#alastair mackintosh

[friendlessghoul]

[In the first three photos] Constance Talmadge and Captain Alastair Mackintosh, Judge McAllister, Buster Keaton, Peg Talmadge, William Rhinelander, Joseph Schenck, Norma Talmadge, and Natalie Talmadge. - February 1926

[text of the fourth photo] Constance Talmadge slipped something over on everybody when she was married quietly to Captain Alastair Mackintosh at the home of Jean St. Cyr at Mateo, California. For Constance has been reported engaged many times, but Captain Mackintosh never was mentioned as the hero of the romance. There was Buster Collier, for instance, and Irving Thalberg. But the British army officer sneaked in quietly and won the most-sought-after girl in Hollywood. Norma and Natalie were at the wedding, but there were few guests outside the family. Captain Mackintosh is said to have an excellent social position in England, and something tells us that Constance has made a good marriage. She intends to keep on with her screen work until the expiration of her contract. After that, we wouldn't be surprised if she retired and settled down in London as a good English wife.

[chuckbbirdsjunk]

[badgaymovies]

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

BBBB (out of 5) Fun sequel to the surprisingly good original is equally engaging and ridiculous, continuing the adventures of the chav young man (Taron Egerton) who spies for the British operation masquerading as purveyors of fine menswear.  After a capricious drug dealer obsessed with retro-fifties Americana (Julianne Moore in fine, loopy form) devastates the British home office, Egerton and…

[inclineto]

Books, October - December 2018

Unmasked by the Marquess - Cat Sebastian

The Fated Sky - Mary Robinette Kowal

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley

Dear Committee Members - Julie Schumacher

It Takes Two to Tumble - Cat Sebastian [I feel the author has not sufficiently considered the general unruliness of ducks]

The Shakespeare Requirement - Julie Schumacher [Retcon or gaslighting? You be the judge!]

Sourdough - Robin Sloan [suprisingly weird; amazingly charming]

Dining In - Alison Roman [if a hipster were a cookbook, what cookbook would they be?]

Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made - Gaia Vince [quite possibly the chirpiest book ever written about adaptation, climate change, and global inequities: at first merely jarring, then a little creepy, and eventually - sometime in the midst of “we spoiled mountains; we spoiled rivers; we spoiled oceans and forests and savannahs and farmland and deserts and rocks (we spoiled rocks!!!)” - the cumulative effect is hugely depressing]

Transcription - Kate Atkinson [Wait. What???]

The Ruin of a Rake - Cat Sebastian [!!! I was going to give up because C.S. never quite writes the book I wanted, BUT THEN SHE DID.]

The Mere Wife - Maria Dahvana Headley

The Magpie Lord - KJ Charles

A Gentleman’s Position - KJ Charles

Beyond the Map: Unruly Enclaves, Ghostly Places, Emerging Lands and Our Search for New Utopias - Alastair Bonnett

Tris’s Book - Tamora Pierce 

All Systems Red - Martha Wells

The Water Cure - Sophie Mackintosh

A Gentleman Never Keeps Score - Cat Sebastian [Oh. NOPE. (dnf)]

Melmoth - Sarah Perry

Just Vibrations - The Purpose of Sounding Good - William Cheng

The Henchmen of Zenda - KJ Charles (dnf)

The Portable Veblen - Elizabeth McKenzie

Ghosts of Greenglass House - Kate Milford * [don’t you dare read this without reading Greenglass House first]

A Musician’s Alphabet - Susan Tomes

A Seditious Affair - KJ Charles [yes, again, shhhh]

A Fashionable Indulgence - KJ Charles

Band Sinister - KJ Charles [281 deliciously frothy pages of swelling film score ~*feelings*~ with a lot of cheerful despoiling and the gentlest possible version of Us Against the Unfair World; it’s escapist and a bit melodramatic and I LOVED IT]

Niccolo Rising - Dorothy Dunnett

A Pocketful of Crows - Joanne M. Harris

Stone Mad - Elizabeth Bear

The Beauty - Aliya Whiteley

The Story of Kullervo - J.R.R. Tolkien

Affinity - Sarah Waters *

A Key to Treehouse Living - Elliot Reed

Not All Dead White Men: Classics and Misogyny in the Digital Age - Donna Zuckerberg

