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None
Changed line(s) 81 (click to see context) from:
** The 25th anniversary concert got a bit of this from the fanbase, as well -- some were skeptical since the Phantom and Christine were being played by the stars of ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' (even though they had previously played those roles in the original show as well[[note]]Ramin Karimloo had previously portrayed Raoul in the West End production from 2003 to 2004, then the Phantom from 2007 to 2009; Sierra Boggess had previously played Christine in the abridged ''Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular'' production[[/note]]); and since Raoul, Piangi, and Meg were played by actors who had no prior connection with ''Phantom'', while several popular alumni of the show were cast in minor background and chorus roles. Once the event actually took place, the casting was generally pretty well-received.
to:
** The 25th anniversary concert got a bit of this from the fanbase, as well -- some were skeptical since the Phantom and Christine were being played by the stars of ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' (even though they had previously played those roles in the original show as well[[note]]Ramin Karimloo had previously portrayed Raoul in the West End production from 2003 to 2004, then the Phantom from 2007 to 2009; Sierra Boggess had previously played Christine in the abridged ''Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular'' production[[/note]]); and since Raoul, Piangi, and Meg were played by actors who had no prior connection with ''Phantom'', while several popular alumni of the show were cast in minor background and chorus roles. Once the event actually took place, the casting was generally pretty well-received.well-received, ''especially'' Ramin Karimloo, who is now considered one of, if not ''the'' best Phantoms ever.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 78 (click to see context) from:
** In addition to Michael Crawford's celebrated PlayingAgainstType turn (until this show, he was best-known as the hapless Frank Spencer in the Britcom ''Series/SomeMothersDoAveEm''), the title character in the musical has been played by Paul Stanley (of KISS fame) and Robert Guillaume (until recently, the only black actor to play the Phantom. In all fairness, the casting department might be trying to avoid the BlackVikings trope, as well as the UnfortunateImplications of a black man lusting after and stalking a young white woman).
to:
** In addition to Michael Crawford's celebrated PlayingAgainstType turn (until this show, he was best-known as the hapless Frank Spencer in the Britcom ''Series/SomeMothersDoAveEm''), the title character in the musical has been played by Paul Stanley (of KISS fame) and Robert Guillaume (until recently, 2014, the only black actor to play the Phantom. In all fairness, the casting department might be trying to avoid the BlackVikings trope, as well as the UnfortunateImplications of a black man lusting after and stalking a young white woman).
Changed line(s) 81 (click to see context) from:
** The 25th anniversary concert got a bit of this from the fanbase, as well -- some were skeptical since the Phantom and Christine were being played by the stars of ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' (even though they had previously played those roles in the original show as well); and since Raoul, Piangi, and Meg were played by actors who had no prior connection with ''Phantom'' while several popular alumni of the show were cast in minor background and chorus roles. Once the event actually took place, the casting was generally pretty well-received.
to:
** The 25th anniversary concert got a bit of this from the fanbase, as well -- some were skeptical since the Phantom and Christine were being played by the stars of ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' (even though they had previously played those roles in the original show as well); well[[note]]Ramin Karimloo had previously portrayed Raoul in the West End production from 2003 to 2004, then the Phantom from 2007 to 2009; Sierra Boggess had previously played Christine in the abridged ''Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular'' production[[/note]]); and since Raoul, Piangi, and Meg were played by actors who had no prior connection with ''Phantom'' ''Phantom'', while several popular alumni of the show were cast in minor background and chorus roles. Once the event actually took place, the casting was generally pretty well-received.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Trope was cut/disambiguated due to cleanup
Deleted line(s) 48 (click to see context) :
* EvilIsSexy: The Phantom's crimes have done little to stop fans from lusting over him, [[DracoInLeatherPants many of whom just ignore said crimes because of this appeal]]. It helps that the character is explicitly trying to seduce Christine throughout the show, so the actor has to play into their sex appeal. And while Erik is indeed deformed, the actors who play him are typically quite handsome, and it helps that his disfigurement is usually covered up by the mask until the final 15 minutes.
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None
Changed line(s) 84 (click to see context) from:
** At long last, after 26 years, Broadway cast its first African-American Phantom (Guillame's turn was as part of the Los Angeles cast, the first U.S. production beyond New York), Norm Lewis, who debuted in May 2014. Opinion seems to be that [[AbilityOverAppearance his acting and singing talents are transcending the problematic above-mentioned tropes]], as they did during his turn as Javert in the 2006 Broadway revival and 25th Anniversary Concert of ''Theatre/LesMiserables''.
to:
** At long last, after 26 years, Broadway cast its first African-American Phantom (Guillame's (Guillaume's turn was as part of the Los Angeles cast, the first U.S. production beyond New York), Norm Lewis, who debuted in May 2014. Opinion seems to be that [[AbilityOverAppearance his acting and singing talents are transcending the problematic above-mentioned tropes]], as they did during his turn as Javert in the 2006 Broadway revival and 25th Anniversary Concert of ''Theatre/LesMiserables''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Fixing the renamed trope
Changed line(s) 78,79 (click to see context) from:
* WTHCastingAgency:
to:
Deleted line(s) 92,104 (click to see context) :
* QuestionableCasting:
** In addition to Michael Crawford's celebrated PlayingAgainstType turn (until this show, he was best-known as the hapless Frank Spencer in the Britcom ''Series/SomeMothersDoAveEm''), the title character in the musical has been played by Paul Stanley (of KISS fame) and Robert Guillaume (until recently, the only black actor to play the Phantom. In all fairness, the casting department might be trying to avoid the BlackVikings trope, as well as the UnfortunateImplications of a black man lusting after and stalking a young white woman).
** [[Music/{{KISS}} Paul Stanley]] really did a nice job. See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZyFk3xKB-A here]].
