The Phantom of the Opera [Original London Cast] [Remaster] by Original London Cast (CD, Oct-2000, 2 Discs, Polygram Records)

For me, personally, there are but TWO Broadway musicals worth my time and/or money, one of which is "Les Miserables", and the other is "The Phantom of the Opera".

In regards to Phantom, I was first introduced to it by my parents in the late 80's. They had gone to see the show on Broadway, and shortly afterwards my father bought The Phantom of the Opera (Original London Cast) on 2-disc CD. He then proceeded to use it to wake up my siblings and I on Saturday and Sunday mornings, primarily with the amazing overture in the very beginning. It was loud and chilling, and needless to say.....it always worked. As time went on, and I heard the entire Phantom musical played over and over again, I came to not only tolerate it at first, but as I listened and read along to its story and lyrics in the accompanying jacket booklet, it grew on me and I began to love it. And I still love it to this day. I've seen the musical itself 3-4 times (including once on Broadway in NYC) and own the same 2-disc CD set of the original cast that my father had purchased so many years ago.

* The Premise

The musical is an adaptation by Andrew Lloyd-Webber of the famous 1909 novel by author Gaston Leroux. The basic plot revolves around the Phantom, an obsession by a disfigured, homicidal, musical genius (Michael Crawford) of a young soprano named Christine Daae (Sarah Brightman), whom he trains vocally and has fallen in love with. In the musical, the Phantom has taken advantage of young Christine's love for her deceased father and almost passes himself off as his angel as he trains Christine to become the opera star he feels she should be. At the same time, the opera house and company have come under new ownership and also sponsorship, by that of Raoul Vicomte de Chagney, who happens to be a childhood friend and love of Christine's who looks to rekindle their romance, much to the anger of the dangerously obsessed Phantom.

* My Thoughts on "The Phantom of the Opera" (Original London Cast)

First, be aware that "The Phantom of the Opera" is an immensely popular and extremely long-running Broadway musical. It has played all over the world and all across the country in different venues and has had a number of highly talented vocal talents taking part in the main roles. For the purposes of this review, however, being that it's about the "original London cast", the discussion will mainly circulate around Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, and a few of the other notables that really started off this phenomenal musical.

For all intents and purposes, Michael Crawford really IS the Phantom. His acting and his vocal skills place him far above any other singer who has also handled the role......and probably anyone who would ever take it on again in the future. After listening to him here through the whole musical spread across these 2 CDs, I have no doubt that you too would consider him the very embodiment of the character, and not simply because he was the original. Crawford completely enveloped the role of the Phantom, and played it with such energy and emotion that it just leaves you basically hanging on his every word, wanting to hear more. There's such a clarity and depth to his voice that's simply outstanding.

There is such a wide range of feeling expressed in Crawford's performance, both from him, and also as this infamous "opera ghost" with his haunting reputation around the opera house. You can almost feel goose bumps when you hear his haunting voice calling out to Christine (track "Little Lotte/The Mirror"), or their initial duet together as he brings Christine to his lair (track "The Phantom of the Opera"), or even in his tender to powerful "Music of the Night" as he sings of his enveloping love for music and Christine at the same time. Yet, there are moments when the Phantom's madness is undeniable, such as when his mysterious notes are read out loud in "Notes" and "Notes (Reprise)", or with his maniacal laughter sprinkled throughout the production such as when he takes out opera diva Carlotta from one of her performances, kills Joseph Buquet, and proceeds to drop a chandelier on the opera audience ( track "Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh").

The other main performance in this musical is of course, the character of Christine Daae as portrayed by Sarah Brightman. While most of the focus in the production is on Crawford's Phantom, there's no denying the magnificent vocals of Brightman, either. She really starts off well with "Think of Me", which cleverly through the course of her singing takes her from audition time before the opera owners to on stage singing to the audience. Then you get a much stronger sense of the range of her voice with the aforementioned duet with Crawford in "The Phantom of the Opera", particularly towards the end. Brightman's duet with Steve Barton (who plays Raoul) in the sweetly romantic "All I Ask of You" is also another of her better songs, as is "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" which she (as Christine) sings in memory of her father. Christine, too, although entranced by the Phantom, still fears him greatly (particularly so after she has unmasked him) and her fears are relayed nicely in "We Have All Been Blind/Twisted Every Way". Brightman's vocals are strong and clear, yet not overpowering as Rosemary Cash (as Carlotta), and her voice stands up well next to that of Crawford.

There are a number of supporting vocals throughout, all of which include pretty good voices (if not as strong as the leads), most notably with the characters of Raoul, Richard Firmin (opera owner), and Gilles Andre (opera owner). Some of the vocals, while not bad, are quite powerful and really just there (I suspect) to highlight the arrogance of the characters, most notably with Carlotta, and Piangi.

Apart from the lead vocals and their terrific performances, the music itself is pretty incredible as well and I'm hard-pressed to think of any songs that aren't memorable as far as their tune. Much of the music is obviously synthesized ("The Phantom of the Opera"), but there's a lot of life in it and it really contributes to the overall atmosphere of the surroundings and the story itself, with a real sense of foreboding, creepiness, and in the middle of it all: love.

If you're relatively unfamiliar with The Phantom of the Opera (Original London Cast), I cannot recommend enough that you purchase it (which you can get relatively cheaply - between $10-$15 on Amazon or Ebay - and you will definitely get your money's worth from it. One thing I will also recommend is that while you listen to it, you read along in the included booklet as it will contain basically all of the lyrics to the songs, AND it will include a lot of background information and additional dialogue that may not be heard but will give you a greater understanding of the story.

* A MUST purchase. You won't be disappointed.

Recommend this product? Yes

Great Music to Play While: Reading or Studying