#gary mauer

[litloverscorsetlaces]

Phantom Acting Choices That Live in My Head Rent Free (Part 2)

The way Hugh Panaro says "sing for me" during the title song. Extra emphasis on the ME, like this man knows Christine doesn't sing for anyone else like this--especially not that insolent boy.

Tim Martin Gleason's emotionally regulating self-hug.

David Shannon plays the Phantom like his skull exposure is actually vulnerable/causes him chronic pain.

Earl Carpenter directs tf out of Christine's voice during the title song in his '06 run. Gospel choir director energy, but make it sex.

Phantoms kneeling during the Don Juan AIAOY reprise. (Looking at you David Thaxton and Hugh P.)

Every acting decision Gina Beck makes in the final lair.

There's a boot (I think 1995?) where Davis Gaines pauses after he says "this is the choice" and he actually realizes he's gone off the deep end and "this is the point of no return" fr.

Michael Nicholson's deranged laugh turned sob. So sad, so disturbed.

Gary Mauer says like 4-5 ily's in the final lair like he can't stop now that he's uttered it aloud. And the more the merrier imo lol.

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

I love when, in the final lair, a Christine definitely sees Erik sneaking up behind Raoul, lasso in hand, and she just nopes out. Makes no motion to help Raoul or stop Erik, she's just, runs away.

I know it's just a blocking thing: Christine's usually looking away or not paying attention, but here she definitely saw Erik and the implications of that are hilarious to me. Even the way she runs upstage almost makes it look like she's getting him in line with a mark.

Raoul: Christine! CHRISTINE, DID YOU LET HIM LASSO ME?!

Christine: No! (...>.>)

(Here I imagine @birdstooth Erik looking smug)

(Trio here: Gary Mauer, Jennifer Hope Wills, Jason Mills)

[brendadaaedestler]

It has been brought to my attention (yelled at me several times) that I haven't done a Phantom poll in a while, so thanks to @meilas, I have finally come back with another poll for you all!

Socks came up with a lot of these, so big thank you to them for their help!!

Reblog if you would like to see me create more polls! If you have a request for my next "Which Phantom Would You Like To" poll, please feel free to send me an ask or a dm! I have so much fun with poll requests! :D

**Ethan’s full description is “takes you to a treehouse and makes peanut butter sandwiches and milk.” It has been brought to my attention that the last bit got cut off.

[markbbrooklyn]

One of my favorite POTO audios. The main cast - Gary Mauer, Jennifer Hope Wills and Michael Shawn Lewis - includes my two favorite performers in those roles (the third is just "tied" with 2 other actors for my favorite - LOL). This performance was on May 19, 2007.

My first time trying this, so I hope it works.

[meilas]

@brendadaaedestler @phandompenny

[eriksangel666]

What I love about Gary Mauer and Beth Southard doing Phantom together is that you can tell when they just want to absolutely jump each other's bones as husband and wife during the more intimate scenes but Phantom and Christine can't so they gotta rein it in

[ineffablekink]

I’m sorry but Christine just dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes just makes me giggle every time 😂

By request: mirror bride!

Peter Hofmann & Anna Maria Kaufmann, Hamburg

Earl Carpenter & Rachel Barrell, London

Brent Barrett & Sierra Boggess, Las Vegas

Gary Mauer & Elizabeth Southard, US National Tour

Thomas Schulze & Colby Thomas, Hamburg

John Cudia & Sarah Lawrence, US National Tour

Peter Karrie & Elizabeth DeGrazia, Toronto

Anthony Warlow & Ana Marina, Australia

Ivan Ozhogin & Mercedesz Csampai, Moscow

Masayuki Sano & Tamae Sai, Osaka

[glassprism]

Believe it or not, I have never watched the ALW Phantom of the Opera. So.. Seeing as you are the POTO expert here on Tumblr, what would you say is the best video for me to start with and watch first? I’m open to any English or German recs!

Oh, I doubt I'm the POTO expert on here, but when it comes to bootlegs, I can make some updated recommendations. I'll try not to go nuts and just pick one from each of the major productions.

West End - August 18, 2010: If you can get your hands on this one, this is a nicely filmed video of the original West End production with a great Christine and a Phantom who could have been good were he not actively hampered by the direction. At the time this was released, this was considered a really good quality video; now in the days of 4K boots, it's not, but it's still decent.

West End revival - January 2023: This is probably still one of my favorite videos in recent years - high quality, shot steadily and from the center of the audience, with a really good cast, especially Lucy St Louis as Christine and Matt Blaker as Raoul. It's also a good look at the various changes made to the production.