** The same with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfSpDmKIOZ0 Robert Guillaume]].
** The 25th anniversary concert got a bit of this from the fanbase, as well -- some were skeptical since the Phantom and Christine were being played by the stars of ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' (even though they had previously played those roles in the original show as well); and since Raoul, Piangi, and Meg were played by actors who had no prior connection with ''Phantom'' while several popular alumni of the show were cast in minor background and chorus roles. Once the event actually took place, the casting was generally pretty well-received.
** Gerard Butler in the movie, full stop. The man never had a singing lesson in his life, let alone sung professionally, prior to his casting and despite being a perfect tenor, those notes are just a ''bit'' out of his range (ironically, Webber claims that Butler's singing was the absolutely closest to the "rock star" voice that he'd always imagined the Phantom having).
** At long last, after 26 years, Broadway cast its first African-American Phantom (Guillame's turn was as part of the Los Angeles cast, the first U.S. production beyond New York), Norm Lewis, who debuted in May 2014. Opinion seems to be that [[AbilityOverAppearance his acting and singing talents are transcending the problematic above-mentioned tropes]], as they did during his turn as Javert in the 2006 Broadway revival and 25th Anniversary Concert of ''Theatre/LesMiserables''.
** And the move has opened up opportunities for other minority actors:
*** Derrick Davis and Quentin Oliver Lee as now the third and fourth, respectively, African-American actors to play the role (in the touring company),
*** Jordan Donica as Broadway's first African-American Raoul and Jem as London's (as the understudy).
*** Margaret Ann Gates as the first Asian Christine in the Toronto production and Ali Ewoldt as the first on Broadway.
*** Since re-opening after the pandemic-forced shutdown, the London and Broadway productions finally cast black actresses in the role of Christine, for a total of five thus far, with Lucy St. Louis as London's 1st and Beatrice Penny Toure and Paige Blankson as the 2nd and 3rd, respectively, as understudies/alternates--and Michelle Cornelius as the first black Madame Giry--while Emilie Koautchou debuted as Broadway's 1st (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither Ms. Louis nor Ms. Kouatchou is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by understudy/alternate Kanisha Marie Feliciano as the 2nd (and first Afro-Latina).
** Though she's remained an icon of the show's legacy and has fans willing to defend her, Sarah Brightman got hit with this when originating the role of Christine, despite the part being written for her. Though praised as a singer, her acting received more negative reviews in addition to accusations of nepotism due to her being married to the composer. (This was especially so in New York City -- she wasn't a "name" in the U.S. so Lloyd Webber had to work out a deal with the actors' union to retain her in the transfer rather than recast the part.)
** In addition to Michael Crawford's celebrated PlayingAgainstType turn (until this show, he was best-known as the hapless Frank Spencer in the Britcom ''Series/SomeMothersDoAveEm''), the title character in the musical has been played by Paul Stanley (of KISS fame) and Robert Guillaume (until recently, the only black actor to play the Phantom. In all fairness, the casting department might be trying to avoid the BlackVikings trope, as well as the UnfortunateImplications of a black man lusting after and stalking a young white woman).
** [[Music/{{KISS}} Paul Stanley]] really did a nice job. See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZyFk3xKB-A here]].
** The same with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfSpDmKIOZ0 Robert Guillaume]].
** The 25th anniversary concert got a bit of this from the fanbase, as well -- some were skeptical since the Phantom and Christine were being played by the stars of ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' (even though they had previously played those roles in the original show as well); and since Raoul, Piangi, and Meg were played by actors who had no prior connection with ''Phantom'' while several popular alumni of the show were cast in minor background and chorus roles. Once the event actually took place, the casting was generally pretty well-received.
** Gerard Butler in the movie, full stop. The man never had a singing lesson in his life, let alone sung professionally, prior to his casting and despite being a perfect tenor, those notes are just a ''bit'' out of his range (ironically, Webber claims that Butler's singing was the absolutely closest to the "rock star" voice that he'd always imagined the Phantom having).
** At long last, after 26 years, Broadway cast its first African-American Phantom (Guillame's turn was as part of the Los Angeles cast, the first U.S. production beyond New York), Norm Lewis, who debuted in May 2014. Opinion seems to be that [[AbilityOverAppearance his acting and singing talents are transcending the problematic above-mentioned tropes]], as they did during his turn as Javert in the 2006 Broadway revival and 25th Anniversary Concert of ''Theatre/LesMiserables''.
** And the move has opened up opportunities for other minority actors:
*** Derrick Davis and Quentin Oliver Lee as now the third and fourth, respectively, African-American actors to play the role (in the touring company),
*** Jordan Donica as Broadway's first African-American Raoul and Jem as London's (as the understudy).
*** Margaret Ann Gates as the first Asian Christine in the Toronto production and Ali Ewoldt as the first on Broadway.
*** Since re-opening after the pandemic-forced shutdown, the London and Broadway productions finally cast black actresses in the role of Christine, for a total of five thus far, with Lucy St. Louis as London's 1st and Beatrice Penny Toure and Paige Blankson as the 2nd and 3rd, respectively, as understudies/alternates--and Michelle Cornelius as the first black Madame Giry--while Emilie Koautchou debuted as Broadway's 1st (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither Ms. Louis nor Ms. Kouatchou is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by understudy/alternate Kanisha Marie Feliciano as the 2nd (and first Afro-Latina).
** Though she's remained an icon of the show's legacy and has fans willing to defend her, Sarah Brightman got hit with this when originating the role of Christine, despite the part being written for her. Though praised as a singer, her acting received more negative reviews in addition to accusations of nepotism due to her being married to the composer. (This was especially so in New York City -- she wasn't a "name" in the U.S. so Lloyd Webber had to work out a deal with the actors' union to retain her in the transfer rather than recast the part.)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Renamed trope
Changed line(s) 78,88 (click to see context) from:
* RonTheDeathEater: Expect Raoul to get hit with this by the '''largely''' Erik/Christine shipping fanbase, who make Raoul out to be an irredeemable person who treats Christine horribly, despite the fact that Erik himself is a hardly a paragon of stability, respect or a solid grasp of personal boundaries...
