#Sandra Danyella

[glassprism]

Hey GP! May we get some PoNR skirt swish gifs? My fav is Trista Moldovan

Ah, the skirt swish! It's an interesting bit of blocking that doesn't show up everywhere. In the US, I first noticed it being done around 2009-2010 in the national tour, by Kelly Jeanne Grant and Trista Moldovan as shown below:

Trista Moldovan then took it to Broadway where she influenced some of the other Broadway Christines into doing it, like Marni Raab and Samantha Hill. Below is Marni Raab:

But after that, it fell out of vogue, and I haven't seen it as much in the flagship productions. Rather, the places I've seen it were sporadically in Germany, such as Alison Kelly in Hamburg, Sandra Danyella in Essen (she swish and she sits), Valerie Link in the Hamburg revival (the slip-and-slide version), and Elizabeth Welch in Oberhausen (who may have brought it over from Broadway):

And then in international productions from 2015 on - in fact, I think most of these are productions directed by Arthur Masella, so I think he's pretty much incorporated it into his direction. So it's popped up in the Moscow production (with Mercedesz Csampai's thigh-baring rendition), the World Tours (shown with the very energetic Sara Sarres), the Stockholm revival (with Emmi Christensson), the Copenhagen revival (with Sibylle Glosted's more understated interpretation), and the Sao Paulo revival (with Lina Mendes and her big swish). I've also seen it done in the Korean and Chinese productions but I can't gif many of those videos so just take my word for it:

Hope those show some interesting and fun versions!

[wheel-of-fish]

Saturday, May 11, 2024 • 9 p.m. EST: Thomas Borchert, Sandra Danyella & Nikolaj Brucker (Essen 2005)

For months I've been intending to stream Borchert but kept putting it off, but now that he's playing the Phantom opposite his wife, Navina Heyne, in the current German production of Love Never Dies, it has become even more imperative. I haven't streamed this one before! There are some interesting choices in it, so come watch!

As always, the stream will be on cy.tube and shy anons are welcome. For more info, please see the Saturday Streams FAQ! Link and password will be posted here at 8:45.

[marleneoftheopera]

These come from the Versatel Night of Sports in Essen, 2006. I’m not sure who the Christine here is. Sandra Danyella, perhaps? EDIT: From comments, looks like it might be Beatrix Reiterer!

From Imago Images.

[operafantomet]

andrewlloydwebber replied to your photoset:

                   Beatrix Reiterer’s Essen wardrobe is totally...                

   oh that wig though!!    

The Essen wigs. So sad a sight. OK, there are moments they look fine, there are photos where I’m thinking “that’s not bad”. But those moments and photos are quite outnumbered by the bad ones. I mean, whyyyyy?

WHYYYY?

NOPE. JUST NOPE. This just... looks like a wig. A bad wig. A cheap wig.

[wheel-of-fish]

Updated stream list

Everything we've watched so far!

Longtime crowd favorites (streamed at least three times) are marked with a single asterisk.

Why isn’t [specific actor/video] on this list?

The video is currently marked not for trade.

We haven’t gotten to it yet.

The footage does not exist or is too incomplete.

It isn't on a platform I can stream it from.

There's something particularly off-putting about the video or actor.

How can I get a copy of a video listed here?

There's a list of publicly available bootlegs here, and there are many other adaptations on the Phantom Retrospective channel. Otherwise, contact @glassprism (or another trader) for a possible trade, or check her website for info on which master(s) to contact.

For general stream info, please see the Saturday Streams FAQ.

On to the list!

Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (Dividing these by decade because there's a character limit per text block!)

