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I've tried a few times in the past couple weeks, and I think the day seat thingy just doesn't work anymore. Even if I'm fast enough and get a seat in my basket and go to pay, it then says there's an error. The phantom link has even sent me to the day seats bit for Frozen a couple times, so I'm guessing it's just not working? Is it the same for anyone else or am I just being too slow?

Phantoms website crashed or my service completely cut out so didn’t get my dayseat for tonight 🥺 now going to have to pay a sickening amount of money for a ticket now 😭😭😭

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Exactly, why go full sparkly 'we've REVAMPED the old show to be nice and modern instead of ew and old' while also doing the weird cracks in the proscenium and making certain things look worse (e.g. the laundry drapes in the overture or having everyone invade the stage right before the title song)

Do you have any opinion of the new london chandelier?

I think it's getting better and better... in the sense of them reworking it now and then, and in the sense of me getting used to it.

The original design for this chandelier had lyred with holes in them, to suck the drapes into the structure like in the Restaged Tour. It also had its own platform in the ceiling, and because it was never meant to hit stage it had a spike underneath.

Obviously things needed to be reworked to make it function more like the chandelier Maria Bjørnson designed for HMT. So they added the original lyres without holes, they removed the spike underneath so it could be a stage-based one (which, from all I've heard, was not the original plan for the West End revival), they gave it a top-tier, and they've kept adding beads to it to beef it up. Here's three stages: the UK Tour revival design, the reworked chandelier at the West End revival premiere, and the chandelier as it is now:

When the West End revival opened I thought it looked a bit cartoonish. Very bubbly and shiny. The added horizontal beads did a lot for the look. I still think it's too shiny, I miss the brassy look of the original chandelier. But as it is now it gives me cool circular Viennese chandelier vibes. And I also think it's a big improvement from the intended tour design which was mostly frame and bulbs to make the drape thingie work.

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Do you think Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh ever explored each other’s bodies?

#no x

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also I gif'd it:

#poto #poto buenos aires #poto argentina #the phantom of the opera #el fantasma de la opera #Phantom of the Opera #chandelier CRASH BB #chandelier

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Chandelier Crash Test from BA - this tumblr is a little project I am working on, also i like the chandelier crash.

Video of the Chandelier from the Buenos Aires doing a test run of the crash in Feb 2009. Super interesting to see it from this angle, even if it is a little dark. This specific video is taken from Anton Woodward’s/AVW Control’s facebook page as it is higher quality compared to the video uploaded to their youtube channel, but I shall link both here. I will also reblog with some more information provided by Anton Woodward in the youtube comments and his website.

(Source as of 3/3/21) from Anton Woodward’s/AVW Controls’ Facebook Page

(Here is the link to the Youtube upload from AVW)

#poto #poto buenos aires #poto argentina #the phantom of the opera #el fantasma de la opera #Phantom of the Opera #chandelier #chandelier CRASH BB

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Saturday, 7th March 2020. Matinee. Her Majesty's Theatre, London.

I went to see phantom again innit. tbh I was more treating this as a 'concert', as we got cheap balcony seats (which are shite for anyone who properly wants to see the show btw,,,,,, go big or go home I guess. Binoculars were meh), to see Kelly again and to (hopefully) see Josh Piterman (who was on!)

We did see a matinee and it was weird to go outside and it was still daylight, and then see the cast running out to get a sandwich.

Kelly is v v v v good just saying. I pay less attention to the phantoms i have realised, but Josh was good too and he didn't try to chuck Christine into the orchestra pit which is always a bonus.

OH YEAH THE ANGEL DIDNT WORK. We were It got to the rooftop scene and I was waiting for the angel to be lowered (do dododo do dododododo). Well it didn't so I was looking around like hmm where they gonna put him?? side box?? luckily they don't use them- yep he was there, felt bad for any audience members who were on the same side as him and couldn't see him. Chandelier still crashed tho, double was at the top to do the whole mwahahahha shebang.

Raoul didn't jump from the bridge and im pretty sure Danny had done it last time, while Jeremy hadn't, but it's all so confusing (and dependent on how the actor is doing physically) I'm sure stuff changes almost daily there.

oH yEaH they still didn't have souvenir brochures for the new cast either....

Did u like this long winded text post like and subscribe for more.

We saw the Waitress one year show (and Marisha Wallace's final show!! got a massive applause of course) that evening, with Sara Bareilles and Gavin Creel. Insane energy, shame the show shut for good a week later, I feel lucky to have gone to seen it. Wish I had also gone to see City of Angels too on the Friday but oh well.

#kelly mathieson #josh piterman #poto west end #poto #phantom of the opera #her Majesty's Theatre #London

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The Premiere of Back to the Future the Musical in Manchester was, interesting.......