* SignatureScene: The Phantom taking Christine on a gondola ride is one of the most iconic visuals in all of theatre.
* SignatureSong: "The Music of the Night", with the titular number being a close second. ("The Music of the Night" is actually this for the show ''and'' Creator/MichaelCrawford, who went on to a successful recording and concert career after leaving the show.)
* SpecialEffectFailure:
** The opera house explosion at the end of the Creator/JoelSchumacher film immediately brings to mind a late-1990s UsefulNotes/PlayStation FMV cutscene.
** If you know what you're looking for, the Phantom's deformity in the 2004 movie is inconsistent as well as underwhelming. The trick is to take note of his right eye--the ''only'' hint that he's deformed is right before Christine pulls the mask off in "Point of No Return!" Every other time, the visible area around his eye is perfectly clear.
* {{Squick}}: The Kopit/Yeston musical (and consequently the [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1990 miniseries]] based on it implies Erik loves Christine partly because she reminds him of his mother. Some versions (including the Creator/TakarazukaRevue versions, and again, the MiniSeries) take it a step further; the portrait of Erik's mother is a portrait of the actress playing Christine. [[IncestSubtext Try not to think too much about that.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The TitleTrack to the play prominently features a descending arpeggio strikingly similar to that in Music/PinkFloyd's [[Music/{{Meddle}} "Echoes"]]. The similarities were so strong, in fact, that Music/RogerWaters accused Creator/AndrewLloydWebber of plagiarism, later digging at him on his solo song [[Music/AmusedToDeath "It's a Miracle"]].
* TakeThatScrappy: The Phantom dishes out a handful of insults to Raoul every time he mentions him!
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: As stated in the "base" post, many fans feelings about the redesigned US/UK touring productions. Mostly averted with the non-replica Hungarian/Finnish/Polish/Swedish/Norwegian/Czech productions, where praise is nearly unanimous--particularly keeping Christine a blonde as she was in the novel.
* TheWoobie: Erik gets this treatment in some versions, while in others he causes at least as much grief as he gets.
* SignatureScene: The Phantom taking Christine on a gondola ride is one of the most iconic visuals in all of theatre.
* SignatureSong: "The Music of the Night", with the titular number being a close second. ("The Music of the Night" is actually this for the show ''and'' Creator/MichaelCrawford, who went on to a successful recording and concert career after leaving the show.)
* SpecialEffectFailure:
** The opera house explosion at the end of the Creator/JoelSchumacher film immediately brings to mind a late-1990s UsefulNotes/PlayStation FMV cutscene.
** If you know what you're looking for, the Phantom's deformity in the 2004 movie is inconsistent as well as underwhelming. The trick is to take note of his right eye--the ''only'' hint that he's deformed is right before Christine pulls the mask off in "Point of No Return!" Every other time, the visible area around his eye is perfectly clear.
* {{Squick}}: The Kopit/Yeston musical (and consequently the [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1990 miniseries]] based on it implies Erik loves Christine partly because she reminds him of his mother. Some versions (including the Creator/TakarazukaRevue versions, and again, the MiniSeries) take it a step further; the portrait of Erik's mother is a portrait of the actress playing Christine. [[IncestSubtext Try not to think too much about that.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The TitleTrack to the play prominently features a descending arpeggio strikingly similar to that in Music/PinkFloyd's [[Music/{{Meddle}} "Echoes"]]. The similarities were so strong, in fact, that Music/RogerWaters accused Creator/AndrewLloydWebber of plagiarism, later digging at him on his solo song [[Music/AmusedToDeath "It's a Miracle"]].
* TakeThatScrappy: The Phantom dishes out a handful of insults to Raoul every time he mentions him!
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: As stated in the "base" post, many fans feelings about the redesigned US/UK touring productions. Mostly averted with the non-replica Hungarian/Finnish/Polish/Swedish/Norwegian/Czech productions, where praise is nearly unanimous--particularly keeping Christine a blonde as she was in the novel.
* TheWoobie: Erik gets this treatment in some versions, while in others he causes at least as much grief as he gets.
to:
* SignatureScene: The Phantom taking Christine on a gondola ride is one of the most iconic visuals in all of theatre.
* SignatureSong: "The Music of the Night", with the titular number being a close second. ("The Music of the Night" is actually this for the show ''and'' Creator/MichaelCrawford, who went on to a successful recording and concert career after leaving the show.)
* SpecialEffectFailure:
** The opera house explosion at the end of the Creator/JoelSchumacher film immediately brings to mind a late-1990s UsefulNotes/PlayStation FMV cutscene.
** If you know what you're looking for, the Phantom's deformity in the 2004 movie is inconsistent as well as underwhelming. The trick is to take note of his right eye--the ''only'' hint that he's deformed is right before Christine pulls the mask off in "Point of No Return!" Every other time, the visible area around his eye is perfectly clear.
* {{Squick}}: The Kopit/Yeston musical (and consequently the [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1990 miniseries]] based on it implies Erik loves Christine partly because she reminds him of his mother. Some versions (including the Creator/TakarazukaRevue versions, and again, the MiniSeries) take it a step further; the portrait of Erik's mother is a portrait of the actress playing Christine. [[IncestSubtext Try not to think too much about that.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The TitleTrack to the play prominently features a descending arpeggio strikingly similar to that in Music/PinkFloyd's [[Music/{{Meddle}} "Echoes"]]. The similarities were so strong, in fact, that Music/RogerWaters accused Creator/AndrewLloydWebber of plagiarism, later digging at him on his solo song [[Music/AmusedToDeath "It's a Miracle"]].
* TakeThatScrappy: The Phantom dishes out a handful of insults to Raoul every time he mentions him!
