#raoul tour

[bonzlydoo]

He sleeps in a coffin, bro.

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

Ted Keegan, Rebecca Pitcher, Tim Martin Gleason || US TOUR (Philadelphia) - December 1, 2002

[icantrecallaskysoclear]

Me, every single time Raoul proposes to Christine:

💞

[marleneoftheopera]

Zoe Curlett and Keiron Crook (u/s) in the UK Tour.

[britishchick09]

the lack of thorough palais garnier books is discouraging... so what if rewrite erik wrote a book about it wink wink? ;)

[theres-music-in-you]

Photos from the POTO Middle East/European tour's reopening in Sofia. Photos feature Nadim Naaman as the Phantom, Bridget Costello as Christine, and Dougie Carter as Raoul. Photos by Victoria Vucheva, taken from here (x).

[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

[flagbridge]

The Raoul (de Chagny) Navy: An Exploration of the Vicomte's Naval Background:

Our beloved Vicomte, Raoul de Chagny, is a young junior officer in the French Navy ("le Royale"), but this hardly gets much exploration. It's a detail that is often glossed over--I anticipate because Naval historians and Phans often do not have much Venn diagram overlap--until now. Let's just say my username is a Naval reference.

Note: the "Raoul Navy" is not my invention--our hilarious and wise "Phantom Dark Web" friends at Leroux Less Traveled (incl. @box5intern) came up with it, and I love it.

I've started digging into book Raoul and his Naval background and turns out we are missing out a whole lot about Raoul's character background if we don't dig into it. So I'm going to tell you what the book tells us and what that means. I'm going to give you the overall pieces up front, and then explain:

Raoul looks very young and feminine (except for his "little" mustache, which he effectively has grown to prove that he can)--and everyone treats him like a baby

Raoul at this point has already completed three years of Naval training including a world tour, so he is fairly experienced and even worldly for his age. He is described in the French as a "cadet", but he would likely be a sub-lieutenant at this point since he has graduated from the Naval Academy.

He's on a six month leave before going on a very dangerous mission to recover remains of a lost Arctic mission--a mission he himself is unlikely to return from.

And everyone still treats him like he's a baby (especially the old dowager widows), even though he has had quite a bit of life at this point--so he has something to prove.

What we know about Raoul and the Navy (Here is the English):

"He was admirably assisted in this work first by his sisters and afterward by an old aunt, the widow of a naval officer, who lived at Brest and gave young Raoul a taste for the sea. The lad entered the Borda training-ship, finished his course with honors and quietly made his trip round the world. Thanks to powerful influence, he had just been appointed a member of the official expedition on board the Requin, which was to be sent to the Arctic Circle in search of the survivors of the D'Artois expedition, of whom nothing had been heard for three years. Meanwhile, he was enjoying a long furlough which would not be over for six months; and already the dowagers of the Faubourg Saint-Germain were pitying the handsome and apparently delicate stripling for the hard work in store for him."

We also learn in another paragraph that the de Chagnys had admiral in the family, so the Naval connection is likely a family business for second sons. Raoul is a second son, so a career as a military officer would have been a distinguished career for him.

Borda: First ship

Brest is the main port of the French Navy and home of the Ecole Navale (or French Naval Academy. In the 20th Century it moved, but Brest is still, along with Toulon, a major naval base)

According to the French: Le jeune homme entra au Borda, en sortit dans les premiers numéros et accomplit tranquillement son tour du monde (Note that the French calls him a "young man", not a lad)

The Borda is traditionally the training ship of the French Navy, and there have been six of them. This would have been a cadet/midshipman cruise for Raoul. He would have been on the ex-Valmy, an 120-gun ship of the line, which became the Borda training ship in 1864.

The Borda is also the ship of the Ecole Navale (French Naval Academy)—this means that Raoul attended the academy.

The Naval Academy is two years in Brest, and then their third year is the World Tour—so that timing also aligns with where we are in the book. Raoul would have begun at the academy at 18, and he is at the start of the book, 21 years old.

