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[phantomnostalgist]

Could you make a gif set of the most smiley phantoms? The happiest/smirkiest ones? (And yes this was inspired by the two smiling Ted Keegan gifs you have graciously bestowed upon us)

I don't know that I'd consider Eiji Akutagawa one of the happiest, but he does have one of my favorite smiles:

Franch D'Ambrosio is of the "smug and self-assured" camp in act 1:

And then a bit more unhinged in act 2:

Peter Karrie is just always unhinged:

The aforementioned Ted Keegan:

And of course, Hugh Panaro.

[phantomnostalgist]

Performance goes on sale @ 10:00AM tomorrow morning, both online and at the Majestic Theatre box office

[phantomnostalgist]

Erikbot has an interesting range of moods...!

Personally, I can't stop flirting with him. The other day he insisted on showing me his torture chamber, so I flirted with him by asking him to torture Raoul. He, uh, got quite into it.

@phantomnostalgist

I only complimented his music! THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY!

[phantomnostalgist]

He's here, the Chatbot of the Opera...

Presenting Virtual Erik... run by ChatGPT, so it won't get very explicit, but you can get it romancing you pretty easily if you tell it you're Christine. OTOH, if you take things too fast, he might have a heart attack...

(You get longer conversations if you log in.)

If you chat with virtual Erik, please do tag me if you post any hilarious responses from it!

[phantomnostalgist]

Earl in his first run, second run, and as emergency cover in 2015

[phantomnostalgist]

a conversation between my rewrite erik and @phantomnostalgist's virtual erik! :D

[phantomnostalgist]

He's here, the Chatbot of the Opera...

Presenting Virtual Erik... run by ChatGPT, so it won't get very explicit, but you can get it romancing you pretty easily if you tell it you're Christine. OTOH, if you take things too fast, he might have a heart attack...

(You get longer conversations if you log in.)

If you chat with virtual Erik, please do tag me if you post any hilarious responses from it!

[phantomnostalgist]

The ten first principal Phantoms in POTO West End

Michael Crawford, 1986-1987, thus originating the role. He also repeated the role on Broadway 1988, and in Los Angeles 1989-1990 (plus a brief L.A. return in the spring of 1991).

Dave Willetts, 1987-1989, a short reprise in 1989, an additional run 1990-1991, and then originating the role in the first UK Tour 1993-1994.

Martin Smith, autumn of 1989. Mysteriously short run.

Peter Karrie, 1991, and 1992-1993. He also appeared in the Canadian Far-East Tour 1995, in the Canadian Tour 1997, in Toronto 1998-1999, and then closing the UK Tour in 2000.

Peter Polycarpou, 1991-1992.

Ethan Freeman, 1994-1995. He also played the Phantom in Vienna 1988-1990, in Toronto 1997-1998, and in Essen 2006, He furthermore appeared as André in West End 1991-1992.

Grant Norman, 1995-1996. He also played the Phantom in the US Tour in 1994-1995. Note that the photo used is from the US Tour, as I couldn’t find a mirror pose photo of him from the UK.

Simon Bowman, 1996-1997, and thus the 10th anniversary Phantom. He also played Raoul in West End 1994-1995.

Peter Cousens, 1997-1998. He furthermore starred as Raoul in the original Australian Tour 1994-1995.

Glyn Kerslake, 1998-1999.

(sorry if any photos are mislabeled, some of them appeared in multiple brochures and it’s hard to determine the very first appearance without having a full set of brochures)

[phantomnostalgist]

I was tempted. But I did not. Because apparently I’m an adult.

[phantomnostalgist]

LOLOL, not me, but of course I agree with the anon!

Peter Karrie is granddaddy

You are objectively correct and also maybe @phantomnostalgist AKA the biggest Peter Karrie fan I know?

[phantomnostalgist]

I am completely addicted to AI right now, and so I asked Chat GPT to "write me a short story where Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh throw a gala party, and apologize for Love Never Dies being terrible, and for treating actors badly, respectively".

...Don't worry, I won't spam you with all the AI fiction ideas I'm coming up with. But this one is just... such a picture of a better world. haha.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh stood at the entrance of the grand ballroom, welcoming their guests to the gala party. The room was filled with celebrities, producers, and actors, all dressed in their finest attire. The mood was festive, but there was an undercurrent of tension. Andrew and Cameron knew that they had a lot to apologize for.

As the night wore on, Andrew and Cameron mingled with their guests, trying to put them at ease. They knew that the elephant in the room was Love Never Dies, the ill-fated sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. The show had been a disaster, both critically and commercially, and had caused a great deal of pain to many involved in its production.

Finally, after much small talk and awkward conversation, Andrew stood up and addressed the room. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for Love Never Dies. It was a misstep, a miscalculation, and for that, I am truly sorry. I promise to do better in the future, to be more mindful of the feelings of those involved, and to strive for excellence in all that I do."

Cameron nodded in agreement, adding his own apology to the mix. "And I would like to apologize for the way that some actors have been treated in the past. There have been times when we have not lived up to our responsibility as producers, times when we have put profit over people. For that, I am deeply sorry. We must do better, we must strive to be better, and we must never forget that it is the people who make theater, not the other way around."