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: As stated in the "base" post, many fans feelings about the redesigned US/UK touring productions. Mostly averted with the non-replica Hungarian/Finnish/Polish/Swedish/Norwegian/Czech productions, where praise is nearly unanimous--particularly keeping Christine a blonde as she was in the novel.
* TheWoobie: Erik gets this treatment in some versions, while in others he causes at least as much grief as he gets.
Added DiffLines:
* QuestionableCasting:
** In addition to Michael Crawford's celebrated PlayingAgainstType turn (until this show, he was best-known as the hapless Frank Spencer in the Britcom ''Series/SomeMothersDoAveEm''), the title character in the musical has been played by Paul Stanley (of KISS fame) and Robert Guillaume (until recently, the only black actor to play the Phantom. In all fairness, the casting department might be trying to avoid the BlackVikings trope, as well as the UnfortunateImplications of a black man lusting after and stalking a young white woman).
** [[Music/{{KISS}} Paul Stanley]] really did a nice job. See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZyFk3xKB-A here]].
** The same with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfSpDmKIOZ0 Robert Guillaume]].
** The 25th anniversary concert got a bit of this from the fanbase, as well -- some were skeptical since the Phantom and Christine were being played by the stars of ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' (even though they had previously played those roles in the original show as well); and since Raoul, Piangi, and Meg were played by actors who had no prior connection with ''Phantom'' while several popular alumni of the show were cast in minor background and chorus roles. Once the event actually took place, the casting was generally pretty well-received.
** Gerard Butler in the movie, full stop. The man never had a singing lesson in his life, let alone sung professionally, prior to his casting and despite being a perfect tenor, those notes are just a ''bit'' out of his range (ironically, Webber claims that Butler's singing was the absolutely closest to the "rock star" voice that he'd always imagined the Phantom having).
** At long last, after 26 years, Broadway cast its first African-American Phantom (Guillame's turn was as part of the Los Angeles cast, the first U.S. production beyond New York), Norm Lewis, who debuted in May 2014. Opinion seems to be that [[AbilityOverAppearance his acting and singing talents are transcending the problematic above-mentioned tropes]], as they did during his turn as Javert in the 2006 Broadway revival and 25th Anniversary Concert of ''Theatre/LesMiserables''.
** And the move has opened up opportunities for other minority actors:
*** Derrick Davis and Quentin Oliver Lee as now the third and fourth, respectively, African-American actors to play the role (in the touring company),
*** Jordan Donica as Broadway's first African-American Raoul and Jem as London's (as the understudy).
*** Margaret Ann Gates as the first Asian Christine in the Toronto production and Ali Ewoldt as the first on Broadway.
*** Since re-opening after the pandemic-forced shutdown, the London and Broadway productions finally cast black actresses in the role of Christine, for a total of five thus far, with Lucy St. Louis as London's 1st and Beatrice Penny Toure and Paige Blankson as the 2nd and 3rd, respectively, as understudies/alternates--and Michelle Cornelius as the first black Madame Giry--while Emilie Koautchou debuted as Broadway's 1st (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither Ms. Louis nor Ms. Kouatchou is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by understudy/alternate Kanisha Marie Feliciano as the 2nd (and first Afro-Latina).
** Though she's remained an icon of the show's legacy and has fans willing to defend her, Sarah Brightman got hit with this when originating the role of Christine, despite the part being written for her. Though praised as a singer, her acting received more negative reviews in addition to accusations of nepotism due to her being married to the composer. (This was especially so in New York City -- she wasn't a "name" in the U.S. so Lloyd Webber had to work out a deal with the actors' union to retain her in the transfer rather than recast the part.)
* RonTheDeathEater: Expect Raoul to get hit with this by the '''largely''' Erik/Christine shipping fanbase, who make Raoul out to be an irredeemable person who treats Christine horribly, despite the fact that Erik himself is a hardly a paragon of stability, respect or a solid grasp of personal boundaries...
* SignatureScene: The Phantom taking Christine on a gondola ride is one of the most iconic visuals in all of theatre.
* SignatureSong: "The Music of the Night", with the titular number being a close second. ("The Music of the Night" is actually this for the show ''and'' Creator/MichaelCrawford, who went on to a successful recording and concert career after leaving the show.)
* SpecialEffectFailure:
** The opera house explosion at the end of the Creator/JoelSchumacher film immediately brings to mind a late-1990s UsefulNotes/PlayStation FMV cutscene.
** If you know what you're looking for, the Phantom's deformity in the 2004 movie is inconsistent as well as underwhelming. The trick is to take note of his right eye--the ''only'' hint that he's deformed is right before Christine pulls the mask off in "Point of No Return!" Every other time, the visible area around his eye is perfectly clear.
* {{Squick}}: The Kopit/Yeston musical (and consequently the [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1990 miniseries]] based on it implies Erik loves Christine partly because she reminds him of his mother. Some versions (including the Creator/TakarazukaRevue versions, and again, the MiniSeries) take it a step further; the portrait of Erik's mother is a portrait of the actress playing Christine. [[IncestSubtext Try not to think too much about that.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The TitleTrack to the play prominently features a descending arpeggio strikingly similar to that in Music/PinkFloyd's [[Music/{{Meddle}} "Echoes"]]. The similarities were so strong, in fact, that Music/RogerWaters accused Creator/AndrewLloydWebber of plagiarism, later digging at him on his solo song [[Music/AmusedToDeath "It's a Miracle"]].
* TakeThatScrappy: The Phantom dishes out a handful of insults to Raoul every time he mentions him!
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: As stated in the "base" post, many fans feelings about the redesigned US/UK touring productions. Mostly averted with the non-replica Hungarian/Finnish/Polish/Swedish/Norwegian/Czech productions, where praise is nearly unanimous--particularly keeping Christine a blonde as she was in the novel.
* TheWoobie: Erik gets this treatment in some versions, while in others he causes at least as much grief as he gets.
