Operafantomet: phantoming

Phantom nerd, costume maker, art historian, Scandinavian, eternal traveller… PLEASE CHECK MY FAQ

[operafantomet]

I massively appreciate the different makeup looks of Myra Ruiz as Elphaba in Brazil.

For the original design the makeup was green with grey/black shades. For the first non-replica it was slightly more mint green with black and yellow details. For the upcoming non-replica the makeup is a tad more green, but with black and slightly more mint details. Three cool takes! 💚

(Photos from Myra Ruiz’s Instagram)

[operafantomet]

Fabi Bang (Glinda) and Myra Ruiz (Elphaba) creates history when they star in their third production of Wicked in Brazil, featuring a third costume and set design!

They first the original version in 2016 (left), designed by Susan Hilferty.

In 2023 they starred in Brazil’s first non-replica production of Wicked (middle), designed by Morgan Large.

In 2025 they will once again don the lead roles, in Brazil’s second non-replica production and third producton overall (right). The costume design here is by Lígia Rocha, Jemima Tuany, and Marco Pacheco.

In addition they also did the 2024 movie dub, which means that their track record as a duo is rather unparallelled ✨

[operafantomet]

As I’m removing the Christmas decorations from the tree, here’s some of the POTO ornaments.

Lately there’s been a lot of mini ballet dancers for sale, often with ornate fabric details. I have added skirts made according to Maria Bjørnson’s designs and/or specific stage-worn costumes, and often added painted details as well, to give them a little POTO spin. I originally meant to transform the white top left one into a Degas costume, but in the end I like it so much in its original state…

The Monkey Musical Box was built from scratch, while the Golden Angel is an awesome gift from @miniatureoftheopera . There’s also various POTO cards (not depicted), Degas pin, masks etc. which I have received as gifts through the years, and I love them all!!

The logo mask ornaments were made using styrofoam eggs/balls, decorating them with sequins fastened with a bead and a pin. They sparkle like crazy ✨

[operafantomet]

Snippet of Celine Dion and Tommy Körberg singing the title song from ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Her face when he improvise, though 😂❤️

( from here )

[operafantomet]

I enjoyed Tommy Körberg’s ‘Grand Finale’ solo show a lot, due to the many anecdotes, photos and videos they added to the loop. Körberg originated the role of ‘The Russian’ in Chess, amongst others. The musical opened some months before POTO in 1986.

When playing the role in West End he was apparently considered a plausible Phantom replacement or understudy (?) for Michael Crawford. From a lengthier sequence in his solo show he tells that he was picked up in a limousine and brought to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s house. But he was eventually told he was too short and not ‘lizard like’ enough 🥸

He also comments on that the replacement ‘should not out-sing Crawford’. Whereas said a bit tongue-in-cheek, I have heard similar comments from others and find it curious. I mean, Crawford was next level in his acting, stage presence and singing, I find it odd the producers would worry in this aspect. I will however say that the choice of successors Steve Barton and Tim Nolan - which I both love in the role, just for the record - may have some relevance to this. Whereas both poured heart and soul into the role, they also struggled with the score at times.

From the screencaps: «When I did Chess in London I was apparently considered a candidate for the role of the Phantom of the Opera. (…) But no, I never got to put on the Phantom mask. Luckilly, maybe, as the makeup time was very long. It was furthermore very important to not out-sing the original Phantom, Michael Crawford. I was also too short. -But I’m broad, I tried to tell them, but they were’t convinced by that. One should be ‘lizard like’ (…dudes, don’t tell Peter Jöback that!)»

[operafantomet]

Glimpses from this year’s Christmas tree, and some closeups of the Phantom details. There were many more, three elephants, Star Princess boots, various masks, lyres, ballerinas etc, but these are the ones I took photos of ✨ LOVED the tree this year. Also loved adding various small gifts people have sent me these last couple of years.

Other themes were pink, landmarks, food and drink, and royals 😂❤️

[operafantomet]

Hey! I don't have much hope about this one but I'll give it a try anyway.

So this is an image that served as an album cover for one of the Toronto audio bootlegs with David Rogers as the Phantom https://ibb.co/W3gcnHC

The picture was flattened to fit 1:1 aspect ratio and the quality is too low to say for sure but I think it's fair to presume that this is Rogers in the role (he kinda looks like Paul Stanley though but the ear is suspiciously large) and if that's the case, it's much better than the other photo of him which is b&w and you can't see his actual face.

