#also a ton of blast from the past's in terms of former/older cast content being shared

[marleneoftheopera]

Some good Phantom moments from 2022:

Phantom anniversaries! Broadway’s 34th anniversary also marked Emilie Kouatchou’s first official principal Christine show (which also made her the first black principal Christine on Broadway).

Sydney Harbour! The first outdoor production of Phantom, complete with a chariot, fire, and ‘Point of No Return’ in the rain.

Unofficial photos! Melanie Gowie (London Phantom dresser and former Carlotta) and Greg Mills (Broadway swing) continue to stun with their unofficial backstage/onstage photos.

Live performances! Probably the biggest one was at the Queen’s Jubilee.

Raoul’s, Raoul’s, and more Raoul’s! While John Riddle killed it in Titanique, Jordan Donica, Paul Schaefer, and Jason Forbach all took turns as principal Raoul. Jordan’s return also marked the first time more than one black actor was in the trio at the same time on Broadway.

Restaged Tour! After being put off for a year, the Australian Restaged Tour finally opened featuring former London cast members Josh Piterman, Amy Manford, and Bridget Costello.

Non-replicas! Several non-replicas had performances this year, including Hungary. Budapest also had (or eventually will have) their first big cast change since the production opened over 20 years ago. 

Korean production! Cast was officially announced for Phantom’s return to Korea.

Chinese production! The first production to actually be performed in Mandarin.

Diversity, Role Swaps, AND New Productions! Besides seeing some real progress in diverse casting across the board, there were also tons of former cast members that returned to various productions (mos tof the time due to Covid cases). Australia saw Josh Robson (Sydney Harbour Phantom) as Raoul and Claire Lyon (former World Tour Christine) show up in Melbourne. They both had to re-learn the show as it’s different staging and did so in less than two days.