Broadway - May 17, 2014: There are so many good Broadway videos and casts that I ultimately chose this one for its accessibility and commonality. This was filmed in the first few days of Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess's run together as the Phantom and Christine on Broadway. As with the West End video above, this video was considered good quality in 2014.

US Tour - April 6, 2006: People always recommend this video for a first time viewing experience and it's not hard to see why. This performance was filmed by two people who divided up the shots beforehand, then edited their videos together so that you get the best possible views together. It was also Gary Mauer (the Phantom) and Elizabeth Southard's (Christine) last show in the tour, and as they are married IRL, their chemistry and energy together are fire.

Vienna - June 30, 1993: This was the last show of the original Vienna production and two of the original cast members (Alexander Goebel as the Phantom and Luzia Nistler as Christine) returned for it. Both are great, especially Goebel's eerily haunting Phantom, and the video is pretty good for something from the 90s. There are also numerous little jokes and ad-libs for the last show. Just watch out for those sudden zooms.

Hamburg - June 30, 2001: Another last show, this one being source #2 of the original Hamburg production. A little shakier in filming but the detail is sharper than the also available source #1 of the same show, with Ian Jon Bourg being a commanding, old school Phantom. This video also includes the after show, particularly the fantastic and emotional mash-up of 'Think of Me' and 'Music of the Night' sung by the whole cast.

Stuttgart - May 23, 2004: Yet another last show, I'm on a roll! Had things worked out, this would have had Ian Jon Bourg again as the Phantom, but he was out on the last day and we got understudy Thomas Schulze instead, who is more bombastic. As with the other last shows, there are tons of jokes and ad-libs, including a famous "third kiss" between the Phantom and Christine.

Essen - April 20, 2006: I went back and forth between this, a similar video of Thomas Borchert, and a video of Uwe Kroger. The video of Borchert is steadier in filming but filmed earlier in the run, and I'm not trying to torture you with Kroger (but do watch him at some point for the entertainment value). This video is shakier and more obstructed, but worth it for the pairing of Ethan Freeman, a Leroux Phantom par excellence, and Anne Gorner. This was also Freeman's last ever as the Phantom, so extra emotional.

Hamburg revival - April 11, 2014: The Hamburg revival had some excellent videos, but I like this one best since it's steady, unobstructed, and doesn't have some unusual coloring or bad frame rates. I also think the cast is interesting: Nicky Wuchinger's Raoul is very strong, David Arnsperger's Phantom feels like he was directly inspired by the likes of Ian Jon Bourg, and Lauri Brons's Christine is just the weirdest.

Oberhausen - March 24, 2016: There's only one video from the Oberhausen production so this was an easy pick! It's technically highlights but it has all the major scenes, and though it's shot from near the front and at a bit of an angle it's HD quality and well filmed. It's also really cool to see perennial Broadway understudy Elizabeth Welch as principal Christine, and in German!

World Tour - January 26, 2014: The most recent World Tour boots all seem to be NFT, so I'm going with this, an oldie but goodie. Brad Little is the longest-running Phantom in the world so far, so it's worth it to see his performance, even if his vocals are much rougher here. Kristi Holden and Anthony Downing also round out the cast nicely.

25th anniversary concert: Not a bootleg but a professionally filmed and officially released proshot of the show's 25th anniversary concert, held at the Royal Albert Hall. This is easily one of the most accessible and viewable versions and you should probably watch this first to get an overall idea of what the show is like before venturing into one of the bootlegs. Given the venue, the concert made some changes to the staging and what-not, but it is 90% accurate to what goes on in the replica anyway.

[litloverscorsetlaces]

My Favorite Phantoms in 1-2 Sentences

[Once again no particular order but this list includes most of my faves minus Killian Donnelly and TMG.]

John Owen Jones: Yes, I sob loudly whenever I watch that '05 performance with Rachel Barrell. And?

Gary Mauer: The best vocal Phantom imo, argue about it with someone else. Phans love him paired with his wifey Beth Southard as Christine, but that final lair kiss with Marie Danvers is unmatched (iykyk).

Earl Carpenter: His Erik was in love with Christine the whole time, idc idc. Top 3 final lair performer in his early run and I can't even tell you who's ahead of him tbqh.

Peter Karrie: There is literally NO Phantom like him in the history of the role and his '98 boot is the most heartbreaking performance I've ever watched. But is it ableist that his Phantom is so savant/autistic coded?

Hugh Panaro: Master of the hair slick and self caress; lord of the portcullis sprawl; perfector of the whispered "I love you" and "my angel." Holds your entire soul in a psycho death grip from "insolent boy" and doesn't let go until the curtain goes down.