So my question is do you have this photo in better quality by any chance? Maybe I wasn't good enough at searching or you just never posted it for some reason

Thank you for your great blog!

Ah, the link doesn't work for me, it tells me the page doesn't exist. For whatever it's worth, this is the only photo I have saved as David Rogers in my computer:

[operafantomet]

Hello OperaFanToMet

Do you have any images or a compilation of images of the Phantom holding the wedding veil or looking at the portcullis as Christine sails away?

(I think this thread has been done before but sadly I can’t find it)

Many thanks 🙏

This photoset feels relevant to you <3

[operafantomet]

Do All the Non-replica Chandeliers crash down instead of down then diagonally? All the replicas do (for OBVIOUS reasons) meanwhile the non-replica just fall down, except for the RAH (and maybe the Restaged Uk tour? There's only one vid for the crash an it just has one, lonely, tiny, spark. No fall) The only non-replica I think that goes diagonal-then down is the one in 2023 Ramin did. Ik it might be stupid...

I agree that a straight drop seems to be the most common thing, but there has been some variations. Poland, Sweden (Kristianstad) and Romania (new) is the three with the maybe most similar crash to the original. There has also been some creative variations. Here's some examples - and I'm not mentioning every single chandelier crash, just for the record:

For the Hungarian production, the chandelier rose and crashed at the back of the stage, in a turned-perspective illusion. It was a tiny bit angled, but rose and crashed in more or less the same spot:

For the Polish production it rose from the stage and into the ceiling, at an angle, and crashed the same way - much like the original chandelier effect.

The Restaged Tour chandelier is always hanging up in the ceiling, but it is raised and lowered somewhat during the Overture and the crash. For the Overture the chandelier construction sucks the drapes into the middle, so they disappear, while it for the chandelier crash sprays "shattered glass" (depending on the location, for many tour stops they didn't do the latter).

The Czech chandelier rose from the stage and up in the ceiling, and crashed down the same way - the wire track it followed is fairly visible in this photo:

The chandelier in Kristianstad, Sweden rose and crashed much like the original - rising diagonally from stage and into the ceiling, and crashing the same way (from ceiling to floor):

Ditto for the new Romanian production:

The Mediterranean (Italy / Monaco / Spain) production did maybe the most original take as of yet. The chandelier appeared to be pulled forwards and downwards, explosions, flames, with the Phantom on top of it as if he rode it down. Not gonna lie, I felt it looked better in photos and promo videos than live, but I appreciate them trying out something different.

Most others seems to be variations of raising and lowering chandelier in more or less the same spot, with or without drapes in the Overture, and with or without special effects during the crash.

[operafantomet]

...still massive computer problems, for those wondering about my absence... I can charge by old backup computer, and it last for half an hour or so, but I can't use it when charging. Which means I have small slots for doing Tumblr related posts, and I just... gave up on the whole thing, TBH. Ah well. Just wanted to let you know.

[operafantomet]

I feel an urge to toss rings at Serbian Madame Gary.

This can never be unseen...

[operafantomet]

Following up the post about the most original non-replica productions, here's a photoset on moments I thought rather original in the POTO Mediterranean production (Italy, Spain, Monaco):

Having some key scenes from the first act re-enacted - in slow-motion and in reverse from the chandelier crash and up to Hannibal - during the Overture was definitely something I have never seen before! Quite odd, yet cool and fascinating.

For quite a few mirror set designs it is obvious Christine will step through it at one point. Not here. Cause how in the world will she get up there? Ah, of course by stepping at the chair, then the dressing room table, lined up like a staircase... Cool take on it.

Whereas the First Lair was pretty conventional in staging and directing, the set design was out of this world. OK, so "only" a backdrop, but to amazing effect. Very Piranesi "imaginary prisons" look to it - and with that glowing, candle light lit organ in front. Loved it. Loved it a lot.

The Phantom swinging back and forth, like a Tarzan stuntman, during the Il Muto ballet - as a foreshadowing of poor Buquet who will swing across stage in a similar manner in a few seconds. Not my favourite take on it, but A+ for creativity.

