#POTO European Tour

[phantomchristinesuk]

So it seem Harriet Jones will not be continuing with the Phantom Tour.

She has been cast in a production of Sweeney Todd which runs over the Basel scheduled run.

This means either Bridget Costello might be returning or there will be a new Christine joining.

Georgia Wilkinson, Grace Chapman & Jessica Hackett have not announced any new shows so it’s currently unclear if they will be continuing in Basel, Switzerland.

[marleneoftheopera]

Will we be seeing a Middle East/European Tour in the Andrew Riley designed POTO’s future? Will this version or the (mostly original) production be the one to eventually head out on a supposed European Tour? We will have to see.

Sources: Andrew Riley and POTO Greece’s respective websites.

[operafantomet]

Hi Anéa, I hope you're well! I've been taking a look at Meg's final lair outfit as an easier way to get into Broadway costuming. Are there any specific patterns/fabrics you recommend for the vest? It looks like the breeches are corduroy fabric, and I planned to hunt for a close enough dress shirt to modify lol. Thank you so much for your time and being such an incredible resource all these years 💖💖

First of all, thank you so much for your very kind words. I have gotten some amazinly kind messages around the Broadway closing, I feel like the POTO grandma (in a good way).

As for Meg's Final Lair costume, I am tempted to show you the variety in vest patters and fabrics, so you can choose your preferred style. Note too that the pattern of the shirt + eventual contrasting details in the collar tends to vary quite a bit. So Meg's Final Lair costume is basically choosing a red/brown/greyish/black palette, with a playful combination of patterns. Textures seems to be the goal, to work in the fairly dim scene. And interestingly, most costumes seen on stage to an opposite colour combo than seen in Maria Bjørnson's design. She suggests a golden vest and red breeches, but it's more common to see golden, brown or grey/black breeches and reddish vest.

So OK, Janet Devenish in the original West End production 1986-1987. Alas a b/w photo, but comparing to smaller curtain call photos we are talking a reddish/golden vest, brownish velvet breeches and a fairly plain light blue shirt:

Her second costume in 1988 feature many of the same details, but the shirt now has cuff and collar, and the vest is darker with a rose pattern. At this point she had alo gone from a red wig to a blonde wig:

Broadway look, with red brocade vest, black trims, black breeches and a stripy tan shirt:

A rarer colour combo from Toronto, with greenish small-patterned vest with cream collar, orange/brown velvet breeches and a greyish checkered shirt:

Hillay Reiter could be seen wearing a big-patterned paisley red vest with black brocade collar and pockets, brown corduroy breeches and plain light blue shirt in the last World Tour. The vest was previously used in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico:

A vest pattern seen in many different productions (hereunder West End, Copenhagen, the World Tour and South Korea) is the burgundy one with vertical floral stripes. But the exact execution and combos varies. First photo shows Cho Ha Rin in the current South Korean production, where the vest has a stripy red/yellow collar in West End style, a remarkably patterned shirt, and dark brown velvet breeches.

A different take on the same vest pattern, but here with a collar made of the main fabric, and combined with a dotty cream shirt and brown corduroy breeches. This costume was worn by Amelia Palmiro in the last World Tour:

A general look in many European productions in recent years has been reddish paisley vests and velvet breeches. Here's Lindsey Wise in West End wearing a reddish paisley vest, brown velvet breeches and a stripy/floral tan shirt:

A last variation for now is Brianne Kelly Morgan's fairly brown costume in Las Vegas. She wore a brocaded brown/grey (?) vest, stripy brown/black velvet breeches and a plain light shirt:

This is not a complete lit of different vest patterns and their respective combos. But it gives a sense of a fair deal of liberty when you want to put together your own costume. Breeches are usually of velvet and dark, but can be black, grey, darker brown or more golden, and also both plain or corduroy/stripy. Vests are often of reddish brocades, but black, green and golden versions can also be seen. And the shirt comes in different light colours, with dots, stripes, a combination of patterns, or they are plain.

In addition to this meg usually wears thick knitted stockings, black lace books and a knitted cap to hide her hair when she first enters the lair. And of course massive harness underneath, but this is rarely if ever seen and also maybe not something you would have to reproduce for a cosplay, heh!

Best of luck with your costume adventures!

[valjeans]

Poto italy question: do you think that this is at all a template for a potential broadway revival down the road? Or someone is just paying Ramin Karimloo a LOT to be there?

i honestly fully believe that they've spent an insane amount of money to get ramin, bradley and earl, who've come over expecting a production of their calibre and then somehow ended up in this. i think we'll quickly find the stars depart (poss bradley and ramin won't even go to milan with it) and it does it's european tour then is never seen again. believe me alw and cammack are not letting this madness anywhere near bway.