** In addition to Michael Crawford's celebrated PlayingAgainstType turn (until this show, he was best-known as the hapless Frank Spencer in the Britcom ''Series/SomeMothersDoAveEm''), the title character in the musical has been played by Paul Stanley (of KISS fame) and Robert Guillaume (until recently, the only black actor to play the Phantom. In all fairness, the casting department might be trying to avoid the BlackVikings trope, as well as the UnfortunateImplications of a black man lusting after and stalking a young white woman).
** [[Music/{{KISS}} Paul Stanley]] really did a nice job. See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZyFk3xKB-A here]].
** The same with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfSpDmKIOZ0 Robert Guillaume]].
** The 25th anniversary concert got a bit of this from the fanbase, as well -- some were skeptical since the Phantom and Christine were being played by the stars of ''Theatre/LoveNeverDies'' (even though they had previously played those roles in the original show as well); and since Raoul, Piangi, and Meg were played by actors who had no prior connection with ''Phantom'' while several popular alumni of the show were cast in minor background and chorus roles. Once the event actually took place, the casting was generally pretty well-received.
** Gerard Butler in the movie, full stop. The man never had a singing lesson in his life, let alone sung professionally, prior to his casting and despite being a perfect tenor, those notes are just a ''bit'' out of his range (ironically, Webber claims that Butler's singing was the absolutely closest to the "rock star" voice that he'd always imagined the Phantom having).
** At long last, after 26 years, Broadway cast its first African-American Phantom (Guillame's turn was as part of the Los Angeles cast, the first U.S. production beyond New York), Norm Lewis, who debuted in May 2014. Opinion seems to be that [[AbilityOverAppearance his acting and singing talents are transcending the problematic above-mentioned tropes]], as they did during his turn as Javert in the 2006 Broadway revival and 25th Anniversary Concert of ''Theatre/LesMiserables''.
** And the move has opened up opportunities for other minority actors:
*** Derrick Davis and Quentin Oliver Lee as now the third and fourth, respectively, African-American actors to play the role (in the touring company),
*** Jordan Donica as Broadway's first African-American Raoul and Jem as London's (as the understudy).
*** Margaret Ann Gates as the first Asian Christine in the Toronto production and Ali Ewoldt as the first on Broadway.
*** Since re-opening after the pandemic-forced shutdown, the London and Broadway productions finally cast black actresses in the role of Christine, for a total of five thus far, with Lucy St. Louis as London's 1st and Beatrice Penny Toure and Paige Blankson as the 2nd and 3rd, respectively, as understudies/alternates--and Michelle Cornelius as the first black Madame Giry--while Emilie Koautchou debuted as Broadway's 1st (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither Ms. Louis nor Ms. Kouatchou is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by understudy/alternate Kanisha Marie Feliciano as the 2nd (and first Afro-Latina).
** Though she's remained an icon of the show's legacy and has fans willing to defend her, Sarah Brightman got hit with this when originating the role of Christine, despite the part being written for her. Though praised as a singer, her acting received more negative reviews in addition to accusations of nepotism due to her being married to the composer. (This was especially so in New York City -- she wasn't a "name" in the U.S. so Lloyd Webber had to work out a deal with the actors' union to retain her in the transfer rather than recast the part.)
* RonTheDeathEater: Expect Raoul to get hit with this by the '''largely''' Erik/Christine shipping fanbase, who make Raoul out to be an irredeemable person who treats Christine horribly, despite the fact that Erik himself is a hardly a paragon of stability, respect or a solid grasp of personal boundaries...
* SignatureScene: The Phantom taking Christine on a gondola ride is one of the most iconic visuals in all of theatre.
* SignatureSong: "The Music of the Night", with the titular number being a close second. ("The Music of the Night" is actually this for the show ''and'' Creator/MichaelCrawford, who went on to a successful recording and concert career after leaving the show.)
* SpecialEffectFailure:
** The opera house explosion at the end of the Creator/JoelSchumacher film immediately brings to mind a late-1990s UsefulNotes/PlayStation FMV cutscene.
** If you know what you're looking for, the Phantom's deformity in the 2004 movie is inconsistent as well as underwhelming. The trick is to take note of his right eye--the ''only'' hint that he's deformed is right before Christine pulls the mask off in "Point of No Return!" Every other time, the visible area around his eye is perfectly clear.
* {{Squick}}: The Kopit/Yeston musical (and consequently the [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1990 miniseries]] based on it implies Erik loves Christine partly because she reminds him of his mother. Some versions (including the Creator/TakarazukaRevue versions, and again, the MiniSeries) take it a step further; the portrait of Erik's mother is a portrait of the actress playing Christine. [[IncestSubtext Try not to think too much about that.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The TitleTrack to the play prominently features a descending arpeggio strikingly similar to that in Music/PinkFloyd's [[Music/{{Meddle}} "Echoes"]]. The similarities were so strong, in fact, that Music/RogerWaters accused Creator/AndrewLloydWebber of plagiarism, later digging at him on his solo song [[Music/AmusedToDeath "It's a Miracle"]].
* TakeThatScrappy: The Phantom dishes out a handful of insults to Raoul every time he mentions him!
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: As stated in the "base" post, many fans feelings about the redesigned US/UK touring productions. Mostly averted with the non-replica Hungarian/Finnish/Polish/Swedish/Norwegian/Czech productions, where praise is nearly unanimous--particularly keeping Christine a blonde as she was in the novel.
* TheWoobie: Erik gets this treatment in some versions, while in others he causes at least as much grief as he gets.
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* CantUnhearIt: With his unique voice (able to go from booming to whispery and then back again) and intricate physicality, Creator/MichaelCrawford set the gold standard for The Phantom and all actors to follow - no matter how well received - remain in his shadow.
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Added DiffLines:
** Who is the best Phantom? Creator/MichaelCrawford or Ramin Karimloo? Those who prefer Crawford feel he better captures the eeriness and somewhat "supernatural" vibe of the character, while those who prefer Karimloo consider him to be a superior singer with a wider range of emotions even if he's not quite as creepy as Crawford.