Nowherelands: An Atlas of Vanished Countries, 1840-1975 - Bjorn Berge

Red Clocks - Leni Zumas

Clouds of Witness - Dorothy L. Sayers

Mapping Society: The Spatial Dimensions of Social Cartography - Laura Vaughan (dnf)

Letters from Father Christmas - J.R.R. Tolkien

Unfit to Print - KJ Charles

Chemistry - Weike Wang

A Princess in Theory - Alyssa Cole

Beauty Like the Night - Joanna Bourne

Confessions of the Fox - Jordy Rosenberg [my god, I tried, and there are some fantastic passages, but the trouble here is that picaresque pastiche allows absolutely zero room for error (dnf)]

When Katie Met Cassidy - Camille Perri

Sylvester, or, The Wicked Uncle - Georgette Heyer [because once you’ve read two takes on the Sylvester plotline in the same quarter, you may as well just go ahead and (happily) reread Sylvester]

[iloveahangar]

Today a customer sent through some pictures of their new arrivals which they were very pleased with 😊 - a pair of Spitfire Mk.Va (Douglas Bader) inspired low tops and a pair of Spitfire PR Mk IV of FltLt Alastair "Sandy" Gunn inspired low tops. 🤙😎 . Group Captain Douglas Bader CBE,DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar (21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982). At 21 years of age he lost both legs in a flying crash. By age 31, he was a fighter ace with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged. . . Group Captain Douglas Bader CBE,DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar (21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982). At 21 years of age he lost both legs in a flying crash. By age 31, he was a fighter ace with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged. On 9th August 1941, after bailing out of his damaged aircraft one mission, his right prosthetic leg broke lose and he parachuted down wearing only the one leg when he was captured. The Luftwaffe’s General Adolf Garland then organised safe passage for the RAF to drop a spare leg from a bomber so that Bader could be mobile again. Unfortunately for the Luftwaffe, Bader then proceeded to make so many escape attempts that the Germans threatened to take them away! . FltLt Alastair Donald Mackintosh "Sandy" Gunn was a RAF Supermarine Spitfire photo reconnaissance unit (PRU) pilot who was taken prisoner during the Second World War. Gunn took part in the "Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, and was one of the men re-captured and subsequently executed by the Gestapo.  This design is based on Spitfire AA810 that he was flying when he was shot down. . www.iloveahangar.com . 🛩CUSTOM REQUESTS AVAILABLE ⚒ . www.iloveahangar.com 👍 #instagramaviation #aviationgeek #airforce #warbirds #airshow #airshows #aviation_lovers #aircraftlovers #ww2aviation #rcaf #raf #militaryhistory #fighterpilot #douglasbader #aa810 #aa810spitfire #airmuseum #happycustomer #giftsforhim #giftsforher #chucktaylor #airshowready #bombercommand #fightercommand #duxfordimperialwarmuseum #duxfordairshow https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlAH5vhN77/?igshid=1rs6k1gsu7fpm

[freawaru2020]

Hi! Thanks to my mum, I've been obsessed with Austen since I was a child and I recently saw North And South and now I'm desperately looking for more period dramas/romances Got anymore recommendations?

OH BOY have I got a list for you!!! *cracks knuckles*

Long list is long. I got really carried away. I’m so sorry.

Books

Bleak House - Charles Dickens: Being Dickens, it’s a lot more dense and dark than Jane Austen, but quite good. Really interesting commentary on the legal system at the time, with very interesting characters, one tragic romance, and one very satisfactory one. I have linked a truly excellent reading of it.

Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens: The story is about a family whose father is in debtor’s prison, the trials, tribulations, and eventual romance of Amy Dorrit (the titular Little Dorrit) and Arthur Clennam. Of course, there’s the full complement of twists, turns, characters, and subplots necessary for any Dickensian novel.

Our Mutual Friend - Dickens: This one’s got it all. Murder, mystery, romance, mistaken identities, false accusations, society expectations, and finally, a reasonably happy ending. The river Thames is almost as much a character as the people!

The Chronicles of Barsetshire (The Warden, Barchester Towers, Doctor Thorne, Framley Parsonage, The Small House at Allington, and The Last Chronicle of Barset) - Anthony Trollope: These books are something of a combination of Dickens and Austen. Very involved like Dickens, but much lighter in tone, generally. It is about the families who live in and around the fictitious Barchester, primarily the Grantleys, the Hardings, the Proudies, Thornes, and the Stanhopes. There are very satisfying romances just about all of them (though I found The Small House at Allington less satisfactory than some of the others). (Regarding the audiobooks, some of the readings are better than others :/) Fairly religion heavy (doesn’t beat you over the head with theology or anything), simply because so many of the main characters are either in the church, or around the church.