[glassprism]

Why do you think that the master of the newly released poto video with celia graham has waited until now with releasing it?

Without knowing why the master left in the first place, I can't say for certain, but I can give you some possibilities as to why masters leave and how it affects the chances of them coming back, as well as examples of bootlegs that have had a very long release lag time.

The first and biggest reason is: they got caught and suffered some pretty dire results. Depending on the consequences, this usually provides them an excellent reason not to film and/or release for a long time, or if they do, they keep on the very down-low. In this situation, you can expect that the filmer will either never return or will only come back after a very long time has passed. Some examples I know of:

The person who mastered many videos of the Phantom Broadway cast from 2013-2014 went to a performance and was told by management that they knew who she was and what she was doing and they would be watching her, so she understandably stopped after that

Two prolific German filmers got arrested some years ago (so if you're wondering why there were so many European videos from around 2013-2015 that abruptly stopped, now you know), and while they were released, they quite reasonably stopped mastering videos

The person who filmed the World Tour video of Jonathan Roxmouth was also, I believe, caught, hence why they released two boots in quick succession (and filmed a third that was not released because of technical issues) and then suddenly stopped

In countries like Japan and Korea, the consequences for bootlegging are apparently quite a bit worse, which is also why the trading community there is either very underground (Japan) or extremely paranoid (Korea)

Second reason: they left voluntarily. These are the ones who are more likely to return since they did not get in trouble or anything, they left for other reasons, though how long before they return can really vary. A few examples:

A pretty well-known filmer who did a lot of various Broadway and tour shows left because various issues in their life took over

Another quite well-known filmer got tired of leaks and, after many, many warnings, just up and left

One filmer from the 2000s left because they got quite tired of how the trading community in general had changed; that being said, they may have returned, as some videos they filmed in the 2010s suddenly started cropping up a couple years ago (which means they had a release lag time of about a decade)

The person who filmed several videos of Franc D'Ambrosio, Davis Gaines, Brad Little, and Peter Karrie, filmed them in 1998 but did not trade it out or anything because essentially, other things in life took over; it was 2020 when they finally got back around to their collection and digitizing them - so a gap of 22 years

Third reason: the video was lost or they thought it would not generate any interest or they were playing it safe and waiting a while, BUT they found it or something convinced them people wanted it or they decided enough time had passed. Examples off the top of my head:

A person who took audios of various Phantom non-replica shows in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, released theirs about a year later, stating that they had no idea people even wanted those shows

The master of the David Shannon and Gina Beck videos and the one of London's Love Never Dies post-changes took about 4-7 years to release them, for no reason as far as I can tell besides that they felt ready or safe enough to do so

One of the well-known filmers from the above list released a bunch of Phantom films from as far back as 2007, in 2017 (so about 10 years or so of lag time), again for no reason that I can discern, other than that maybe he had had them a while and had only just gotten around to digitizing and releasing them

And the last, most interesting reason for something being released: death. The person known as aurora spiderwoman on YouTube has videos going back to at least 1988 (they have video of the original Broadway cast of Phantom), and they'll post clips of them, but it's well-known that none of it will be released until they have passed (so 34 years and counting until that video's release, if you want to think of it that way). And a recently released highlights video of Michael Crawford in LA, filmed in 1991, was only released into wider trading circles in 2021 because the filmer, who wanted it kept strictly not to be shared further, passed away, and one of the few people who had it figured it was safe to share now.

So I guess what I'm saying is: if you a 16 year lag time on release is long, look at the 20 to 30 year ones! (And counting...)

[teylaminh]

It's spring, so I'm back with a new story - well, new to everyone else, anyway, it's actually 7 years old.

This is a Jonathan Creek / Phantom of the Opera crossover, of sorts, though you don't need to know anything about POTO for it to make sense (hopefully), and if you are familiar with POTO then I hope you enjoy the references.

It's pretty much still a Jonathan Creek story, involving a Locked Room Mystery, Maddy's secret inner phangirl, Adam being his usual ridiculous self, and a few surprises (and special guests) along the way.

Updates will be regular(ish), notwithstanding I need to do some heavy editing beforehand.

As with the Creekmas story, I'll be posting snippets and vaguely relevant pictures with each update; for now, there's just the very silly cover picture I made for it.

“Adam’s doing a European tour,” he explained, “starting in Paris.  If that’s successful, it’ll move on – hopefully Berlin, then Rome, maybe a few of the provinces if things go well.”

“Oh, right.  Sounds great.  I can see why he’d want the publicity – the French love a good scandal.”