Glad I went tho

Hopefully some stuff will get cut by the proper opening, or it's West End transfer (if that even happens)

#back to the future #back to the future the musical

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Phantom of the Opera (オペラ座の怪人) - 1988 Original Japanese Cast Recording Tape

Got this off yahoo Auctions. Sticker that is used across the two spines is ummm a bit talking apart, but it is 30 years old so....

Hope to see the Japanese production in the far future, looks like such an interesting one (even if it is all prerecorded...)

Also all that merch they must have oh my

Gooooood tape tho I like the cast a lot

#phantom of the opera #poto #poto japan #k7 #cassette #music collection #tape collection #(not sure which one is more accurate???) #Masachika Ichimura #オペラ座の怪人 #ryoko nomora #reiko nomora

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Phantom of the Opera - 1986 Original London Cast Recording Tape

#poto west end #phantom of the opera #sarah brightman #michael crawford #poto #k7 #cassette #music collection #tape collection

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My Phantom of the Opera Cassette Tape Collection

I mean... It's cheaper than collecting them on vinyl (marginally)

The tapes left to right, top to bottom:

1986 Original London Cast (I don't have the highlights album, I don't really see much point but it's also on DCC so feel I must for the sake of it)

1988 Original Japanese Cast (this was a bit of a pain to get off through Yahoo Auctions, but finally got it! Bit wrecked but love it anyway)

1989 Original German (Language)/Vienna Cast(think I have listened to this one the most)

1990 Highlights with the Hamburg Cast

1990 Highlights with the Canadian Cast (also been listened to a lottt)

1993 Highlights with the Dutch Cast (it's a DCC-Digital Compact Cassette!!! I don't have a player for this but damned if I care, I've never seen/owned one before so it's a novelty)

1989 Original Swedish Cast (it's a big box, they decided to go the library box route for the double Cassette. Was a bit of a pain to find on eBay)

I will take pictures (I don't have a scanner) of the inserts from these eventually. May get the London Cast Highlights DCC....

#Phantom of the opera #cassette #dcc #digital compact cassette #tape collection #music collection #poto #k7

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Friday, 24th of January and Saturday, 25th of January. Thessaloniki Concert Hall, Greece.

spam ahead (including a photo dump with my holiday pics xxxx), with my bad formatting too and spouting of random thoughts.

I am SO SORRY for how long this turned out, i am a rambly mess who doesn’t know how to edit.

Oh yeah, I also didn’t record anything from the show because I’m deathly afraid of ~~~~ushers~~~~

I will start with saying the instagram people for the production are so nice and will answer any question you have (from my experience. i asked them a LOT)

Had all the main leads on, Amy the Friday and Celinde the Saturday.

Amy Manford and Celinde Schoenmaker were both amazing as Christine, though they do seem to both be directed as being helpless for a good chunk of the show. It is really great in Point of No Return when they go full on ‘fuck it, lets give the Phantom what he wants and overwhelm him’, including a brutal chucking of a bowl of oranges across the stage. During Wishing and Wandering Child there were some moments were ummm the idea of suicide was floating there, with her getting close to the edge at the beginning of Wishing, and in Wandering where Christine is entranced by the Phantom and stands on the edge and teeters back (I was scared shitless). Also during Il Muto, both did a funny high pitched ‘hee-hee hee hee’ after getting poked in the bum by the Poor Fool himself, which made me laugh so hard.

Lara Martins was AMAZING as Carlotta, fainting with the sandbag dropping down during Think of Me, and slapping someone sweeping the floor for daring to be present near her after Prima Donna. (Also she had a weird fake dog which was weird but oh well)

Arvid Larsen as Andre was hamming it up every scene he was in and I LOVEDD it, always bowing down to Carlotta and (not sure if right word but) disciplining Firmin’s attitude. Also his Torero masquerade costume, had his trousers all the way up to his nips lol.

Ben Forster as the Phantom is.,,,, um,, well I guess Ramin had a big influence on him? He was a great singer, though very pop sounding. I think I read/saw somewhere on Instagram that he saw this production as deconstructing the ‘magic Phantom’ of the replica into a more emotional human character, and I do kind of see it but um,,, constant anguish is a bit much?? I was low-key hoping for an understudy to go on to see something a bit different the second night alongside Celinde.

Nadim as Raoul, he was there yes. I do like they decided to give him a bit more of a clear arc, with him checking himself out in the mirror during Little Lotte and then going up to beat up the Phantom in Wandering Child (though the Phantom had a KNIFE , a PHANTOM KNIFE). He did seem a little bit bored but I think that was part of the character at the beginning, like he was a playboy who hasn’t heard no or had a girl disappear on him.

There were the projections during the Overture and Ent’racte. They didn’t really add or detract from anything?