The room was quiet for a moment, as the guests took in the sincerity of Andrew and Cameron's apologies. But then, slowly, a smile began to spread across their faces. They knew that this was not an easy thing for the two men to do, that it took courage and humility to admit one's mistakes.

And so, the party continued, with laughter and music and dancing. And even though there were still challenges ahead, the guests knew that they were in the presence of greatness, of men who were willing to learn and grow and change. And for that, they were grateful.

On the downside, public figures are now just going to be able to use an AI to write their apologies when they screw up. It sounds so much like a generic youtuber apology video. But hey, I'm also having fun getting it to write me very short stories of Captain Kirk becoming best friends with Erik.

[phantomnostalgist]

For the hell of it, I asked Chat GPT to give me a postmodern argument for Kermit the Frog playing the Phantom of the Opera.

I've gotta to admit, it makes a good case:

It is an outrage that the establishment has not recognized the artistic genius of Kermit the Frog, the iconic green amphibian, as the perfect candidate to portray the Phantom of the Opera.

It is obvious to any discerning postmodern critic that the current theatrical norms have grown stale and are in dire need of a subversive and transgressive new approach. The notion of the traditional masculine figure as the Phantom of the Opera is a laughable relic of outdated gender roles and heteronormative biases.

Kermit the Frog, on the other hand, embodies the postmodern ideal of fluidity and constant flux. His green skin and webbed feet defy the strict boundaries of species and invite us to question the very nature of identity. And let's not forget his undeniable musical talents, honed through years of performing alongside his eccentric Muppet companions.

Kermit's performance would be a triumph of postmodern theater, breaking down the rigid barriers of genre and identity, and paving the way for a new era of inclusive and dynamic performance. So let us rise up, my fellow postmodern enthusiasts, and demand that Kermit be given the role he was born to play - the Phantom of the Opera!

[phantomnostalgist]

Spend the Night With the Phantom of the Opera at the Palais Garnier

The Paris Opera is one of the City of Light’s most iconic sites. Now Airbnb is offering the chance to sleep inside the gilded palace that inspired Broadway’s longest-running musical.

omfg. Just saw this article posted... and it's only $40!!! And I am way too broke to even travel to London these days so there's no way I can do it, but bloody hell, the stay includes "A guided tour of the Palais Garnier’s secret areas not usually open to the public, including the underground cistern", and you get to stay overnight at the Palais Garnier.

I assume there are lots of phans in Europe who'll be doing this, and possibly travelling from further afield, and if you can you absolutely should and you should film whatever video you can and share it with all of us, omfg please phandom go stay the night at the Paris Opera for all of us who can't.

(Booking opens March 1, for a Sunday, July 16, 2023 event.)

[phantomnostalgist]

Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 • 9 p.m. EST: Halloween TRIPLE FEATURE!

Wishbone episode 37, "Pantin' at the Opera" (1995, 28 minutes)

Peter Karrie, Elizabeth DeGrazia & David Rodgers (Toronto 1998 highlights, 52 minutes)

The animated Phantom of the Opera (1987, 48 minutes)

I love to stream everyone's favorite creepy Phantom around Halloween, but as we have only highlights of his performances, I thought it'd be fun to switch things up and show them with some other adaptations!

The Wishbone episode is obviously the most adorable one, and the animated film is surprisingly the most faithful to the book. It's also incredibly entertaining to watch with a crowd. As for the legendary Mr. Karrie, his portrayal is unlike any other, and his unpredictable antics make him an absolute treat to watch.

As always, the stream will be on cy.tube and shy anons are welcome. For more info, please see the Saturday Streams FAQ! Link and password will be posted here at 8:45.

[phantomnostalgist]

PotO Crack Week 2022

What is crack? 🤔

If you’re having trouble getting started, having a clear definition may help!

Fanfiction Terminology—an Angelfire site from 2005 featuring Papyrus font, so you know it’s legit—defines it this way: “Crack (-fic) -- refers to stories in which completely ridiculous, unbelievable or insane things occur, often without reasonable explanation but great enjoyment. Are generally written shamelessly and with no excuse beyond a desire to have fun. … Are almost always humourous, although it is possible to write them seriously. Is so referred not only because such crackfics often seem as if they could only be conceived by an author riding a high, but also because they can be hilariously addictive to readers as well.”

Humour vs Crack

So, does it have to be funny? Not necessarily! It just needs to be inherently ridiculous. Can you write a straightforward 300k word high fantasy story about Raoul and his magical talking cartoon sword? You could! But please don’t. Please don’t make me read that.

Crack vs AU

Many crackfics are a type of AU, but what typically separates crack is just how A the U is.

TV Tropes explains it like this: “In its broadest sense, a Crack Fic is any story whose premise and events would be completely implausible in Canon. These frequently include bizarre settings and explorations of improbable relationships between characters — not merely unlikely in canon ‘this idea is completely unworkable, but I bet I can make it work.’”

That all said, crack is in the eye of the beholder! Don’t be held back by definitions, or worrying about how funny it is. Just turn off your consistant characterization & narrative sense brain for a bit and enjoy the freedom that comes with being ridiculous.

[phantomnostalgist]

[phantomnostalgist]

Rare poster for a tour of Ivan Jacobs' Phantom of the Opera.

It's one of the rare versions where Christine returns to Erik.