“The thing is,” he continued a little obliviously, trying not to lose his nerve, “he wants me to go out there for the first leg, just to oversee things before I hand it over.  We managed to find someone to take the reins; he speaks about six languages, so that will definitely help.  I mean, I know a bit of French, but apart from that…”

She nodded in understanding.  “I suppose that makes sense.  When does it start, then?”

“That’s the other thing,” he admitted.  “We… we fly out next week.”

Maddy paused in whatever she was about to say, her fork hovering over her plate as she stared at him.  “Next week?”

He flinched.  “Yeah.  Sorry, I’ve been trying to find time to tell you.”

[vreenak]

Hi dear Chris! I am sorry for the lack of Macstan asks, I am sadly trapped in the hell of exams. I have recently started a dress-up games with lots of different stories inspired by classics and history. And there is a Phantom of the Opera one which got back into this fandom........

So, of course: phantom!Stephen, falling madly in love with famous opera singer Alexander and his adopted baby daughter Charlotte and ready to make everything to keep him from continuing his European tour and leave this opera...

Hey! I thought of you today actually and I'm keeping my fingers crossed! 🙏 And please don't apologize, I'm very busy this week myself. (There's still an unswered ask of yours in my inbox, I *will* get to it though!)

You know this is embarrassing, but I'm not very familiar with PotO, BUT from what I've heard I can definitely see phantom!Stephen?! It makes me a little sad, but the story has a happy ending, right?!

[filthybonnet]

Phandom Thanksgiving!

So I can finally announce the surprise I had for everyone! I got a taping of the POTO world tour featuring Jonathan Roxmouth and Meghan Picerno when they were in Singapore! I’ve already watched it and it’s amazing!!! He’s giving Ramin a run for his money as my fav, which says a lot coming from me!

I wanted to get this in before Thanksgiving before everyone has to go see family and I have to work more shifts and Thanksgiving and Black Friday (yay seasonal retail). I will be doing two showings of this: 1st one Tuesday November 19th  at 11am Eastern US Time which will hopefully be a good time for all the European Phans. And then another Tuesday November 19th at 9pm Eastern US Time.

I will be using Kast and as it gets closer I will post the links for people to join. If there is enough interest and people who have time zone conflicts, I will be more than happy to host a viewing again! Just drop me a line and I will plan another one. I know all of us in the Roxmouth support group have been waiting for this and I’m so excited to finally be able to share!  Been looking forward to sharing it all day work.

He’s seriously sooooo thicc and OMG his voice and mannerisms!!! You’re gonna love it!!!

[phantomchristinesuk]

Grace Chapman made her Christine debut in Sofia, Bulgaria tonight (12/4/24)

(Pictures smiller777, conwayjackjack & jessicahackett_soprano instagrams)

[operafantomet]

If the Broadway revival moves forward, do you think that they'll also begin using London-built costumes instead of New York-built ones like the newer productions (South Korea and China)? It seems to me that they're slowly clearing out the American stock to make for UK stock hence the recent costume auction.

Overall I agree, although I don't think the charity auction indicates a massive sale of costumes. They didn't even scratch the surface with the handful they sold. I think it was merely to raise money, and that the costume stock remains in the NYC warehouse.

Overall I still mourn the "loss" of the original Australian/World Tour costumes. They were deliciously hardcore, and seeing them retired and probably butchered pains me. I hope they don't plan the same for the US costumes. But I won't rule them out just yet. POTO China wears a handful of them, including Hannibal slavegirl costumes for all the ballerinas, Meg and Christine. Here's Lin Shao and Fan Suyi in the current Chinese production:

But yeah, the majority of the costumes in use right now i UK ones. The POTO China costumes seems to be largely new UK costumes, with a hint of elder Aussie/World Tour and European ones. In other words, what they inherited from the World Tour, and with a dash of newly made ones probably.

In POTO South Korea they seem to do all UK costumes, and lots and lots of new ones, sometimes with more decorations and patterns than their counterparts in the UK. Here you can see a UK costume with more decorations in front, and with wristbands which they for some reason don't do in the UK) But interestingly with wigs resembling the previous World Tour styling. Here's Cho Ha Rin in the current South Korean production:

So as of now the UK costumes are definitely in dominance, in West End, in China and in South Korea. Only Japan is keeping their own style in the costumes as of now. Here's Hannibal in a recent production photo from Japan:

Will be interesting to see what future replica productions brings! And also if the huge German costume lot makes a comeback somewhere.