The Belton Estate - Anthony Trollope: I really liked this one, but it’s not to everyone’s tastes, for sure, mostly because the main female character is kind of annoying at times.

Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaskell: If you love North and South, you’re probably already familiar, but just in case! Centres around Molly Gibson, her father, the doctor of Hollingford, her stepmother, and her step sister Cynthia, as well as the local squire and his two sons. 

Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell: Cranford tells the stories of various persons living in the fictitious small town of Cranford as told by Mary Smith, who used to live in Cranford, and now frequently visits it. There’s not a very strong over-arching plot, but each of the stories is still connected, both by the persons concerned, and by the locality.

Middlemarch - George Eliot: This one is kind of like the Chronicles of Barsetshire, but with some mystery and such. (Really, in a similar vein to the others recommended above.) (There IS a BBC production version of it, but I haven’t seen it, so have no idea if it’s any good. Ruffus Sewell is in it though, so that’s probably a good sign!)

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins: I love, love, LOVED this one. It’s mystery, suspense, and romance, and is told all through letters and diary entries of the various characters. 

The Scarlet Pimpernel and it’s sequels are also delightful, if you haven’t read those. They take place in England and France during the French Revolution, where a daring English gentleman and his band snatch aristocrats from the jaws of the guillotine itself.

And then ALL the Georgette Heyer. Georgette Heyer is basically Jane Austen lite. They’re SUPER easy reads, all of them, so they’re ideal if you need some period fluff to break up some of the much, much heavier books recommended above.

My favourites are the following (not necessarily in order) (You will also discover that my favourites include nearly the whole body of Heyer’s Georgian/Regency work…):

Cotillion - Kitty Charring is an heiress - upon condition that she marry one of her guardian’s nephews. Her first choice, Jack Westruther fails to make an appearance, so she talks Freddy Standen into entering into a fake engagement so that she can see London (and avenge herself on Mr. Westruther). You know the trope. You know how this ends.

The Grand Sophie - Charles Rivenhall’s life is orderly, respectable, rigid. He’s towing his family out of debt, his fiance is everything that is respectable and decorous. Everything is going according to plan until his cousin, the dashing Sophia Stanton-Lacy sweeps in and turns EVERYTHING upside-down.

Powder and Patch - Cleone Charteris would be more than happy to marry Philip Jettan…if only he would bother bringing himself more into the mode. Instead, he won’t wear a wig, or powder, or dress in the first style of fashion. So she (and his father) send him away to acquire polish, which he does. But when he comes back, everything they professed to want him to be, they discover that perhaps they were mistaken.

These Old Shades (Book 1 of the Alastair-Audly series) - Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, is known to his cronies as Satanas for a reason. Both for his uncanny awareness of all the things happening in society, and for his devilish lifestyle, which includes a longstanding feud with the Comte de Saint-Vire. When the fire-haired “Leon” stumbles into his life one dark night in Paris, the key to his revenge is his. 

Devil’s Cub (Book 2 of the Alastair-Audly series) - Lord Dominic Alastair, the Marquis of Vidal is every bit as bad as his father, the Duke of Avon, and Mary Challoner has no intention of letting him run away with her sister Sophie. Her intervention does NOT go as she planned…Lots of characters from These Old Shades make appearances!

Regency Buck (Book 3 of the Alastair-Audly series) - Miss Judith Taverner and her brother Peregrine are traveling to London to obtain the permission of their (presumably) elderly guardian, the Earl of Worth, to set up house in the metropolis. Julian Audley is not at ALL what they expected, but he may end up being just who they needed…Beau Brummell makes an appearance, as do a number of members of the royal family.

An Infamous Army (Book 4of the Alastair-Audly series): This is basically the War and Peace of regency romances. Julian’s brother Charles Audley is one of the primary characters, but plenty of the other characters from the series also are important players in the events leading up to (and during) the Battle of Waterloo.

Arabella - Arabella Tallent is the daughter of a Yorkshire clergyman, and is on her way to London for her first season when her carriage breaks down near the hunting lodge of the fabulously wealthy Nonpareil Robert Beaumaris. When she overhears him assuming that she’s throwing herself at his head for the sake of his fortune, her pride leads her to make a series of rash declarations which change the entire course of her visit.

