Customer Reviews

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall - Double Play (Blu-ray + DVD)[Region Free]

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have just received this on Blu-Ray (Which also includes a copy of the DVD in case you haven't upgraded yet) and it is wonderful. This is not a concert like the Les Miserables 10th anniversary, but the fully-staged production in its entirety. Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess are enchanting as The Phantom and Christine and the rest of the cast excel in their roles in what is a beautifully staged and directed show. The designs are as gorgeous and sumptuous as they looked when the much-missed Maria Bjornson first designed them a quarter of a century ago. The lighting is atmospheric, the costumes and make-up sublime and the music as iconic, memorable and powerful as it has ever been.

To cap it off, after the curtain falls on the show, the legend that is Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber makes a speech that pays tribute to all those who have made the production a success over the last 25 years. He is joined by the original cast on stage, including Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, the latter of whom then performs with four of the actors to have portrayed The Phantom (Alas, not Michael Crawford but he joins in with everyone else on stage for the final line of 'Music of the Night'). There is only one Special Feature on the DVD version at least which is a documentary about the making of the Royal Albert Hall show and features interviews with the original choreographer and make-up designer. I've yet to check if the Blu-Ray disc itself includes any extra Special Features, but even if it doesn't this is still excellent value for money and a definite must-have for anyone who loves the show or musicals in general.

I personally feel that The Phantom of the Opera is the single greatest piece of entertainment of all time in any medium. This is a fitting tribute to a genuine phenomenon and one that I will treasure. It truly is a masterpiece and what happened in 1986 was genuine magic that has quite clearly endured and will continue to do so forever.

A marvellous production of Phantom. The music, the acting, the set and design. Not much to talk about as most watching will already know the production.

The cast are excellent with one of my favourtie singers, Ramin Karimloo, booming as the Phantom. I was in love with Michael Crawford's original interpretation but Ramin's voice puts the role into a different class. As good as Crawford is, this guys voice is perfection.

I watched the production at the cinema for the live streaming and was very impressed by Sierra Boggess. I would recommend judging her on the whole package as the CD sometimes makes her sound a bit off but when you watch it you realise why as there is so much emotion in her performance that she is crying through her lines. Again, I have never liked the voice of Sarah Brightman and it was always a turn-off for me when listening to the OST. Sierra is brilliant as Christine and really works well with Ramin and Hadley as her two suitors. The relationship with Ramin was also helped by their work together on Love Never Dies (which I saw them both in at the Adelphi Theatre), the disappointing West End sequel to Phantom only saved by the quality of these two performers.

Hadley Fraser probably impressed me most as I already knew what to expect from the two leads, having seen them impress in the roles before. I saw Fraser as Javert in Les Miserables at Queen's and he was the stand-out performer. There are some reviews which say it is 'Javert does Raoul' but I think the more assertive side of Hadley's characterisation actually works better for the role. In fact I am surprised that so few have done this with the role before. Raoul can be such a weak and wet character but Hadley really gives the Phantom a rival and this makes the dilemma all the more plausible for Christine. Great performance, and a great voice to boot.

The orchestra are massive starts in this as well with fine playing and huge power. There are certain disappointments in the production, although I admit the staging in the Royal Albert Hall gave restrictions. The biggest of these is that the chandelier doesn't crash down. I was waiting...and waiting..and waiting. All that happened was that they wired the chandelier with pyrotechnics and let them blast away at the end of Act I. Again, I am sure they were restricted but it is such an important moment in the show and is one of the enduring iconic moments for which it is remembered. There is also an excessive use of digital screens (again restrictions were there), which was what I didn't like in the staging of Love Never Dies.

The other main disappointment was with the lack of extras. The movie (a visual spectacle with poor vocalists) had amazing extras with the old music videos, making of and a documentary about the original producion lasting 60 minutes. All we have here is a short 15-minute backstage pass to the production. It's good, don't get me wrong, but they could have done so much more. There was a great programme about the show on Sky Arts, which I think could have been included on the Blu-Ray disc at the very least given the space on them.

Having said all this, the sheer scale and joy of the music is enough to warrant this 5-stars. You must watch this if it is the last thing you do.

Anywhere you go, this should go too!