After the Borda, which he completed with honors, he did an uneventful world tour.

This would have been his third year, still as a midshipman.

He could have been assigned to any ship for this training cruise—possibly a cruiser (the d'Estang is pictured below in 1884 in Algiers), which did long range missions. Note: Their max speed was about 15 Knots (which is a very respectable speed that some warships still transit).

This world tour cold have been as far east as what is now Vietnam, or through the Suez--but likely near French colonies.

With influence, he is assigned to the Requin expedition.

French: Grâce à de puissants appuis, il venait d'être désigné pour faire partie de l'expédition officielle du Requin, qui avait mission de rechercher dans les glaces du pôle les survivants de l'expédition du d'Artois, dont on n'avait pas de nouvelles depuis trois ans.

The Requin was a real ship in the Mediterranean fleet, but did not go on its first mission until 1885, which means that this is a deliberate or unintentional oversight of either Leroux himself or his narrator. The Requin was a steel hull—and the Artois was actually a 18th century Royal Navy ship so this piece is a complete fabrication. However, Arctic missions at this time were frequent and tended not to go well.

However, Raoul could also be excited about getting to go on a new steel-hulled ship. The Redoutable was already in commission—commissioned in 1876.  Most of the rest of the fleet at this point were ironclads.

[behindthemirrorofmusic]

This Saturday on Behind the Mirror of Music

This Saturday (September 21) we reach the highpoint of our Phantom of the Opera celebrations as Dannii Cohen is joined by four Phantoms to celebrate 115 years since the first chapter of the novel was published in the Gaulois (on September 23 1909.)

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Ethan Freeman performed the role of Erik The Phantom many times on West End as well as in Vienna, Toronto and Essen, Germany.

During his run he received the nickname "The Leroux Phantom" for his very Leroux accurate take on the role.

His West End run was so well received that he was voted "Most Popular Phantom" in a poll by the International Phantom Of The Opera Fan Club which brought him the opportunity to record a Phantom highlights album for Jay Records together with Claire Moore whom was voted most popular Christine. In 2009 it was updated with songs from Love Never Dies.

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Peter Karrie performed the role of Erik, The Phantom on the West End, the Canadian (Far East) Tour, Toronto and the UK Tour. Well known for his expressive body language and hand gestures, he’s considered to be among one of the finest “old school” Phantoms.

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Ciaran Sheehan was understudy Phantom and first cast Raoul on Broadway before landing the position of first cast Phantom in Toronto.

Currently he is touring the USA with three other Phantoms as "The Four Phantoms".

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Jonathan Roxmouth performed the role of The Phantom in various South African productions and two world/Asian tours.

During the pandemic this production was the only one that continued making him "The only Phantom in the world" for several months.

The Episode will premiere on Saturday 20.00 UK time on YouTube

[wheel-of-fish]

Phantom acting choices (1/?)

I've been going through the (literal thousands of) gifs I've made, and there are so many little moments from the show that I'd forgotten about! I'm having fun revisiting them and thought I might as well post some in installments—just choices I found particularly unique, funny, interesting, tender, potentially illegal, etc.

Ian Jon Bourg (Hamburg, 2001)

Michael Crawford (with Mary D'Arcy, Los Angeles, 1990)

Tim Martin Gleason (with Trista Moldovan, U.S. Tour, 2010)

Brent Barrett (Oberhausen, 2016)

David Arnsperger (Hamburg, 2014)

Anthony Crivello (with Andrew Ragone and Kristi Holden, Las Vegas, 2008)

Davis Gaines (with Marie Danvers, Los Angeles, 1998)

John Cudia (with Jennifer Hope Wills, U.S. Tour, 2006)

Would also like to do some for Christine and Raoul actors, eventually!

[andrewlloydwebber]

FAMILY MEMBERS WORKING ON THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: A Fairly Exhaustive List

Note: I spent a significant time researching this post, searching for photos (thank you @operafantomet), and editing the photos (in some cases, significantly enhancing low quality photos). If you repost this content on another platform, credit would be much appreciated.