Frederica - Respectable but poor, Frederica Merriville seeks the patronage of distant relation Lord Alverstoke in hopes that he will present her ravishing younger sister Charis to fashionable London society. He does, and they are both determined that that should be the extent of his involvement in their affairs. However, what with all the misadventures that Frederica, Charis, and their three brothers fall into, Lord Alverstoke becomes far more invested than he ever meant to be.

The Nonesuch - Miss Ancilla Trent considers herself on the shelf, due both to her age, and her occupation as the chaperone of the spoiled but lovely Tiffany Wield. Sir Waldo Hawkridge is, despite being the Nonesuch, blessed with wealth and good looks, a confirmed bachelor. Throw in outings to picturesque spots, spoilt heiresses, runaways, and balls, and you’ve got yourself a rollicking romance.

The Corinthian - Penelope Creed is running away to avoid marrying her fish-like cousin. Sir Richard Wyndham, a noted Corinthian, is about to make a loveless offer of marriage to the respectable daughter of a debt-ridden but noble family. Coming home slightly drunk, he encounters Pen climbing out of her window in the dead of night, dressed as a boy, and determined to set out for her childhood home - and promised husband, . Her neck-cloth and hair will never do, so he takes her in hand, and ends up embroiled in the adventure of a lifetime. 

The Talisman Ring - murder, mystery, romance, smuggling, and a stolen ring are all ingredients in this absolutely delightful romp.

Other good ones include Venitia, Faro’s Daughter, Charity Girl, The Unknown Ajax, The Quiet Gentleman, Bath Tangle, Lady of Quality, The Foundling, and The Masqueraders.(Really, what this boils down to is that I’d recommend all of them, except perhaps Friday’s Child.)

Movies/TV Shows

Bleak House (2005) - Charles Dickens: Has an AMAZING cast, including Gillian Anderson, Carey Mulligan, Burn Gorman, Louise Brealey, and a ton of others.

Little Dorrit (2008): Matthew Macfayden and Claire Foy are the main characters.

Our Mutual Friend (1998) - Paul McGann, Steven Mackintosh, Keeley Hawes, and Anna Friel are some of the primary characters

The Barchester Chronicles (1982) - a young Alan Rickman makes an appearance!

Doctor Thorne (2016) - Beautiful costumes, great cast! Tom Hollander is Doctor Thorne!

Wives and Daughters (1999) - Really terrific cast, as I’m sure you’re starting to notice, lots of overlap in those BBC pieces…

Great Expectations (2012) - there are a LOT of good versions of Great Expectations, but this one is probably my fav. This is, of course, the Bonham Carter/Fiennes version. Holliday Grainger is Estella. 

Jane Eyre (2011) - Wasikowska/Fassbender

Lark Rise to Candleford (2008-2011)

Cranford (2007) SO many good actors in this one, including Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Gambon, and quite a few others.

I hope you like at least some of them, and would be delighted to hear if you end up loving any of them (or if you find others in a similar vein that you would recommend in return)!!

[jenniferskaggs]

A budget guide to Glasgow, Scotland

While Edinburgh may woo visitors with its genteel charm, and there’s no escaping the sheer beauty of the Scottish countryside, visitors to Scotland too often overlook Glasgow as a destination.

Scotland’s largest city has plenty to offer the budget traveler, whether it’s tremendous free museums or the city’s renowned social life. It’s a working city full of contrasts, by turns gritty, glamorous and generous – and one well worth getting to know a little better.

Here’s how to enjoy this great city while saving along the way.

Budget Guide to Glasgow

How to get to Glasgow

Air Glasgow’s International Airport handles most of the flights and is well served by the budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair (with a £10.50 shuttle bus into the center of town). If you’re traveling within Europe, check out Ryanair flights from Prestwick Airport too. Slightly farther out, but it’s an easy and inexpensive journey into the city by bus.

Train Traveling within the UK? Getting to Glasgow by train is probably the most convenient option: Make sure to book your journey well in advance for the best fares, or consider buying a BritRail pass before you go if you’re planning to do a lot of travel. Edinburgh is also just over an hour away by train. There are regular departures and tickets cost around £10-13.