1980s/90s

1988 Broadway: Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Steve Barton

1989 Broadway: Cris Groenendaal, Rebecca Luker, Steve Barton

1989 Los Angeles: Michael Crawford, Dale Kristien, Steve Barton

1990 Los Angeles: Michael Crawford, Mary D’Arcy, Reece Holland*

1991 Los Angeles: Michael Crawford, Dale Kristien, Michael Piontek

1993 U.S. Tour: Franc D’Ambrosio, Tracy Shayne, Ciaran Sheehan

1993 Vienna: Alexander Goebel, Luzia Nistler, Alfred Pfeifer*

1994 Sapporo: Eiji Akutagawa, Hisako Hanaoka, Masayuki Sano*

1994 Toronto: Peter Karrie, Teresa DeZarn, David Rogers

1995 Broadway: Davis Gaines, Tracy Shayne, Ciaran Sheehan

1995 London: Ethan Freeman, Jill Washington, Simon Bowman*

1998 Broadway: Thomas James O’Leary, Tracy Shayne, Gary Mauer

1998 Los Angeles: Davis Gaines, Marie Danvers, Lawrence Anderson*

1998 San Francisco: Franc D’Ambrosio, Lisa Vroman, Christopher Carl*

1998 Toronto: Peter Karrie, Elizabeth DeGrazia, David Rodgers*

1998 Broadway: Thomas James O'Leary, Sandra Joseph, Gary Mauer

1998 Broadway: Thomas James O’Leary, Tracy Shayne, Gary Mauer

1999 Broadway: Howard McGillin, Adrienne McEwan, Gary Mauer

1999 Toronto: Paul Stanley, Melissa Dye, Laird Mackintosh

1999/2000 Mexico City: Saulo Vasconcelos, Irasema Terrazas, Jose Joel*

Early 2000s

2000 Antwerp: Hans Peter Janssens, Inneke van Klinken, Michael Shawn Lewis

2000 London: Scott Davies, Meredith Braun, Matt Cammelle

2000 London: Scott Davies, Charlotte Page, Matt Cammelle

2001 Hamburg: Ian Jon Bourg, Colby Thomas, Kyle Gonyea

2001 Hamburg: Ian Jon Bourg, Olivia Safe, Kyle Gonyea

2001 Hamburg: Michael Nicholson, Olivia Safe, Christopher Morandi

2002 London: John Owen-Jones, Celia Graham, Robert Finlayson

2003 Broadway: Howard McGillin, Adrienne McEwan, Jim Weitzer

2003 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Julie Hanson, Jim Weitzer

2003 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Lisa Vroman, John Cudia

2003 U.S. Tour: Brad Little, Lisa Vroman, Tim Martin Gleason

2004 Madrid: Luis Armando, Teresa Barrientos, Armando Pita

2004 Stuttgart: Thomas Schulze, Maike Switzer, Carsten Axel Lepper*

2005 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Julie Hanson, John Cudia

2005 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Sandra Joseph, Tim Martin Gleason

2005 Broadway: James Romick, Marie Danvers, John Cudia

2005 Essen: Thomas Borchert, Sandra Danyella, Nikolaj Brucker

2005 London: John Owen-Jones, Rachel Barrell, Oliver Thornton

2005 U.S. Tour: Gary Mauer, Marie Danvers, Michael Shawn Lewis

2006 Essen: Ethan Freeman, Anne Gorner, Nikolaj Brucker

2006 Essen: Uwe Kröger, Beatrix Reiter, Lucius Wolter*

2006 London: Earl Carpenter, Rachel Barrell, David Shannon*

2006 São Paulo: Saulo Vasconcelos, Kiara Sasso, Nando Prado

2006 U.S. Tour: Gary Mauer, Elizabeth Southard, Jim Weitzer*

2006 U.S. Tour: John Cudia, Jennifer Hope Wills, Adam Monley

2007 Broadway: Gary Mauer, Jennifer Hope Wills, Jason Mills

2007 World Tour: Simon Pryce, Julie Goodwin, John Bowles

2008 Broadway: Howard McGillin, Elizabeth Loyacano, Jeremy Stolle

2008 Las Vegas: Anthony Crivello, Kristi Holden, Andrew Ragone*

2008 World Tour: Simon Pryce, Ana Marina, Alexander Lewis

2009 Australia: Anthony Warlow, Ana Marina, Alexander Lewis

2010s

2010 London: David Shannon, Gina Beck, Simon Bailey*

2010 London: David Shannon, Gina Beck, Will Barratt

2010 U.S. Tour: Tim Martin Gleason, Trista Moldovan, Sean MacLaughlin

2012 Broadway: Greg Mills, Marni Raab, Kyle Barisich*

2012 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Trista Moldovan, Kyle Barisich

2012 London: Marcus Lovett, Anna O’Byrne, Simon Thomas

2013 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Samantha Hill, Greg Mills*

2013 Broadway: Peter Joback, Samantha Hill, Jeremy Stolle

2013 Broadway: Peter Joback, Elizabeth Welch, Kyle Barisich

2013 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Sierra Boggess, Kyle Barisich

2013 London: Marcus Lovett, Sofia Escobar, Simon Thomas

2014 Broadway: Greg Mills, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Sara Jean Ford, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Elizabeth Welch, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Kaley Ann Voorhees, Jeremy Hays*