I would be very surprised if an eventual Broadway revival does not include US costumes. I think those would be a lot easier to replace and repair due to the experienced workshops who's made those specific costumes for 35 years. I also think the US warehouse is pretty vast, so they could dress multiple casts. But that demands a Broadway revival where they do the original in some form. If they do the Restaged Tour or a non-replica production it's harder to predict what they will use.

[operafantomet]

If phantom of the opera is set in the 1880s shouldn’t the bustles look more of a right angel rather than looking like a slope?

I have discussed this a bit earlier, in what I call “the timeline issue”. Thing is that the dates originally differed, from 1856 (Sydmonton) to 1861 (original LP) to 1871 (early European productions) to 1881 (George Perry’s book, early West End brochure). Nowadays they often don’t mention the year at all; they’re vagueing it with “late 19th century” or similar. I guess “Love Never Dies” and its very different timeline (main story in 1907 - which is supposed to be ten years after the main events in POTO, but POTO was never set in 1897...!) didn’t help on trying to name an exact year for POTO.

The general consensus is that POTO takes place c. 1881, due to various elements described in Gaston Leroux’s novel. Originally I think the ALW team headed for the early/mid 1870s, as is written in some of the first libretti and publications. The costume design, especially the bustle dresses for the ladies, are definitely more 1870s in style. I wanna say as specific as 1873-1875. Another clue is the “Three long years” verse in WYWSHA combined with the date on Daddy Daaé’s grave - the grave specifies his death as exact as 1870:

But then the main story in the stage musical was pushed forward to the 1880s. Which in turn messed up the date for the auction scene, which was originally set in 1905. They moved it to 1911. But Maria Bjørnson’s costume design remained the same, and they reflect more on the 1870s (first bustle style, with soft lines) than the 1880s (bustle revival, with sharper, curvier lines). The grave’s date has never been changed either.

That said, the emphasis on the bustle may vary between productions. They tend to be bigger and curvier (1880s) in the Americas, and at its smallest (late 1870s) in Japan. Europe and Australia/World Tour is often somewhere in between (mid 1870s). Here’s Patti Cohenour in Canada (left) VS Amy Manford in West End (right):

[operafantomet]

If time and/or money weren't an issue what would be your dream poto costume replica to make?

Carlotta’s red 2nd managers costume!!!! Without doubt. Somewhere between the European versions and the Aussie/World Tour ones. The yardage of trims on this particular costume is IN.SA.NE.

The layers of trimmed and pleated skirt, all outlines, the piping... OMG. You need a super generous budget for this one. But OH how beautiful it is.

[operafantomet]

Elisabeth Andreasson and Øysten Wiik in the POTO Ås version

“To the Phantom at Ås: Leading a large ensemble - a mix of professionals and amateurs who’s heading into unchartered water with The Phantom of the Opera at Ås - is musical stars Elisabeth Andreasson and Øystein Wiik.

Both is highly enthusiastic about the music, and the local engagement at Ås, so they didn’t even consider saying no to the offer. Øystein Wiik did however have to say no to two different Jesus Christ Superstar production and a run in Les Miserables in London, as well as an European tour of “A Night in Venice”, to play the Phantom of the Opera in his home county.

The production of Chess last year was so good that when we were allowed to fo Phantom by Andrew Lloyd Webber we simply had to do it, Øystein Wiik explains, as he tries to get used to singing with a half mask. Mikkel Støren at Oslo Nye Teater has made the Phantom mask by first doing a plaster cast of Wiik’s face, then making a fitted plastic mask and a mould of this, and finally dressing the mask with white glove leather. Until the mask is finished, Øystein Wiik wears a temporary model.

(...a lot about Wiik’s career in general)

The production at Ås is a concert version. Do you have any plans of doing the full staged version in the future? - I hope to. I’ve long since rehearsed it, and sung it for director Hal Prince, who said I was ready to jump into any of the current European productions. I would prefer to originate the role somewhere, but so far timing has not been right, Wiik says.

Elisabeth Andreassen was offered the role of Christine Daaé because she so often sing in staircases - it’s such a lovely sound acoustics there! A couple of years ago she secured a spare ticket to Phantom of the Opera in Stockholm (...), and walking up the stairs before the second act she was singing one of the key songs of the show. It lead to an offer of doing a concert version in Mo, Norway. - The concert was a big success, and it was filmed. When Geir Johnsen at Ås saw it, he offered me to repeat the role at Ås, Andreasson says, thanking destiny for her staircase singing.

Eir Inderhaug, winner of the People’s Prize at Talentiaden last year, will alternate with Elisabeth Andreasson in Phantom. Other familiar names are Tom Erik Lie as Raoul, Anne Nyborg as the opera diva Carlotta, and Thorbjørn Lindheim as opera singer Piangi. Toni Herlofson is the choreographer, while Kiss Markovic does the costume design. Bjørn Moren Kjærnes does the musical arrangements, and the orchestra, consisting of 49 musicans, is led by Lars Jegleim. The opening night in Aud Max at Ås is January 31.”