Bus Getting the bus is by far the cheapest option — although going by bus from London, for example, will take at least double the time than the train. Check out the MegaBus and National Express for prices starting at around £15 going all the way from London to Glasgow (book well in advance) and just £3.50 from Edinburgh.

What to see and do

There are plenty of tours that will help you get your head around the city’s rich history, although many, unfortunately, will leave your budget a little poorer. However, there are some great free downloadable options to be explored here, with self-guided walks covering everything from an “obscure history guide” to a tour celebrating Glasgow’s musical heritage.

Your reward for climbing the stairs of the Lighthouse? A grand view over Glasgow. Photo: Alastair Bennett

Mackintosh, with a great view

The works of architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh are among Glasgow’s main attractions (you can read more about it in our Glasgow Art Nouveau guide), but many of the Mackintosh attractions do charge admission.

A happy exception is the Lighthouse building, which was Mackintosh’s first architectural commission. It now hosts displays and exhibitions, including one about Mackintosh himself. For an added free bonus, climb its spiral staircase to the top of the tower for a fantastic view over the city.

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery is one of the most visited museums in the country. Photo: Gordon Chirgwin

Free galleries and museums

There’s an amazing array of free museums and galleries in Glasgow, which often comes in handy in a city not blessed with the sunniest of weather! This is just a taster of what’s on offer:

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of most visited museums in the country, with a collection that caters to all tastes, and encompasses everything from Salvador Dali to Spitfire planes, stuffed animals and armor.

The Hunterian, part of the University of Glasgow, is the oldest museum in Scotland. Head here for its archaeological and ethnographical displays.

The People’s Palace offers an excellent overview of the social history of the city, while the Gallery of Modern Art does exactly what it says it does. Take note of the statue of the Duke of Wellington outside and his alternative headwear: It’s actually a proud Glasgow tradition that he wears a traffic cone! 

The modern architecture of the Burrell Collection in Pollock Country Park. Photo: Mark Ferbert

Parks

Glasgow is blessed with lots of parks, perfect for relaxing. Pollok Country Park in the south of Glasgow is the city’s largest green space. It’s also the site of another excellent free museum, the Burrell Collection. Housed in a distinctive 1970’s-era building, this gallery includes medieval and Gothic art, Chinese ceramics and masterpieces by the likes of Degas, Manet and Rembrandt.

You’ll find the Botanical Gardens in the west end of the city. Established in 1817, it’s home to many rare and valuable plants, as well as being a lovely place to escape the bustle of the city. Don’t miss the magnificent Kibble Palace glasshouse.

Glasgow Cathedral

The building of this impressive cathedral was begun in the late 12th century, making it intrinsically linked to the history of the city. It’s still in use for Christian services today and is open for free visits.

Adjacent is the imposing Victorian Necropolis. More than 50,000 people are buried here, and although you may not have heard of its most famous “residents”, it’s still well worth a look. Take one of the free guided walks to find out more about its fascinating stories.

The Horse Shoe is a classic with a gigantic bar and plenty of Scottish ale. Photo: Adam B.

Affordable restaurants and bars

You are spoiled for choice for both eating and drinking in the city. Often you don’t have to decide between the two activities, as many bars and pubs also serve tasty and reasonably priced food. It’s also definitely worth seeking out a traditional fish and chip shop (although whether you want to test out the Scottish habit of deep-frying everything is up to you) — let your nose guide you to the best!

Bread Meats Bread

One for the carnivores. This no-bookings restaurant attracts rave reviews for its burgers. Prices start at £6.50 for a classic Scottish beef burger, but there are many variations on offer. See how Scotland tackles North American classics such as Poutine, hot dogs and pulled pork. Tempting extras include caramelized sweet fries.

Stereo

To atone for all that meat, pay a visit to this vegan restaurant, which — in true Glasgow style — also doubles as a late-night bar, gig and club venue. The food is reasonably priced but especially worth checking out on a Monday when you can indulge in five tapas dishes for £12. Like this? The 13th Note is another vegetarian (and arty!) option to consider.

Saramago

Another late night license bar/veggie restaurant in yet another great free gallery. It’s housed in the Centre for Contemporary Arts, a venue specializing in film, music, literature, and spoken word. A particular bargain is the theater menu, served between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., where a three-course meal is priced at £12.95. At other times, expect to pay around £10 for a generous main.