The whole of AIAOY taking place on a narrow ledge, which made it both more restrained than usual, and a bit more intimate - with Raoul acting like Christine could really fall down (or jump for that matter) any second. So most of his singing is about trying to get her into safety, while she is utterly despairing:

The Phantom riding the crashing chandelier. Truth be told, a bit less impressive live than in photos. In photos it looks like a giant drop, but live it was more a case of a chandelier moving forward, then pyrowork. Yet... Even if it's been a part of the Phantom repertoire in movies and artwork, and even if Las Vegas had a stunt man appearing hanging from the chandelier, it was cool to actually see it done in a stage production.

Each cast member dancing with a cloaked dummy on wheels in Masquerade. Again - maybe not my favourite thing, I didn't find it super convincing. But original? OH YES.

ENDLESS LOVE FOR ANDRÉ'S FLOUNCED DRESS! And for dressing Meg Giry like a perfect bigger version of the Monkey Musical Box, with a yellow tutu:

The slow motion fighting with chairs and vocal scores in the Don Juan sitzprobe, while Christine walks slowly away with a red rose, starting on the WYWSHA intro? Fascinating.

The Phantom in giant black wings flying away during the Mausoleum scene? What even? (no, it did not make more sense live)

Then a bunch of tricks for the Final Lair, first and foremost Raoul trapped in a magical lasso hoisting him up in the air, supported by the bed frame. Originally topless (Trieste), later (Madrid) wearing a shirt. Ar'right. Then the Phantom disappearing by laying down in the bed and disappearing in the sheets when the mob enters the lair. Rather cool trick because it wasn't obvious how it was done. Alas no photos of that, but at least one of the trapped Raoul:

All in all a production full of surprises and unique moments, even if some other scenes were more or less the same or very similar as the replica version. I liked it a lot! For more thoughts and moments, you can have a look at the review I wrote here)

[operafantomet]

Following up the post about the most original non-replica productions, here's a photoset on moments I thought rather original in the POTO Kristianstad production (2020-2023):

Apart from the tiny tweak of the auctioneer being a woman, the auction scene itself was rather traditional. But the moment the chandelier came to life and started rising, some columns started tipping over, drapes were removed, and the set was slowly transformed into Hannibal. The original moment was having Raoul stumble around in this set, as if he was reliving some painful memories from his youth. Surprisingly touching staging.

The title song was another original take on a familiar view. For the first half a gate separated the misty stage into two areas. The Phantom and Christine - and a set of doubles crossed the stage, mirroring eachother's moves, which created a sense of a fascinating fairytale world.

Come the actual boat scene, the boat was as simple as two gates rising from the floor. The actors stood more or less still while rocks crossed the stage at irregular intervals, making it look like the boat was moving. Another super simple and super effective trick.

The Phantom's lair had some surprises in store. Whereas the floating candles reminded of the Restaged Tour, more or less, the amount of "spare masks" the Phantom had stacked up on each side was downright impressive. Extra cred for the creepy doll at the floor, which at one point got up and danced a violent waltz with Christine, making her faint...!

As for the Phantom himself, creating a horizontal half-mask instead of the usual vertical one felt more original than say making the mask grey or golden. It felt like a proper reinterpretation of the look (moreso than the leather coat, which Estonia and Serbia had also proudly featured). Extra bonus for a flawless mask fit.

Fast forward to the Masquerade scene, having Red Death 1. Crash through a giant mirror wall, and 2. Disappear in a twirl, just leaving his cloak / costume behind was the definition of magic tricks. Alas I only ever found photos of the in-between action, but it gives a glimpse of the mirror wall and the skull head costume.

In the same vein, the Phantom disappeared in a similar manner, walking through the scattered back wall, lit up by bright yellow light as it happened. I'm not quite sure what to read into that. Flames of hell? Redemption? Anyhow...

(for more of my thoughts of the production, have a look at this sort-of-review from when I saw the production in 2023)

[operafantomet]

Wicked of the Opera! Phantom of the Wicked! The crossover

Harriet Jones (Christine) and Susannah Stevenson (Glinda)

Kelly Mathieson (Christine) and Sophie Evans (Glinda)

James Romick (Phantom) and Annaliegh Ashford (Glinda)

Adam Bashian admiring the crossover mural

@phantomonabudget & @enchantedseastudio showing how it’s done

A closer look at the mural

Time Out New York’s April 2007 cover (Wicked)

Stephanie J. Block (Elphaba) and James Romick (Phantom)

Time Out New York’s April 2007 cover (POTO doing Wicked)

[operafantomet]

How would you rank each non-replica on a scale of creativity/original ideas?