The dressing room mirror is tiny so thats fun.

Masquerade was amazing, I loved the turntable where Christine and some of the ensemble act like a music box (and the ending where there is the call back to that with Old Raoul). The mirrors weren’t there but I actually loved it with just the columns, it made the room feel expansive and not as ‘restricting’ as the brick wall on the inside of the stair-drum-turntable thingy (I will get to that) which was in the background of a lot of scenes. Costumes were great, I loved the way the costumes were translated into a more simplified colour palette, it was BEAUTIFUL.

Loved the rooftop in general, especially with the snow.

The Don Juan Triumphant set was umm a bit bare, and the sitzprobe for it was good with the ensemble being scared into singing, rather than possessed (alongside their ‘Don Juan Triumpher’ sheet music!).

They seemed to love throwing stuff from above, with what looks like random bits of dandruff coming down whenever the Phantom is supposed to be near (I think??? or they just cant control the snow??). The rose petals (with the beautiful rose covered curtain) in Prima Donna was great, as was the snow in Wishing. The confetti bombs in Masquerade was good but um a bit much and then its just on the stage for the rest of the show hmmm.

The stairs, I am conflicted on. I think its great that there’s another setpiece for some bits (like Why Have You Brought Us Here, and Journey to the ‘Graveyard’ / Rooftop), but the steps have the brick texture, so when used to go into the Phantom’s lair and the rooftop, it can be a bit weird. It isn’t like the black box travelator where it is left up to you to decide what it is, its visually a decrepid brick wall so you see the same thing for going up and down in the Opera House (do I make sense here, jesus my brain is fried). The inside of the stairs is a grey brick wall, which turns out to be the background for the lair, the rooftop and Christine’s dressing room so I do get a bit more sick of it.

The Curtain was loud, and the chandelier um,.,,,, made a noise and lowered slowly.

The audio was a bit off sometimes: you could tell the title song may have been pre-recorded, that the ensemble are in a separate room during ‘Track down this murderer’,, and that the audio is bouncing off the Phantoms mask during ‘Why so Silent?’.

LOVED the costumes of the production, the more limited colours (except in Hannibal) worked well though sometimes could look a little bit too drab and grey, like really old instagram posts from 2012 that we used to put a lot of filters on and make look all grey and vintage (I am beyond guilty of this)

Thessaloniki has some nice museums, I’ve only been Greece once before but didn’t see much of the historical stuff, so it was nice to see.

#amy manford #celinde schoenmaker #ben forster #poto greece #thessaloniki #greece #phantom of the opera

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photo dump (aka my holiday pics xxxx) for Phantom of the Opera in Thessaloniki, Greece

#thessaloniki #phantom of the opera #poto greece #this is more effort than i though any post could be

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Friday, 22nd of November. Her Majesty's Theatre, London.

Impending spam sorry.

Got to see the costume designs as was seated in the stalls this time. Wish they sold Christine's Masquerade dress as a print alongside the others they do sell.

SO, I was seated front row in one of those 3 discounted seats right at the centre. No leg room (seemed like that for the whole row) but literally could not care less, it was such a good view.

Chandelier crash? Right over my head (and included the person behind me actually screaming).

Snuck in some photos during intermission because Ushers were too far away to scare me, ahah! Gif is from when they are about to put it back up.

I also finally realised the whole black box concept, with the painted area around the proscenium. Also loved seeing peaks of the proscenium, like the bottom bit of the angel, underneath the drapes.

Bridget Costello was bloody great, reminded me of Sarah Brightman in her wide-eyed expressions.

Scott DAVIES THOUGH. I am BEYOND glad I got to see him.

Another front seat performance is impeding I think...

#bridget costello #scott davies #poto west end #her majesty's theatre #london #phantom of the opera

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Monday, 26th August 2019. Her Majesty's Theatre, London.

Second time seeing Phantom. Was quite far at side of the Royal Circle, but really liked it for I could see more for the details up close.

Amy Manford? An absolute gem.

Tim Howar? he was good too, however I thought he was literally going to throw Amy off the stage during the final lair and I was unprepared.

I also bloody love Kimberly Blake as Carlotta, she is the image of Carlotta in my mind now.

I can see myself going frequently to see this.

The ushers are terrifying.

#amy manford #tim howar #poto west end #her majesty's theatre #London #phantom of the opera

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Thursday, 21st of March 2019. Her Majesty's Theatre, London.

The first time I saw Phantom. Semi birthday gift too. Turns out phantom is an absolute banger of a show (and that the 25th RAH concert is ummm a bit naff in comparison)

Kelly Mathieson is a gem. I think there's a bootleg video floating around of basically this exact cast from the same month, so go watch that.

#kelly mathieson #david thaxton #poto west end #her majesty's theatre #London #phantom of the opera