This review is targetted more to those outside of Europe who may be interested in purchasing this. I live in the US and I just received my copy of "Phanton of the Oprea at Royal Albert Hall" by way of Amazon.com UK. Contrary to the info on this page the Blu-ray version is region free and will play on any machine regardless of location. Therefore anyone who wants can pick this up from Amazon.com UK without having to wait for the February 2012 release in the States. The DVD is region locked unfortunately. Rather than this page reading "Region B/2" it should actually read "Region free/2,4,5" (see my EDIT section below).

Now on to the review: The performances were excellent and the show in general was well filmed. There seemed to be a lot of chemistry between the two leads and they did not disappoint. I was only bothered by the use of the LCD screen in the stage background which I found distracting. It was definitely a five star viewing experience.

EDIT: I thought I would add a little more information on the region encodings of the DVD disc that is in this set. According to the ALW Really Useful Group website the DVD will play in region 2, 4, and 5. Regions 1 and 3 are out of luck. Since I have a Region 1 player I personally cannot play the DVD.

On Blu Ray this makes a brilliant visual and auditory record of one of the best musicals ever made, for a fraction of the price of a seat. It is certainly a must-buy for any fan. In terms of the ability to get close to characters and see the detail of make-up, costumes and in clarity of audio, this exceeds any theatrical performance. The scale of set, orchestra and cast magnifies set pieces such as the opening or 'Masquerade'. Spine-tingling.

However, as Andrew Lloyd Webber himself points out, the success of a musical depends on many elements. Be aware that many of Phantom's signature staging effects are absent here, presumably due to limitations at the Royal Albert Hall. I was really disappointed, as the compromises led to something weaker and off-brand. The Phantom's appearance and drawing Christine into the mirror is handled more crudely through video projection and a sliding screen. The gangway does not tip from side to side, so less effectively illustrating the descent in to the Labyrinth. If you didn't know the show you could be mistaken for thinking the Phantom is lost, the way he wanders up and down! Saddest of all, the chandelier neither rises nor falls, though there are some nice pyrotechnic effects and moving camera work to disguise.

Lastly, I felt the Blu Ray missed a trick in not giving just a little more taste of the atmosphere of being at a live performance in the Albert Hall. The superb orchestra and the scale of the audience are rarely seen. Camera work is often so tightly focussed on individuals in the first half that some of the spectacle of the larger stage is lost and I was screaming for them to pull back and show me more. In the second half this worked better given the emotional interplay between the Phantom and Christine.

Overall still a fantastic experience, but disheartening given this will in years to come be regarded as the definitive recording of the show, and it fails to capture a few of the aspects that made it so magical on the stage.

Unlike many of the reviewers, I love the film version of Phantom, with the exception of the pathetically wet and wooden character of Raoul. So when the stage show was screened in the cinema, I went to see it, and of course had to order it when it came out on Bluray.

Everything about it is just stunning...the microphones annoyed me for about 30 seconds, but were quickly forgotten about in sheer enjoyment of the show. It's a revelation to see Hadley Fraser's portrayal of Raoul, finally a believable rival instead of a character who merely fades into the background compared to the other two leads. The rest of the cast in my opinion were also flawless, stunning voices and performances.

As others have said there is very little in the way of special features, but this doesn't concern me in the slightest as I rarely bother with them. I found the effects extremely impressive, as I did when seeing the show in the West End, and loved every minute of it.

A must-have, and great timing as I've also ordered the DVD version as a Christmas present.

Once I read that the Blu Ray was not region coded, I ordered it here in the USA - received it quickly, and I feel I have beaten the system, since there is still no release date for the US version - well, of course, I can't play the DVD here, but the international Blu Ray is just fine. I love this performance, with my favorite Phantom and Christine and their glorious voices. The sound is fabulous - with that amazing orchestra, this is the way Phantom is supposed to sound. The video is crystal clear, except for a few times when the video projection backgrounds seem to pixilate - well, you can't have everything - the lush restaging works, it really works, and this is a Phantom for the ages. And here I am sitting in NYC watching it, ahead of everyone else, AND for about $5 less (including postage) than the current posted amazon.com price! Can't beat it! I suggest every phan go for this one!

Added this after review published: Was able to reprogram my computer DVD to play region 2 DVDs! So although I can't play the bonus DVD on my TV, I have played it on my computer - great deal all around!

Following last year's spectacular anniversary presentation of Les Misérables at the O2, Cameron Mackintosh now performs the same feat at the Royal Albert Hall for The Phantom of the Opera.