That is a good question with many possible answers! Mostly because there are "good" creative/original ideas and "bad" creative/original ideas out there, and some of the most creative ones may also be the one I dislike the most... For example, if going by creativity and originality alone, Estonia would be very high on the list. But I'm not really loving the production overall, so I wouldn't say it's the best original take on POTO. If that makes sense. But if ranking the productions purely by how different they are and how hard they have worked on not looking like the original, I would say:

ESTONIA: Inter-war setting, rather bleak in its colour scheme and overall design, with one helluva mirror-discoball lair design, leather-coat Phantom, Vivienne Westwood-esque Il Muto, Moulin Rouge-ish Masquerade, 1990s Haute Couture Don Juan... There's so much to say. Definitely original, and not just giving "we had a low budget" vibe.

FINLAND / SWEDEN: 1980s costume vibes, gold mask, rock'n'roll, huge sets, tiny chandelier, gigantic orchestra, for the most actual opera singers in the leads. This one felt odd more than anything. But original? Very much so.

KRISTIANSTAD, SWEDEN: Definitely a production on a budget, but yet checking off all the boxes of what you'd expect of a POTO production. And with some super original ideas for some key scenes - Raoul stumbling around in the falling sets during the Overture, the elegant double staging in the boat scene, the rarities in the Phantom's lair, Red Death crashing through a mirror and later disappearing in mid-air... They had so many cool lil' details going on. In style fairly 1880s, and with a cool horizontal half-mask for the Phantom. I really appreciated this one.

SERBIA: One could maybe argue this was more low-budget than original...? At least the basic black set with few changes and the many low-key costumes didn't feel like the biggest effort out there. But different? Oh definitely.

BULGARIA: Pretty much the same comments as Serbia. However, the Phantom's fruit crown in PONR can never be unseen. Neither can the monkey musical box which seemed to have lost its will to live. Memorable for sure.

ROMANIA / NORWAY / GREECE / TOUR: Whereas the basic drum set was fairly similar to the Restaged Tour, it felt like an original production still. Some independent interpretations of the Palais Garnier (including featuring a huge window as a mirror substitute for Christine), more Edwardian flair of the costume design, and a kick-ass chandelier - grand, fun, and with some cool and independent directing ideas throughout. The idea of never leaving the opera house, for example, was interesting. Very enjoyable overall.

MEDITERRANEAN: Basing nearly the whole set design within a rectangular, turnable box on stage was a neat and cool idea. This, combined with oh-so-Victorian costumes and so many nods to Phantom history, felt original and clever. Also some stunning original visuals, like the Phantom's lair with the Piraniesi-esque labyrinth backdrop. Speaking of original, it probably looked very as expected with its heavy victoriana flair - but to me that's not a negative thing.

POLAND: One could argue this in large was a carbon copy of the 2004 movie. The costumes in particular, but also directing elements like including a sword fight in the Mausoleum scene. But the sets - oh, those beautiful sets! Also a wild chandelier crash.

SYDNEY HARBOUR: A really hard one to rank. The world's first outdoor production (ORIGINAL!), with sets looking like Bjørnson's design on steroids (not as original), with 1860s flair costumes (hello 2004 movie) with a dash of LND Australia (not as original), but then a flying gondola over burning water (ORIGINAL!), a huge cast (very RAH), and performing come rain or sunshine (ORIGINAL!). Something old, something new... But definitely a cool one for the Phantom portfolio!

RESTAGED TOUR: I was a bit in doubt on how to rank this one. I mean, the costume design is in large not new, it's Maria Bjørnson's costumes. But then new set design, new directing and new choreography. With various degrees of success. To me the most original idea is the drum set structure, and also some new magic tricks and added moments. I'm not loving the directing choices, as it makes both the Phantom and Raoul rather unloving candidates for Christine - why would she pick either of them? Also felt too much like a nod to Love Never Dies to appear truly original. So yeah, mostly for the sets.

HUNGARY and CZECH REPUBLIC: Whereas the productions themselves may not look the same, they both feel like two similar takes, to loving interpretations of the original, sticking to the same colour schemes and with a heavy Victorian flair. Directing wise they also feel like the same landscape. I appreciate both a lot, and especially Hungary has some clever ideas going on. I also loved how they picked Palais Garnier as a base - but totally different areas or angles of the Palais Garnier than what Bjørnson did. But if going purely by originality they don't move too far outside the box.

