The Original London Cast recording was a two-disc set which ran 1:40 with a few judicious cuts in the opera segments but was relatively complete musically. The cast, including actors, dancers and ensemble members numbered 145. A huge orchestra hovered on a platform and the sound of the piece became all enveloping. Using the design concepts of the original, which had been the work of the late Maria Björnson, set designer Matt Kinley and projection designer Jon Driscoll used the latest video screen and projection technology to augment two staircases and multiple platforms with video screens above and behind a large playing space. Instead, what producer Cameron Macintosh staged for one night at the Royal Albert Hall, a concert venue that doesn’t have a proscenium stage, was akin to an environmental production in which the hall itself became the opera house haunted by the famous “Opera Ghost.” (Tonight’s performance will be the 10,083rd!) After all, that original was still playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London as well as at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway where it’s number of performances has now passed an astonishing 10,000. It documents what was not a simple concert, but wasn’t a simple repeat of the original either. If you have somehow resisted for a quarter century, but are now willing to sample “the magic of the music of the night,” the DVD (available in regular or in Blu-ray) provides a full viewing experience. Perhaps you saw the movie version that came out in 2004. It is not likely that any one who really wants to see The Phantom of the Opera hasn’t already attended a performance either in London or on Broadway, or one of the innumerable stops of the touring production – or, for that matter, in Las Vegas where a slightly shortened version releases its audience into the casino early enough to get some gambling in. It was captured on audio and video discs, each or either of which may make you wish you had been there. The 25 Anniversary of what is now the longest running musical in Broadway history was celebrated last October with not just a concert, but a full staging of the entire show in London’s massive Royal Albert Hall with its seating of over 5,000.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |