelCrawfordsFan]

I love this show so much. LONG LIVE THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

[rasmet0193]

it allready has

[SessRin1778]

Definitley John Cudia in there. I love the Broadway version, but I had the chance the see "Phantom" at the Venetian in Las Vegas. OMG. It blew me away. The sets are just beautiful as is the theater.

[moderndaechristine]

did they cut it down for the Vegas show?? that was a rumor i heard

[SessRin1778]

Yes, they did cut it down. In Vegas people are coming and going. The Vegas show is 90 minutes with no intermission. I believe the play can last for about 2 to 3 hours depending on intermission and such. It was still absolutely thrilling though because the sets are breathtaking and gorgeous! It really is still worth it even though cut down.

[nintendo1yo1sasuke]

oh so that's why it was short......ha cause i just saw it in Vegas

[SessRin1778]

Yep. They might have even taken out a few of the more uminfluential songs just to shorten it precisely.

[georgilovesu33]

love it

[sacramouche]

For Sure taht is John Cudia, Marni Raab, Michael Gillis, & Kim Stengel.

I should know. I saw the show 30 times & met them numerous times, in it's tour run at the Princess of Wales theatre, in Toronto.

[elphabasfriend001]

i love this show... is it true, its coming to tampa, fl, this november?????????????

[phantomsmask007]

yes it is marni raab you can see it (her face and she is thin) and you can hear it (her voice)

nice showclip

[ChristineDaaePhan07]

No, it's Marni raab. i've seen this clip before.

[choochrissy]

r they marni raab and john cudia??

[1234AKbar]

I think it is john cudia and jennifer hope willis.

[beeboots]

No way, that's definitely Marni Raab as Christine. She has a very unique face and doesn't look a thing like Jennifer Hope Wills.  John Cudia is the Phantom and Michael Gillis is Raoul (I'd recognize him anywhere).

[1234AKbar]

I looked on the internet and i found a summary of the video, its john cudia and sarah jeanford with greg mills as raoul.

[choochrissy]

i dont think she is SJF

she is Marni Raab i am pretty sure

i saw her 4times..

[1234AKbar]

i saw the review on google, type john cudia and sarah jean ford and ull find the review.

[BroadwayBabe131]

It's Marni. Sara Jean's face isn't as pointy as the bottom. Also, Sara's voice is much more clear, and musical theatre-y than Marni's (which means that that is Marni!)

[1AdrianR]

@BroadwayBabe131 What do you mean by musical- theatre-y, less operatic? I am seeing Phantom on Broadway and they both play Christine there.