NEW ROMANIAN PRODUCTION: Nearly impossible to rank. AI design with some tweaks, which has resulted in a sort of amalgamated combo of all the non-replica production set design, with a sprinkle of Maria Bjørnson design on top. With some playing-card-odd costumes. Some visuals are stunning, some are very traditional, some are way out there. Yeah, I have no idea how to rank this one.

(and of course this is just my impression of them - have in mind that I've only seen three of them live, and if I see more of them in the future I may feel different about this ranking)

[operafantomet]

Hello! Do you happen to know who picked out the appliques for Phantom's cloak in mainly the Broadway production? I've done my own research and my own recreation, and it seems any of them are vintage appliques. Was it just all completely random?

I think many costume supervisors and costume makers has kept Maria Bjørnson's vision of antique pieces alive, where possible. Some Phantom cloaks are still decorated with antique jet beading, often sourced from scattered or ruined Victorian mourning pieces. But finding good pieces has become increasingly rare, so modern substitutes seems just as common.

For a costume display in the World Tour they wrote that:

"The cape is fine wool with antique jet beading"

This was true for the elder Aussie style as well as the UK. Probably elsewhere too, depending on the availability. One way to identify vintage or antique jet beading is that they use fairly small beads and with lots of hand-embroidered details, often in an openwork-pattern. The thread and/or fundament will often also have faded to brown. Here's typical examples of jet beading, in the cloaks of John Owen-Jones and Scott Davies in West End:

And the back of Ben Forster's West End cloak:

Last, but not least, Tim Howar in West End Live:

But many Phantom cloaks has also been fitted with either vintage or more modern sequin and bead appliquées. I think it's harder to separate what's new and what's antique in these. Here's some examples from the US where I'm not sure whether we're talking old or new (or maybe it's a mix).

The sequins may give a clue, as newer ones are often bigger and synthetic, while older ones tends to be smaller and maybe made of an early metal-plated synthetic material - or even metal if they are really old. But I would have to study them up-close to tell for sure.

There are also versions with mostly black tube beads, where the direction of the beading is what makes them glitter and sparkle from all angles. Here's Jonathan Roxmouth's cloak in the World Tour:

A cloak used in the Restaged US Tour:

And the collar of a vintage Golden Angel cloak, worn by Davis Gaines on Broadway:

I don't know exactly where Sam Fleming and other US costume supervisors sourced their materials, other than hunting vintage stores, antique stores, flea markets, the fabric NYC district etc. Anything that would make goodies surface, basically. It is in sync with the preferences of designer Maria Bjørnson, as she did favour vintage pieces when possible. Hence vintage materials are still often seen as accents and decorations on the POTO costumes. But vintage pieces have become increasingly harder to come by, so layering modern materials to create a similar effect is also common.

I hope that answered your questions!

[operafantomet]

SURPRISE PHANTOM: A random and absolutely not complete list of the Phantom in disguise or appearing in unexpected places

The Phantom (Chris Mann) as a stagehand in the Restaged Tour

The Phantom appearing during the voiceover parts in the Manager's scene, Hungary

The Phantom (Ramin Karimloo) appearing writing notes through a video in the Manager's scene, RAH

The Phantom's shadow during the Il Muto ballet, original version

The shadows of Buquet and the Phantom during the Il Muto ballet, Las Vegas version

The Phantom (a double) hanging from the chandelier, Las Vegas

The Phantom (Ramin Karimloo) riding the chandelier, Italy

The Phantom (a double?) swinging across stage during the Il Muto ballet, Italy

The Phantom (Stephen Brandt Hansen) appearing between sculptures in the Mausoleum scene, Estonia

The Phantom (Attila Csengeri?) appearing in front of the full moon in the Mausoleum scene, Hungary

The Phantom in an oval over the stage before the chandelier crash, Czech Republic

The Phantom (Ramin Karimloo) flying away like an angel of death, Italy

The Phantom (Radim Schwab) appearing on top of the Mausoleum, Czech Republic

The Phantom (Killian Donnelly) pyroshooting down the chandelier from inside box 5, West End revival

The Phantom in disguise for Don Juan, original version