Kevin Gray: Mix together Peter Karrie, Hugh Panaro, and a dash of Crawford and you get Kevin Gray. That's a deranged, hair-raising, and completely magical equation.

Ramin Karimloo: Gets disproportionate hype because of the 25th anniversary performance but his 25th anniversary performance is still worth the hype??

John Cudia: There are three ingredients to a Cudia performance: softness, sadness, and sexiness. He may not blow you away if you like your Phantom unhinged, but he will bring those three things every time.

Howard McGillin: Starts out classic and suave but ends the show completely broken with all the feels. Also a banging vibrato if that's your thing.

David Thaxton: The theater gods reward a risk taker, and Thaxton has so many unique touches that I admire his commitment even if I'm ambivalent about some of his choices.

Edit because I forgot Davis Gaines [HOW could I forget Davis Gaines??]: My second favorite Phantom voice behind Gary Mauer, even though they're totally different. He just has such a deep and hypnotizing baritone that's offset so perfectly by some of his vulnerable acting choices.

[More phantoms here and here.]

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

Gary Mauer and Jennifer Hope Wills, The Final Lair: Part II

Part I

[greenstripedcat]

I've just learned about them on the stream yesterday and aaaaah, I love them so much!

Someone on reddit mentioned this Final Lair, and the curtain where Gary gives Elizabeth chocolates, and it's so so sweet

Elizabeth Southard and Gary Mauer

They were pretty much the “it” couple in Phantom towards the end of the US Tour, performing together as Phantom and Christine from 2004-2006, as well as being married in real life.

Both also had a long track record in Phantom; Elizabeth Southard was alt. Christine in Canada in 1997, and also u/s on Broadway in 1999 and 2001-2003, while Gary Mauer previously had been principal Raoul on Broadway from 1996-2001. In addition, Gary Mauer did a “vacation cover run” as principal Phantom on Broadway in the summer of 2007.

Here’s some of my favourite photos of them!

[brendadaaedestler]

Alright, it’s been almost three months since my last Phantom poll, and that is absolutely way too long, so here’s my next one! This one was requested by @lieblingslok01! Thank you so much for requesting!!

Also, big thank you to @meilas for helping me come up with a few of these poll options!

Reblog if you want to see more polls!

Requests for more “Which Phantom Would You Like To” polls are open, so feel free to shoot me a dm or to send me an ask with some requests!

[hirokidanstan]

gary mauer my beloved <3

[nerdywriter36]

my pleasure!!!!

tonight Gary Mauer reaffirmed his place as one of my favorite Phantoms

excuse me as i go sob on the floor

thank you to @nerdywriter36 for introducing me to Mauer as Phantom. life hasn't been the same since ( in a good way lol)

[meilas]