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** To a lesser extent, the musical itself.
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** The way the Phantom roughes up Christine during the final sequence gets this with actress Rebecca Caine (the first Christine in the Toronto production) posting a [[https://www.onstageblog.com/editorials/2021/10/20/rebecca-caine-phantom story]] story to her Instagram page about Colm Wilkinson (the Phantom) being very abusive to her, to the point of actually injuring her during that scene.
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** The way the Phantom roughes up Christine during the final sequence gets this with actress Rebecca Caine (the first Christine in the Toronto production) posting a [[https://www.onstageblog.com/editorials/2021/10/20/rebecca-caine-phantom story]] story to her Instagram page about Colm Wilkinson (the Phantom) being very abusive to her, to the point of actually injuring her during that scene.
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* AluminumChristmasTrees: The underground lake beneath the Palais Garnier opera house actually exists. It is an artificial lagoon , built to divert groundwater away from the foundation while building the theater. The lake is also used to train firefighters.
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* AluminumChristmasTrees: [[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-water-tank-beneath-palais-garnier-paris-france The underground lake beneath the Palais Garnier opera house actually exists. exists]]. It is an artificial lagoon , lagoon, built to divert groundwater away from the foundation while building the theater. The lake is also used to train firefighters.
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Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The underground lake beneath the Palais Garnier opera house actually exists. It is an artificial lagoon , built to divert groundwater away from the foundation while building the theater. The lake also used to train firefighters.
to:
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The underground lake beneath the Palais Garnier opera house actually exists. It is an artificial lagoon , built to divert groundwater away from the foundation while building the theater. The lake is also used to train firefighters.
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Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The underground lake beneath the Palais Garnier opera house actually exists. It is an artificial cistern, built to divert groundwater away from the foundation while building the theater. It also used to train firefighters.
to:
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The underground lake beneath the Palais Garnier opera house actually exists. It is an artificial cistern, lagoon , built to divert groundwater away from the foundation while building the theater. It The lake also used to train firefighters.
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Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The underground lake beneath the Palais Garnier opera house actually exists.
to:
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The underground lake beneath the Palais Garnier opera house actually exists. It is an artificial cistern, built to divert groundwater away from the foundation while building the theater. It also used to train firefighters.
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Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The underground lake actually exists.
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* AluminumChristmasTrees: The underground lake beneath the Palais Garnier opera house actually exists.
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Changed line(s) 84 (click to see context) from:
* {{Squick}}: The Kopit/Yeston musical (and consequently the [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera miniseries]] based on it implies Erik loves Christine partly because she reminds him of his mother. Some versions (including the Creator/TakarazukaRevue versions, and again, the MiniSeries) take it a step further; the portrait of Erik's mother is a portrait of the actress playing Christine. [[IncestSubtext Try not to think too much about that.]]
to:
* {{Squick}}: The Kopit/Yeston musical (and consequently the [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera [[Series/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1990 miniseries]] based on it implies Erik loves Christine partly because she reminds him of his mother. Some versions (including the Creator/TakarazukaRevue versions, and again, the MiniSeries) take it a step further; the portrait of Erik's mother is a portrait of the actress playing Christine. [[IncestSubtext Try not to think too much about that.]]
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* AdaptationDisplacement: The popularity of the musical has eclipsed the previous works in the franchise, including that it originated as a novel. Many know there are movies but quite a few assume they're adaptations of the musical, and ''it's'' mistaken for far older than 1986!
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* AdaptationDisplacement: The popularity of the musical has eclipsed the previous works in the franchise, including that it originated as a novel. Many know there are movies but quite a few assume they're adaptations of the musical, and ''it's'' mistaken for far older than 1986!1986! And even fewer know that there already was a musical adaptation staged a few years before the Andrew Lloyd Webber adaptation debuted.
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Changed line(s) 66 (click to see context) from:
** And in the Takarazuka Revue productions of the Arthur Kopit/Maury Yeston musical, both [[http://www.sankei.co.jp/enak/sumirestylevintage/sumirestyle04/2004/july/kiji/phantom/01.html Wao Youka]] and [[http://www.takarazuka-revue.info/img/wiki_up//hana%20phantom.jpg Haruno Surime]] were WAY too pretty for their own good. Bizarrely, they both managed to make it work regardless.
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** And in the Takarazuka Revue productions of the Arthur Kopit/Maury Yeston musical, both [[http://www.sankei.co.jp/enak/sumirestylevintage/sumirestyle04/2004/july/kiji/phantom/01.html Wao Youka]] and [[http://www.takarazuka-revue.info/img/wiki_up//hana%20phantom.jpg Haruno Surime]] Sumire]] were WAY too pretty for their own good. Bizarrely, they both managed to make it work regardless.
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* RonTheDeathEater: Expect Raoul to get hit with this by the '''largely''' Erik/Christine shipping fanbase, who make Raoul out to be an irredeemable person who treats Christine horribly, despite the fact that Erik himself is a hardly a paragon of a stable, healthy person...
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* RonTheDeathEater: Expect Raoul to get hit with this by the '''largely''' Erik/Christine shipping fanbase, who make Raoul out to be an irredeemable person who treats Christine horribly, despite the fact that Erik himself is a hardly a paragon of stability, respect or a stable, healthy person...solid grasp of personal boundaries...
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* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The "mirror bride" bit in the instrumental climax of "The Music of the Night" is just bizarre. Yes, it provides a great romantic moment for the Phantom to catch the fainting Christine, but makes little sense. (Although given that he later forces Christine to wear the same wedding dress, he's presumably showing her his plans/wishes for her).
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* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The "mirror bride" bit in the instrumental climax of "The Music of the Night" is just bizarre. Yes, it provides a great romantic moment for the Phantom to catch the fainting Christine, but makes little sense. (Although given that he later forces Christine to wear the same wedding dress, he's presumably showing her his plans/wishes for her).her--the non-replica Hungarian version has him showing her a vision of them marrying).
