3rd September 2008
Phantastic... but not as good as the original cast
2. One of the best musicals of all time, if not the best. Highest grossing entertainment franchise in the world ever. An excellent score, book and lyrics – but when I went in 2006 I felt the cast was a slight let down. After listening to the golden voice of Michael Crawford (who originally played the Phantom) on the Original Cast Recording – a must buy for any fan of the show – I was a little disappointed with the actor who was playing the Phantom. He had very little stage presence, and not the outstanding voice I was expecting. He was good, but not great. However, the rest of the cast were good, although again Raoul did not quite match up to the supreme performance offered by Steve Barton on the Original Cast Recording. However, it’s not fair to compare a new cast to the definitive original – if you’ve never seen or heard the show before you will absolutely love it! On a practical note, make sure to avoid the very first row or two, as you will be craning your neck through the entire show – one seat right in the middle of the first row also has obstruction from the conductor’s head! People at Ticketmaster etc will lie and say these seats are fine. Although it’s great being so close to the stage and the performers, you will miss out on some other aspects of the presentation of the show.