Socks' Ultimate Phantoms list

Phantoms

Franc D'Ambrosio - Yes. Brings all the sad noises and I am here for it. Nice voice. Excellent acting and facial expressions. Very expressive eyes. Is a cinnamon roll irl. Gary Mauer - Best voice ever. 10/10 would believe this man was an angel. Greg Mills - Looks like a cinnamon roll, will kill you. I never thought tongue action could be sexy but here we are. Ted Keegan - Looks like a cinnamon roll, is a cinnamon roll. Surprisingly sexy. Killian Donnelly - Looks like a cinnamon roll. I can't explain why I like him, but I do. Christopher Carl - I've only heard audio of him but I like him based on how he sobbed on the golden angel. Jeremy Stolle - Nice voice. Acting is too subtle. Peter Karrie - I love how he takes certain notes up a step, just to show that he can. Slightly nasally, but tolerable. Davis Gaines - tbh all I remember really is him slowly rocking his hips while he was sprawled on the portcullis and I now judge all phantoms on a metric of how good their pants look. 9/10 his pants. Peter Joback - I absolutely hated him when he sang in English. I liked him a little better when he did the show in Swedish. James Hume - Unmemorable. Michael Nicholson - Excellent acting choices. Was thinking about him for two weeks after watching. I just really like the production in German, okay? Earl Carpenter - Better in his earlier runs. Good acting choices. Simon Pryce - Very deep voice. Stands nicely. Scott Davies - He looked like fun and I wanted to like him. Noped out of that one pretty quick. Too much vibrato. Anthony Crivello - From the Vegas boot! I actually don't remember too much about him. But I know I liked the boot! Ben Crawford - Tended to have really weird pronunciation toward the end of his run. He was decent when I saw him right after the Broadway reopening. The most remarkable thing he did was to belly slide all the way across the stage during STYDI. Other than that, I recall nothing specific. Thiago Arancam - Remarkable only in the fact that he is boring. Uwe Kroger - The boob-stroking guy. I remember nothing else. Cooper Grodin - Entertaining in the fact that his acting is so wooden. Nice voice when he's not doing blocking at the same time. Good pants. It helps that he never skips leg day. Laird Mackintosh - I think he was good? I honestly don't remember. Geronimo Rauch - I remember I liked him! Norm Lewis - Nice voice, a little boring. Sorry Norm. John Owen-Jones - Hands. Michael Crawford - Absolutely not. I do not understand what anyone sees in him. His voice sounds like it's about to snap any second, and he is very unsexy. David Shannon - Yes. Absolutely yes. Excellent acting choices and nice voice. Does sad very well. Deserved better. Saulo Vasconcelos - All I can recall is @wheel-of-fish spamming the chat with "hands" all night and that's all anyone really needs to know about his Phantom. Ethan Freeman - Looks like a goddamn stick insect during Final Lair and I am here for it. Looks like Tony Shaloub. Bronson Norris Murphy - Technically only was the Phantom in Love Never Dies. RIP. He deserved better. Anyway. His voice is a little deeper than Franc's or Gary's. I wish he had gotten a chance to play the Phantom in POTO proper. I am very curious as to how he would have played it. Looks like a cinnamon roll, is a burnt cinnamon roll. Ramin Karimloo - He was my intro to POTO on stage. I liked his performance enough that I went looking for more clips of the musical, and found the Saturday Streams. Eiji Akutagawa - Ah yes. The self-groping Phantom. That's all I can remember about him. Josh Piterman - Does sad very well. Gerard Butler - My first-first Phantom. I still like him. There's something about his voice that I do actually like, and it annoys me very much when people go "he can't sing" yes he can, everyone has the ability to sing. Just shut up and let me enjoy what I like in peace. Hugh Panaro - Great voice, excellent acting. Funny. Fun to watch. Reminds me of Franc, in that they're both innocent/childish. Hugh is more childish and angry. Looks like he could kill you, and he might, it depends on his mood.

PART TWO

[operachristine]

Lesser known/recorded Christine’s that you need to listen to! (An audio gifting post)

Katharine Buffaloe

Steve Barton (The Phantom of the Opera), Katharine Buffaloe (u/s Christine Daaé), Davis Gaines (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny), Jeff Keller (Monsieur Firmin), George Lee Andrews (Monsieur André), Marilyn Caskey (Madame Giry) || March 19, 1990; Broadway || Notes: Steve Barton and Davis Gaines's first performances. Missing Magical Lasso, Notes/Prima Donna in the first act.

Link

Kris Koop

Hugh Panaro (The Phantom of the Opera), Kris Koop (u/s Christine Daaé), Tim Martin Gleason (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny), Anne Runolfsson (Carlotta Giudicelli), Tim Jerome (Monsieur Firmin), George Lee Andrews (Monsieur André), Marilyn Caskey (Madame Giry), Larry Wayne Morbitt (Ubaldo Piangi), Kara Klein (Meg Giry) || September 14, 2005; Broadway

Link

Leigh Coggins

John Owen-Jones (The Phantom of the Opera), Leigh Coggins (u/s Christine Daaé), Simon Bailey (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny) || June 19, 2012; Third UK Tour || Notes: Includes Think Of Me, Title Song, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, and Point Of No Return.

Link

Terri Bibb

Jeff Keller (u/s The Phantom of the Opera), Teri Bibb (Christine Daaé), Gary Mauer (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny) || October 14, 1996; Broadway

Link

Glenda Balkan

Ciaran Sheehan (The Phantom of the Opera), Glenda Balkan (Christine Daaé), Laird Mackintosh (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny) || August 25, 1995; Toronto

Link

Tamra Glaser

Michael Crawford (The Phantom of the Opera), Tamra Glaser (u/s Christine Daaé), Michael Piontek (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny) || 1990; First National Tour || Soundboard || Notes: Highlights ripped from YouTube.

Link

Kelly Jeanne Grant

Stephen Tewksbury (u/s The Phantom of the Opera), Kelly Jeanne Grant (Christine Daaé), Greg Mills (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny) || September 20, 2009; Third National Tour || Matinee

Link

Kyoko Suzuki

Eiji Akutagawa (The Phantom of the Opera), Kyoko Suzuki (Christine Daaé), Kanji Ishimaru (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny) || September 22, 1991; First Japanese Tour

Link