3,4,5
3. Favourite Phantom?
I'd say Earl Carpenter with Hugh Panaro being a close second.
I love Earl because of how shy and hesitant he is, and his nuances. It makes me cry. Like, ugly cry. The hair-touching, the gestures... And the kneel when Christine returns the ring? Raoul's fine horses trampled my heart.
I love how snide and sarcastic Hugh's Phantom is. And as perfectly described by Lindsay Ellis, his Erik is the perfect embodiment of chaos and he knows it.
4. Favourite Christines
Gina Beck is an all-time fave of mine because of how nuanced and sympathetic she is. While I'm not a fan of the orgasm faces in MOTN, her emotion in the role was iconic.
As for classic Christines, I'd say Rebecca Caine. Her voice is so clear and ethereal, kinda how I envision Christine to sound like when singing. And she's one of the earliest complex Christines. While Rebecca had a love-hate relationship with the show, I still love her Christine
I also love Kelly Mathieson because her acting makes me BAWL. I remember not being impressed when I first heard her in the West End Live 2018, but when I had more videos of her... WOW. The nuanced facial expressions and body language, her Final Lair is one of those times I cried. And THAT HUG 🥺🥺🥺
5. Favourite Raouls
Matt Leisy. He's just so soft in the role and I- 🥺🥺🥺
Special mention to John Cudia because the way he tries to protect Christine from Erik, my heart 🥺🥺🥺.
And Michael Shawn Lewis, because of how soft and protective he is 🥺🥺🥺