Annemarijn Maandag (u/s Christine in Oberhausen) and her sister Lillian Maandag (u/s Christine in the Vienna revival)

Rebecca Pitcher (Christine in the US tour, Broadway, and World Tour) and her brother Rob Pitcher (u/s Phantom, Raoul, and Piangi in Antwerp, Hamburg, and Oberhausen)

Mark Jacoby (Phantom in Chicago and Broadway) and his son Ben Jacoby (Raoul in the restaged US tour)

Ayumi Hikasa (ballerina in the 90s West End cast) and her daughter Maiya Hikasa (Meg in the West End revival)

Alexander Lewis (Raoul and u/s Phantom in the first Australian revival/World Tour) and his brother Ben Lewis (Phantom in the West End)

Morgan Cowling (Meg in the Restaged US tour) and Corinne Cowling (u/s Christine in the West End)

Per Engström (conductor in Stockholm and Copenhagen) and his daughter Christine (dresser in Copenhagen, and yes, she's named after Christine Daaé)

Sierra Boggess (Christine in Las Vegas, Royal Albert Hall, Broadway, and cancelled Paris) and Summer Boggess (cello player on Broadway)

George Lee Andrews (André and Firmin on Broadway) and his son-in-law Aaron Galligan-Stierle (André on Broadway)

In addition, there's Jan Kyhle (Raoul in Stockholm) and Magnus Kyhle (ensemble in Stockholm) but I don't have photos of Magnus in Phantom

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

Brad Little and Rebecca Pitcher, "Why So Silent?"

[persephonethewanderer]

judi dench during the press tour for skyfall said her character likes to keep “naughty boys in order” and like it was probably a joke but the familiar nature of her relationship with both james and raoul is embedded in the fabric of their dynamic. those are her two sons who she abuses and uses for a greater good that often benefits only her but that she cannot see because of the very familiar nature of that myopic relationship. she cares for them so she hurts them — sometimes irreparably, see raoul/tiago.

this is why skyfall resonates so much within the gothic genre, the gothic mechanism is the family. the very structure of it. which bond/m/silva perfectly encapsulates.

[marleneoftheopera]

1995 TV Special of the Raoul Company US Tour, which includes some footage of Rick Hilsabeck and Sarah Pfisterer!

[operafantomet]

The Romanian / Norwegian / Greek / Middle East + European Tour version is really starting to hit many countries and cities now. Along with some photos of the current cast (from the respective webpages I have linked to underneath), here's a complete overview to where it has played so far, and where it will play in 2024-2025 (*):

JAN 2015: Teatrul National de Opereta, Budapest, ROMANIA. This was the prototype, directed by Stephen Barlow and designed by Andrew Riley. Leading trio was Adrian Nour, Irina Ioana Baiant and Florian Ristei, and it was performed in Romanian.

SEPT 2018 - MARCH 2019: Folketeateret, Oslo, NORWAY. This was a much updated version of the original Romanian production, with new costumes, and revamped sets and effects. Leading trio was Espen Grjotheim, Mira Ormala / Astrid Giske and Carl Lindquist, and it was performed in Norwegian.

JAN - MAR 2020: Thessaloniki Concert Hall and Christmas Theatre in Athens, GREECE. This was pretty much the Oslo production, but with some changes for tourability. From Greece on it has only been performed in English, regardless of the location. The original leading trio in Greece was Ben Forster, Celinde Schoenmaker / Amy Manford and Nadim Naaman. The production closed earlier than announced due to Covid.

FEB - MARCH 2023: Christmas Theatre in Athens and Thessaloniki Concert Hall, GREECE. Back in Greece, still in English, still an international cast, even more set and costume changes. This time the leading trio was Tim Howar, Harriet Jones / Georgia Wilkinson and Nadim Naaman.