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*** Since re-opening after the pandemic-forced shutdown, the London and Broadway productions finally cast black actresses in the role of Christine, for a total of five thus far, with Lucy St. Louis as London's and Beatrice Penny Toure and Paige Blankson as the 2nd and 3rd, respectively, as understudies/alternates--and Michelle Cornelius as the first black Madame Giry--while Emilie Koautchou debuted as Broadway's 1st (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by understudy/alternate Kanisha Marie Feliciano as the 2nd (and first Afro-Latina).
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*** Since re-opening after the pandemic-forced shutdown, the London and Broadway productions finally cast black actresses in the role of Christine, for a total of five thus far, with Lucy St. Louis as London's 1st and Beatrice Penny Toure and Paige Blankson as the 2nd and 3rd, respectively, as understudies/alternates--and Michelle Cornelius as the first black Madame Giry--while Emilie Koautchou debuted as Broadway's 1st (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither Ms. Louis nor Ms. Kouatchou is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by understudy/alternate Kanisha Marie Feliciano as the 2nd (and first Afro-Latina).
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Added DiffLines:
** In the MiniSeries, the dying Erik muses to his father regarding the love his mother and Christine had for him, "Twice in my life, I've been [[Series/TouchedByAnAngel touched by an angel]]."
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Changed line(s) 100 (click to see context) from:
*** Since re-opening after the pandemic-forced shutdown, the London and Broadway productions finally cast black actresses in the role of Christine, for a total of five thus far, with Lucy St. Louis as London's and Beatrice Penny Toure and Paige Blankson as the 2nd and 3rd, respectively, as understudies/alternates, while Emilie Koautchou debuted as Broadway's 1st (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by understudy/alternate Kanisha Marie Feliciano as the 2nd (and first Afro-Latina).
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*** Since re-opening after the pandemic-forced shutdown, the London and Broadway productions finally cast black actresses in the role of Christine, for a total of five thus far, with Lucy St. Louis as London's and Beatrice Penny Toure and Paige Blankson as the 2nd and 3rd, respectively, as understudies/alternates, while understudies/alternates--and Michelle Cornelius as the first black Madame Giry--while Emilie Koautchou debuted as Broadway's 1st (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by understudy/alternate Kanisha Marie Feliciano as the 2nd (and first Afro-Latina).
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* CriticalDissonance: When the show opened, reviews were not all flattering (especially in New York). But in October 2021, the show celebrated its 35th anniversary in London and it reached its 30th on Broadway in January 2018.
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* CriticalDissonance: When the show opened, reviews were not all flattering (especially in New York). But in October 2021, the show celebrated its 35th anniversary in London and it reached its 30th 35th on Broadway in January 2018.2023.
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*** Jordan Donica as Broadway's first African-American Raoul.
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*** Jordan Donica as Broadway's first African-American Raoul.Raoul and Jem as London's (as the understudy).
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*** The show reopened after the pandemic-forced shutdown with Lucy St. Louis as London's first black Christine,Beatrice Penny Toure as the second (as an understudy to Ms. St. Louis), Emilie Koautchou as Broadway's (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by Kanisha Marie Feliciano as Broadway's first Afro-Latina. (as the understudy to Ms. Koautchou), and Jem as London's first black Raoul (though he too is an understudy rather than the chief actor).
to:
*** The show reopened Since re-opening after the pandemic-forced shutdown shutdown, the London and Broadway productions finally cast black actresses in the role of Christine, for a total of five thus far, with Lucy St. Louis as London's first black Christine,Beatrice and Beatrice Penny Toure and Paige Blankson as the second (as an understudy to Ms. St. Louis), 2nd and 3rd, respectively, as understudies/alternates, while Emilie Koautchou debuted as Broadway's 1st (first as the alternate, then as the main one as of January 26, 2022),[[note]] Neither is the first overall, however, as a black actress played Christine in the South African production [[/note]], followed by understudy/alternate Kanisha Marie Feliciano as Broadway's the 2nd (and first Afro-Latina. (as the understudy to Ms. Koautchou), and Jem as London's first black Raoul (though he too is an understudy rather than the chief actor). Afro-Latina).
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* RonTheDeathEater: Expect Raoul to get hit with this by the '''largely''' Erik/Christine shipping fanbase, who make Raoul out to be a horrible person to Christine, despite the fact that Erik himself definitely has plenty of his own issues as well...
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* RonTheDeathEater: Expect Raoul to get hit with this by the '''largely''' Erik/Christine shipping fanbase, who make Raoul out to be a horrible an irredeemable person to Christine, who treats Christine horribly, despite the fact that Erik himself definitely has plenty is a hardly a paragon of his own issues as well...a stable, healthy person...
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* FairForItsDay: Creator/LindsayEllis considers this is the case when it comes to the Persian, she argued this in her video “The Most Whitewashed Character In History”. On one hand, to her, the original book plays right into “orientalist” stereotypes of a savage Persia. And a character called the Persian might not sit well today, even if his identity is supposed to be a secret. But the Persian himself is largely absent of obvious stereotypical traits, coming across as a determinedly calm voice of reason and even being one of the most likeable characters in the book overall. She thinks it’s also why the Persian is nearly always AdaptedOut, DemotedToExtra, or retroactively stereotyped, making it hold up even better. Raoul is one of the only people in the book to treat the Persian like a fellow human regardless of his race or nationality and puts his complete, unconditional trust in him immediately.
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* FairForItsDay: Creator/LindsayEllis considers this is the case when it comes to the Persian, Persian; she argued this in her video “The Most Whitewashed Character In History”. On the one hand, to her, the original book plays right into “orientalist” stereotypes of a savage Persia. And a character called the Persian might not sit well today, even if his identity is supposed to be a secret. But the Persian himself is largely absent of obvious stereotypical traits, coming across as a determinedly calm voice of reason and even being one of the most likeable characters in the book overall. She thinks it’s also why the Persian is nearly always AdaptedOut, DemotedToExtra, or retroactively stereotyped, making it hold up even better. Raoul is one of the only people in the book to treat the Persian like a fellow human regardless of his race or nationality and puts his complete, unconditional trust in him immediately.
