Monday, March 12, 2012

Phantom of the Opera: A Revisited Fangirl Moment

Like many of you, I distinctly remember listening, and listening, and listening to the original soundtrack to Phantom of the Opera.  As an Idaho girl, far from the London or New York stages, I didn't stand a chance of ever going to see them back then, so I gloried in those soundtracks.  I swear that I listened to that original CD until it was worn out and I had to replace it.  My parents thought I was possessed.

Ramin Karimloo
This past week PBS has been airing the 25th Anniversary of Phantom of the Opera from the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.  What an amazing experience!  Hello.  Ramin Karimloo.  Enough said.  He played Enjolras in the 25th Anniversary celebration for Les Miserables and I developed a bit of a crush.  Talk about a pure delight to see him performing as the Phantom.  *sigh*  Pure awesomeness.  (You can check him out singing "One Day More" in Les Miserables here at about 1:35.)

The broadcast was really well done, with great casting and singing.  Of course we'll all think back to Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman's original performance and recording, but I think this group did an amazing job.  I'm going to include a clip of the five Phantoms singing with Sarah Brightman as an encore for the 25th Anniversary special.  It was a little crazy having five singing out "Sing to Me!" as Brightman crooned away, but it was powerful and I loved every second.  Thank goodness for these broadcasts, so I can indulge a bit of that love I have for a good musical!

Here is a clip from the broadcast, with Sarah Brightman and the five Phantoms.  Enjoy!


3 comments:

  1. That was a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Whoa. He is gorgeous. I've always loved these musicals, so this is great. I LOVE the Les Mis cast production that's similar to this.

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  3. That clip with all the Phantoms is SO CREEPY! I don't know why that creeps me out but it really does.

    I listened to soundtrack endlessly as a kid, and love the book. It was great to finally see the actual production. I didn't know the Phantom and Christine kissed!

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