OCT - DEC 2023: The Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Continuing most of what was the case in Greece, except Nadim Naaman took over the role of the Phantom from Tim Howar, and Dougie Carter took over as Raoul. Was now dubbed "The Middle East Tour". It was the first time a full-scale production of Phantom of the Opera was done in Saudi Arabia.

FEB - MARCH 2024: Dubai Opera, Dubai. Same cast and overall set-up as Riyadh. This production followed in the footsteps of the World Tour (original version), visiting Dubai in 2019.

APRIL 2024: National Palace of Culture, Sofia, BULGARIA. Same cast and overall set-up as Riyadh and Dubai. This was, I think, the first time a city has housed two different non-replica productions. Not at the same time, mind you, as this version touring has meant the local productions are now allowed to perform for some time. This was at least what was announced from the producers in Bulgaria, Serbia and the Czech Republic. Curious.

AUG - SEPT. 2024: National Palace of Culture, Sofia, BULGARIA. The production has announced its return to Sofia this autumn. This due to the sold-out initial run.

OCT 2024: Sagros Campo Pequeno, Lisbon, PORTUGAL. The production has announced a run there from October 15-27, 2024. A concert version has previously been performed in Portugal, but it will be the first time a full-scale production is done.

NOV - DEC 2024: Musical Theater Basel, Switzerland. The production has announced a run there from Nov. 6 to Dec 22, 2024. The original Swiss production 1995-1997 did a hardcore thing of perfoming in both German and English. It will therefore not be the first time POTO is performed there, nor the first time it is performed in English. But it is the first time this exact version visits, and the 1995-1997 one was the original version.

FEB - MARCH 2025: Stadsschouwburg, Antwerp, Belgium. The production has announced a run there from Feb. 6 to March 7, 2025. The original Belgian production ran from 1999-2000, and was performed in the local language, but it will be the first time it is performed in English. It will as such also be the 10th anniversary for this specific touring version, as it premiered in Romania in January 2015.

MARCH 2025: Kongresove Centrum, Prague, Czech Republic. The production has announced a run there from March 19-27, 2025. This means the local production 'Fantom Opery' at Goja Music Hall has been paused. According to the official website the Phantom will be Nadim Naaman, the role of Christine will be shared between Georgia Wilkinson and Bridget Costello, and Raoul will be Dougie Carter.

(*) More dates will likely follow. Kuwait was announced some time back, but cannot be found anywhere now. Also, the local Serbian production announced a break because another version was visiting, so I won't be surprised if Belgrade is added to the list later on.

[eleancrvances]

audio gift!

in honor of the italian production closing in monte carlo tonight, here's an audio gift of the full the phantom of the opera in milan, october 21st 2023's afternoon show!

cast: ramin karimloo (the phantom), amelia milo (christine), vinny coyle (raoul), earl carpenter (andre), ian mowat (firmin), anna corvino (carlotta), gian luca pasolini (piangi), alice mistroni (madame giry), zoe nochi (meg) + full cast in the folder

please credit as eleancrvances's master. you can hear me sob during the end of the final lair i fear...

also some notes because i thought it was a juicy performance, and as far as i know no videos of the milan run exist:

vinny's raoul is a sweetheart but also the king of flapping that long coat like it's a cape. so dramatic

anna corvino has grown way more comfortable with carlotta and was having so much fun tormenting christine during "il muto"

there's applause and some noise during the last section of masquerade because after a brief darkness the lights turned on to reveal the cast had come down among the audience, while confetti fell from the ceiling

ramin sank to his knees after the kiss and remained there for a looong while, in a daze. then he noticed raoul had gone limp and jumped to his feet to take the noose off him, in a "no wait he can't die now i can't have that anymore" way

in this production (like in the restaged uk tour) the phantom has his back to christine when she returns the ring, and delivers the "i love you" not knowing she's there. now, it wasn't done like this in trieste, but at least when i went in milan when raoul says it to christine in act I she has already started to leave the rooftop and he's still on his knees, so he also says it while having his back turned to her... the parallel becomes visual as well. exactly the same blocking. how fun :')