This time, he and Andrew Lloyd Webber have elected to stage an entire theatrical performance. The venue is therefore sumptuously transformed to provide a magnificent proscenium with clever deployment of large video screens acting as curtains.

From its grand pyrotechnical opening to emotional finale, the show is brilliantly directed and performed. Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom is a force of nature; Sierra Boggess and Hadley Fraser provide great support as the other principal players. The ensemble incudes some 130 performers.

The best is saved until the end: as happened in the Les Misérables concert, the original cast is invited on stage. Sarah Brightman leads four Phantoms (including Colm Wilkinson and John Owen-Jones, who were members of the Valjean Quartet at the O2) in a thrilling rendition of the title song with each of them in turn imploring her to "Sing for me!" as it reaches its crescendo. Ramin Karimloo then joins them for "The Music of the Night".

The sole bonus feature, a 17-minute featurette entitled Getting Past the Point of No Return, gives some idea of the hard work that went on behind the scenes. In particular, Karimloo's make-up had to become more elaborate to withstand scrutiny by the HD cameras.

The picture, as you might expect, is stunning and the colours on the bright costumes really pop. The sound is DTS-HD 5.1 but ensure you select it from the menu first; otherwise it will default to 2.0 stereo. As far as I can tell, the disc is region-free and there are English SDH subtitles.

This Blu-ray represents the next best thing to being there and I thoroughly recommend it.

I saw the show a few times over the past 25 years and was sooo disappointed with the film. THANK YOU to ALW and Cameron MacIntosh for bringing the stage show to BluRay!! It is wonderful. The performances were terrific, the music lush and I was impressed with the staging, considering what they couldn't do and how they got around it. I often forgot that I was watching a live performance, the film production was done so well. And because the pack has both BluRay and DVD I can play it on different machines in the house - a bonus! A must have for all Phantom fans.

I was sat in the audience during the recording of this show on the Sunday night and it was undoubtably the BEST show I've ever experienced. The Albert Hall looked stunning inside and out with a Phantom 25th flag hanging from the building and posters above the doors. Cameron Mackintosh's production was Phantastic, giving the Albert Hall a wonderful theatre feel to it. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling was the same Swarovski chandelier used in the Phantom film, which was very beautiful and added to the grand scale of the evening. The show it's self was spectacular. With a cast and orchestra of over 200, they were all faultless. Sierra Boggess plays Christine better than I've seen anyone else in this role, her acting and singing are absolutely entrancing. The Phantom is played by the force of nature that is Ramin Karimloo. Words do not do this man justice, the sheer power of his voice was enough to blow you out your seat. But his voice is not all about power, he is also very controlled and subtle. This man IS the Phantom, but sadly this was his last ever performance in this role but I'm sure he will go on to more great roles. Ramin and Sierra have amazing chemistry together as they also played the Phantom and Christine together in Love Never Dies which has now sadly closed in London. There were some amazing special guests at the end of the performance, who include, Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Owen Jones, Colm Wilkinson and many more. I don't want to go on for too long (even though I could) I'll just say that if this Blu Ray looks even half as good as being there in person then it'll be PHABULOUS! One last thing I hope they include is right at the very end (it may have been after the camera's were switched off, but I hope not) Michael Crawford made Ramin go back out for one final cheer. Then Sierra joined Ramin and he picked her up and walked of stage. BEST SHOW EVER!!! 10/10

EDIT: After watching the show back there are a couple of points to change in my review. It was actually Colm Wilkinson who made Ramin go out for a final cheer and the chandelier was custom made for the show, not the Swarovski one.

For under £9 where can you get a blu-ray/DVD musical that offers so much as this one? This anniversary version is certainly special. All the cast are fantastic and at the top of their game. The production is absolutely the best. After watching the Metropolitan Opera's 2010 Carmen earlier today I can tell you that everything about this Phantom far out strips a production by the Worlds biggest opera company. The costume budget for this Phantom must be more than the total budget for the Met Carmen.

Everyone compares the current version (whatever it is) to the original MichaelCrawford/Sarah Brightman version and I can say that this production lives up to the original London 1986 one. Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine are the equal to the originals. The best bit comes after the production is finished and Andrew Lloyd Webber comes onto the stage followed by the remaining members of the original London Cast, Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford. We then have Sarah singing with 4 previous Phantoms with Karimloo joining in to make it five.

A fitting tribute to the finest musical of the past 30 years. And IMHO this version is much better than the film with Emmy Bossum and Gerard Butler.