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* VindicatedByHistory: The original book isn't much more than a frothy pulp horror novel and hardly left an impression on the general public upon its publication. It wouldn't be until the many, many adaptations it received that it would be considered any kind of attention, and it’s Leroux’s most famous novel in the English speaking world.
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* VindicatedByHistory: The original book isn't much more than a frothy pulp horror novel and hardly left an impression on the general public upon its publication. It wouldn't be until the many, many adaptations it received that it would be considered any kind of attention, and it’s Leroux’s most famous novel in the English-speaking world.
* {{Woolseyism}}: There is a translation (or an adaptation, rather) by Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier that aims to preserve the spirit of Leroux in the Englishspeaking world.language, which includes preserving a ghastly pun that Erik uses when having Christine choose between a scorpion and a grasshopper. In the original French, Erik warns Christine that the grasshopper not only turns, but it hops, or "Ça sauté!" In French "sauter" means both "to jump" and (more colloquially) "to explode" or "to die." "Il va sauter" could mean he's going to jump, he's going to explode or he's going to die. The Lofficiers changed "grasshopper" to "frog" to preserve the double meaning because a frog "croaks", resulting in this:
-->"'The frog! Be careful of the frog! A frog does not only turn: it also croaks! It croaks! As we might all croak when all is said and done!'"
* {{Woolseyism}}: There is a translation (or an adaptation, rather) by Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier that aims to preserve the spirit of Leroux in the English
-->"'The frog! Be careful of the frog! A frog does not only turn: it also croaks! It croaks! As we might all croak when all is said and done!'"
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* {{Macekre}}: The English translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, which was the only one available until 1990 and therefore the most popular. It's now in the public domain, so any English edition that ''does not specifically credit a translator by name'' is most likely de Mattos' Macekred version.
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* {{Macekre}}: The English translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, which was the only one available until 1990 and therefore the most popular. It's popular, especially since it's now in the public domain, so any domain. Any English edition that ''does not specifically credit a translator by name'' is most likely de Mattos' Macekred version.version. While the translation isn't bad at all , several pieces of extra dialogue were cut.
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* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap:
** Raoul is widely hated in the fandom, but the number of people who hate him drops dramatically via Hadley Fraser's performance (as seen in the 25th anniversary Royal Albert Hall staging). "I hate Raoul, but I love Hadley too much to care!" is a common refrain, as is "Hadley is the only Raoul I've ever liked!"
** Jordan Donica has received similar praise, much of which suggests he'd make an excellent Phantom as well.
** Creator/PatrickWilson is also considered to be very good, even by those who hate the movie; many people consider him the ''only'' good part of it or tied with Creator/MinnieDriver. And if he isn't everyone's favorite Raoul, it's probably because he's coming in second to the aforementioned Hadley Fraser.
** Raoul is widely hated in the fandom, but the number of people who hate him drops dramatically via Hadley Fraser's performance (as seen in the 25th anniversary Royal Albert Hall staging). "I hate Raoul, but I love Hadley too much to care!" is a common refrain, as is "Hadley is the only Raoul I've ever liked!"
** Jordan Donica has received similar praise, much of which suggests he'd make an excellent Phantom as well.
** Creator/PatrickWilson is also considered to be very good, even by those who hate the movie; many people consider him the ''only'' good part of it or tied with Creator/MinnieDriver. And if he isn't everyone's favorite Raoul, it's probably because he's coming in second to the aforementioned Hadley Fraser.
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Deleted line(s) 37 (click to see context) :
** Even the pre-show and intermission music counts, being epically orchestrated snippets of the most iconic songs.
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** Want to start a fight in Phandom circles on the internet (and possibly in real life if you're not careful)? Ask who was the best Christine--or, if you really want to make things interesting, the best ''Erik''. Then sit back and PassThePopcorn. Asking who the best Raoul is, however, will pretty much always be responded to with, "Why, Hadley Fraser, of course!" (The other acceptable answer to "best Raoul" is "Creator/PatrickWilson", which will then occasion a friendly debate on the respective merits of both.)
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Changed line(s) 11 (click to see context) from:
* FairForItsDay: Creator/LindsayEllis considers this is the case when it comes to the Persian, she argued this in her video “The Most Whitewashed Character In History”. On one hand, to her, the original book plays right into “orientalist” stereotypes of a savage Persia. And a character called the Persian might not sit well today, even if his identity is supposed to be a secret. But the Persian himself is largely absent of obvious stereotypical traits, coming across as a determinedly calm voice of reason and even being one of the most likeable characters in the book overall. She thinks it’s also why the Persian is nearly always AdaptedOut, DemotedToExtra, or retroactively stereotyped, making it hold up even better. Raoul is one of the only people in the book to treat the Persian like a fellow human regardless of his race or nationality and puts his complete trust in him immediately.
to:
* FairForItsDay: Creator/LindsayEllis considers this is the case when it comes to the Persian, she argued this in her video “The Most Whitewashed Character In History”. On one hand, to her, the original book plays right into “orientalist” stereotypes of a savage Persia. And a character called the Persian might not sit well today, even if his identity is supposed to be a secret. But the Persian himself is largely absent of obvious stereotypical traits, coming across as a determinedly calm voice of reason and even being one of the most likeable characters in the book overall. She thinks it’s also why the Persian is nearly always AdaptedOut, DemotedToExtra, or retroactively stereotyped, making it hold up even better. Raoul is one of the only people in the book to treat the Persian like a fellow human regardless of his race or nationality and puts his complete complete, unconditional trust in him immediately.