The Horse Shoe Bar

More of a traditional pub, this is named for the shape of its bar – all 104 feet and three inches of it! Its dark wood and antique-tiled interior (topped with an ornate ceiling!) gives a taste of what drinking in Glasgow was like in the past. It’s far from being a museum piece however: you’ll be drinking from its great range of Scottish drinks alongside sports on the TV and the pub’s legendary karaoke sessions!

The quaint lobby of the affordable and family-owned Argyll Hotel. Photo: Booking.com

Where to Stay

Like most of the UK, it can be hard to find super cheap accommodations, but Glasgow does offer a few budget gems in good locations.

If you want to be in the heart of the city center on the main shopping streets, the Alexander Thomson Hotel is just a few feet from the Central Rail Station and offers rooms for under $100.

Sandyford provides a full Scottish breakfast (eggs, meat, mushrooms, beans, the whole deal) and is within easy reach of good shops, museums and galleries.

The family-run Argyll Hotel is close to Kelvingrove Museum and rooms are equipped with private bathrooms and free Wi-Fi.

For more options, search over 145 Glasgow hotels.

The post A budget guide to Glasgow, Scotland appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

from EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog https://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/a-budget-guide-to-glasgow-scotland.html Publish First on

[hottytoddynews]

Sixteen years ago, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart’s “The Phantom of the Opera” became the longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassing the 7,485 performances of Webber’s “now and forever” “Cats.” On January 26, POTO continues its reign into a fourth decade, seemingly “now and forever.”

POTO, produced by Cameron Mackintosh (“Mary Poppins,” “Les Miserables,” “Miss Saigon,” “Cats”) and Webber’s Really Useful Company, is not only one of the most successful Broadway road shows ever—it’s also one of the largest. This new production, co-produced with NETworks Presentations and as dazzling and dramatic as the original, launched in November 2013. It returns to Memphis’ majestic and historic Orpheum Theatre November 29 through December 10.

The musical first took Memphis by storm in November 1997, with thousands of theatergoers from throughout the region making it a sold-out smash. It returned to the Orpheum by popular demand in 2001and 2014.

The Tony Award-winning Best Musical has additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, who co-wrote the book with Webber based on Gaston Leroux’s “Le Fantôme de L’Opéra.” The classic story tells of a masked madman, terribly disfigured from a fire at the Paris Opera, who lurks beneath the catacombs of the building (which actually exist, along with, as depicted in the show, an underground lake) and inflicts terror on all. He falls madly in love with soprano Christine and devotes himself to creating a new star, employing all manner of the devious methods at his command. That includes murder and, when he doesn’t get his way, crashing a massive chandelier onto audiences.

It’s estimated this reimagining of the romantic thriller has been seen by over 2.5 million people across the country. The new product features reinvented staging by director Laurence Connor (Broadway’s “School of Rock” and “Miss Saigon” revival) and scenic design by Paul Brown.

The tour, with choreography by Scott Ambler and lighting by Tony Award winner Paule Constable, has a cast of 30, an eight-member corps de ballet, and a 14-piece orchestra under musical supervisor John Rigby, making it one of the largest productions on the road.

Tenor Derrick Davis stars as the infamous masked Phantom. He appeared on Broadway and on tour as Mufasa in “The Lion King” and regionally as Curtis Taylor Jr. in “Dreamgirls.” His CD, “Life Music,” is available on Amazon. For a preview of his stunning voice, check out: Derrick Davis sings “The Music of the Night” from “The Phantom of the Opera.”

Canada’s Eva Tavares, portraying Christine Daaé, the ingénue at the center of POTO’s love triangle, is a triple-treat talent: singer, actress and choreographer. In March, she was featured in the Toronto world premiere of “Sousatzka,” a musical by three-time Tony Award nominee Craig Lucas (especially known for The Light in the Piazza) and the composing team of Tony Award winner Richard Maltby, Jr. (lyrics) and Academy Award winner David Shire, based on the 1962 novel, “Madame Sousatzka.”

In the role of the debonair, love-smitten Vicomte de Chagny Raoul is Texan Jordan Craig, who received training and has performed many roles with the Houston Grand Opera.

In January, POTO will surpass 12,500 performances before an estimated 18 million at Broadways’ Majestic Theatre, where it opened in 1988 with a then-record advance of $18 million. Four years earlier, it premiered on London’s West End, where it’s still thriving.