(Text: Mona Levin. Photo: Karina Jensen, for Aftenposten)

[operafantomet]

So we know Hannibal is based off of carthage, Il Muto is a french salon, and point of no return is a middle ages peasant village. have any non-replicas shaken it up as far as historical/cultural basis?

To specify a bit further, this is what Hal Prince himself has said about the mock operas in POTO, in a Bjørnson Scenographer tribute from October 2009:  

”HANNIBAL: “A full-stage set, magnificent drapes, followed by canvas-drops rise from the floor to create Hannibal, a lightly satirical version of the Paris Opéra production of Aida”

IL MUTO: “The second, near the end of the first act, is comic - faux Mozart, in the style of The Marriage of Figaro. Called Il Muto in our production, it is complete with pretty pink scenery and the cast in heavy white and black makeup, wearing elaborate wigs and beautiful costumes.”

DON JUAN: ”The third of the operas, in Act Two, is a new version of Don Juan - created by Andrew and the librettists as a twelve-tone opera, indicating that the Phantom’s composing is decades ahead of Schönberg and Stockhausen.”

So in the replica version we have a Verdi/Aïda knock-off with a hint of ancient Egypt, as well as the Carthage battle against Rome (with ditto elephants), a Mozart/Marriage of Figaro spin with the big bed in focus, and a twelve-tone take on the Don Giovanni tale (set in an abstracted stone castle in 17th century Moorish Spain, rather than a middle age peasant village)

If excluding non-replica versions where they “only” do a backdrop without a specific setting, then many versions has stuck to this formula, even if their general staging has been quite different. But there are of course exceptions too. For Hannibal, the focus is often on the elephants, or a general desert setting. In Il Muto, the Figaro bed is often cut as reference. A an example, the Restaged Tour has an ornamental wall as backdrop, a closet, couch and folding screens as props. Similar can be seen in both the Romanian/Norwegian production, and the Czech one. Here’s the Restaged Tour look:

And the Romanian/Norwegian take on a similar idea:

As far as Don Juan goes, there’s been some creative takes on that one as well. The Czech production feature a late Baroque European interior, with a fire place, a table, and a grand bed with drapes:

The Polish version has pyramide-shaped glass structures (which - truth be told - reminds me of Aussie LND), and a big, red “boudoir” couch:

The Estonian production look more like a Queen of Spades or Alice in Wonderland take on the story, with the defined black/red costumes:

And then you have the Finnish/Swedish production, where a giant corset with similar structure to Christine’s costume probably symbolize something deep, but I have no idea what:

So there are lots of variants. Often productions do give a nod to plausible existing operas of which Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music is a spin on. But often they have unique ideas as well, especially in the more abstracted Don Juan. It might have to do with the twelve-tone music being more progressive and less bound to a specific opera than the other musicals.

[glassprism]

Hi, Glass! So, quick question about Love Never Dies: What would you say is the most obscure production of the show? In other words, which production often gets overlooked and/or has little to bootlegs of it?

I’d say it’s a tie between the Danish and Japanese productions.

The Danish production honestly should get more attention, because it had a completely different design from both the London and Australian productions, not to mention fantastic performers. It did get a fair amount of audio bootlegs, but I think the fact that it doesn’t have a lot of other documentation (e.g. video) and that non-English productions in general tend to get overlooked, means that people just don’t talk about it much.

The Japanese production is also fairly obscure, even though it has some pretty interesting things about it - the presence of Masachika Ichimura as the Phantom, for example, given that he was the original Phantom in the Japanese production of POTO (and also the voice of Mewtwo). But very little came out of the production (I have all of one audio), and again it’s hampered by the fact that it’s not in English, so it too tends to get ignored. It and the Danish production are also slightly older (2012-2013 for the Danish production, 2014 for the Japanese one), so newer fans probably weren’t even around to hear about it back when it first started, and neither has a professionally shot video like the Australian production did to keep it fresh.

Oh, and while not a production exactly, I rarely see much talk about the Vienna concert, which is a shame because it was wild. Same reasons apply as for the Danish and Japanese productions.

I do think people are starting to forget about the Hamburg production too, but it’s not quite as bad as with the above, probably because the Hamburg version was slightly more recent and had actors who would later be in the LND national tour, most notably Gardar Thor Cortes and Rachel Anne Moore. But it’s still a shame no decent footage came out of there, considering there’s a fair number of European video tapers.