A world-wide theatrical blockbuster, it’s estimated that 140 million people in 35 countries (15 languages) have surrendered to what many feel is Webber’s best score. The two-disk original cast album spent five years on trade charts, and a single-disc highlights recording spent over six years on Billboard’s Pop Album chart.

Back in 1984, as the show was premiering on London’s West End, advance sales and preview audience reaction suggested an unstoppable hit. Webber, on the other hand, was far from certain, even after blockbuster hits “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Cats” and “Evita.”

“I wish I could say I had the best time of my life during those heady days,” he states. “‘Phantom’ is the only show I’ve done that was entirely unchanged during previews. Our brilliant director, Hal Prince, was so certain we’d be a hit that he suggested we take a holiday and return for the opening.”

“At openings,” he continues, “even when you feel you have the public with you, you’re at your most vulnerable. I couldn’t bear to sit through the show.”

Cameron Mackintosh, a co-producer with Webber’s Really Useful Company, found him and got him back for the curtain call. Amid the thunderous applause, Webber yearned to have loved ones around him.

But then-wife, Sarah Brightman, playing Christine, was onstage basking in audience adulation with her Phantom, Michael Crawford. “While all were celebrating,” Webber says, “I felt alone and frightened.”

It didn’t help when the first review, by the London Sunday Times critic, came out and simply read “Masked balls.” States Webber, with the memory still vividly ablaze, “Those were the only words. Most composers, let alone producers, would be suicidal to receive a notice such as that. Amazingly, it didn’t faze [co-producer] Cameron [Mackintosh] one bit.”

Ever the optimist, Mackintosh telephoned “while having a jolly good breakfast” and, in a fortuitous prediction, told Webber, “Nothing any reviewer writes can alter the fact that Phantom has chimed with audiences.”

Webber, was used to critical snipes. He points out POTO’s reviews “were wildly polarized between those who really did or really wouldn’t surrender to the music of the night.” What was most upsetting was ruinous gossip that Brightman, an alumna of the West End “Cats” production, who’d been onstage since her teens, got the role because she was his wife.

“The fine line between success and failure is perilously small,” says Webber. “I’m struck 30 years hence with the phenomenon ‘Phantom’ has become. Much credit goes to the [Tony Award-winning] late Maria Björnson for her opulent design and costumes. And would another choreographer have understood the period as well as former prima ballerina Dame Gillian Lynne (“Cats”)? Many said the chandelier moment could never work. It turns out to be the most theatrical moment I ever conceived—a moment that can only be achieved in live theater.”

Harold Prince, the legendary, multi Tony Award-winning director of the West End and Broadway productions, says he was instantly hooked on the idea that Leroux’s classic was musical material. “To my surprise, Andrew’s initial idea for the score was to use famous classical works and write only incidental music. Much to my delight, he later decided on an entirely original score – one of his greatest.”

“However,” Prince adds, “the superlative score wasn’t Andrew’s only contribution to ‘Phantom’s’ success. It was his instinct to take the story one step further and make the emotional center of the show a love triangle. That struck a chord with audiences. It’s the crucial difference between our musical, the novel and other versions of the story.”

The Phantom of the Opera has won more than 70 theater awards, including seven 1988 Tony Awards and three London Olivier Awards. Since 2010, it’s become one of the most accessible musicals of all time, with hundreds of high school and university productions licensed through R&H [Rodgers & Hammerstein] Theatricals.

Tickets for the Memphis engagement of POTO are available at the Orpheum box office or by calling (901) 525-3000, http://ift.tt/1llMdLQ, and via Ticketmaster, where service fees will apply.

Trivia: As anyone who’s toured the Paris Opera has seen, there’s a private box reserved only for the Phantom at every performance – just as he demands in the musical. Interested in how Memphis’ Orpheum first got “The Phantom of the Opera” and other big musicals, such as “Les Miserables” and “Miss Saigon”? Check out their video: http://ift.tt/2zOPh6g.

Ellis Nassour is an Ole Miss alum and noted arts journalist and author who recently donated an ever-growing exhibition of performing arts history to the University of Mississippi. He is the author of the best-selling Patsy Cline biography, Honky Tonk Angel, as well as the hit musical revue, Always, Patsy Cline.

Production photos by Matthew Murphy and Alastair Muir.

The post As “Phantom of the Opera” Comes to Memphis, Andrew Lloyd Webber Recalls Its Premiere appeared first on HottyToddy.com.

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