2014 Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Sara Jean Ford, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Norm Lewis, Sierra Boggess, Jeremy Hays*

2014 Broadway: Paul Schaefer, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014 Hamburg: David Arnsperger, Lauri Brons, Nicky Wuchinger

2014 Hamburg: Mathias Edenborn, Daniela Braun, Nicky Wuchinger

2014 Moscow: Dmitry Ermak, Tamara Kotova, Evgeny Zaytsev

2014 Moscow: Ivan Ozhogin, Tamara Kotova, Evgeny Zaytsev

2014 U.S. Tour: Cooper Grodin, Grace Morgan, Ben Jacoby

2014 U.S. Tour: Cooper Grodin, Julia Udine, Ben Jacoby

2014 World Tour: Brad Little, Kristi Holden, Anthony Downing

2015 London: Geronimo Rauch, Harriet Jones, Richard Munday*

2015 Moscow: Dmitri Ermak, Tamara Kotova, Evgeny Zaycev

2015 Moscow: Ivan Ozhogin, Tamara Kotova, Ivan Rak

2015 Prague: Marian Vojtko, Michaela Gemrotova, Tomas Vanek

2015 Prague: Marian Vojtko, Monika Sommerova, Tomas Vanek

2016 Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Julia Udine, Jeremy Hays

2016 Moscow: Andrey Schkoldychenko, Elena Bahtiyarova, Evgeny Zaytsev (act 2 only)

2016 Oberhausen: Brent Barrett, Elizabeth Welch, Max Niemeyer

2016? Prague: Marian Vojtko, Michaela Gemrotova, Tomas Vanek

2016 Stockholm: Peter Jöback, Emmi Christensson, Anton Zetterholm

2016 U.S. Tour: Derrick Davis, Kaitlyn Davis, Jordan Craig

2018 Broadway (Sept.): Ben Crawford, Ali Ewoldt, Jay Armstrong Johnson

2018 Broadway (Oct.): Ben Crawford, Ali Ewoldt, Jay Armstrong Johnson

2018? Prague: Radim Schwab, Monika Sommerova, Tomas Vanek

2019 Copenhagen: Tomas Ambt Kofod, Sibylle Glosted, Christian Lund*

2019 London: David Thaxton, Kelly Mathieson, Jeremy Taylor*

2019 London: Josh Piterman, Kelly Mathieson, Alistair So*

2019 São Paulo: Fred Silveira, Giulia Nadruz, Henrique Moretzsohn

2019 São Paulo - Fred Silveira, Lina Mendes, Henrique Moretzsohn

2019 São Paulo: Thiago Arancam, Daruã Góes, Fred Silveira

2019 São Paulo: Thiago Arancam, Giulia Nadruz, Fred Silveira

2019 World Tour: Jonathan Roxmouth, Meghan Picerno, Matt Leisy*

2021–present

2021 Broadway: Ben Crawford, Meghan Picerno, John Riddle

2021 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2021 London: Killian Donnelly, Holly-Anne Hull, Rhys Whitfield

2022 Broadway: Ben Crawford, Kanisha Marie Feliciano, Paul A. Schaefer

2022 Broadway: Ben Crawford, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2022 Broadway: Ted Keegan, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2022 Broadway: Ted Keegan, Elizabeth Welch, Bronson Norris Murphy

2022 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Emilie Kouatchou, Jordan Donica

2022 London: James Hume, Holly-Anne Hull, Matt Blaker

2022 London: Killian Donnelly, Anouk van Laake, Rhys Whitfield

2022 Sydney: Josh Robson, Georgina Hopson, Callum Frances

2023 Broadway: Ted Keegan, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2023 Broadway: Ted Keegan, Julia Udine, John Riddle

2023 Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Julia Udine, John Riddle

2023 Broadway: Greg Mills, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2023 Broadway: Greg Mills, Julia Udine, Paul A. Schaefer

2023 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Julia Udine, Paul A. Schaefer

2023 London: Earl Carpenter, Paige Blankson, Ralph Watts

2023 London: Earl Carpenter, Eve Shanu-Wilson, Connor Carson

2023 London: Killian Donnelly, Lucy St. Louis, Matt Blaker

2023 London: James Gant, Holly-Anne Hull, Matt Blaker

2023 London: James Gant, Paige Blankson, Matt Blaker

2023 Madrid: Geronimo Rauch, Talia del Val, Guido Balzaretti

2023 Shanghai: Ayanga (various clips)

2023 Shanghai: He Liangchen, Yang Chenxiuyi, Li Chenxi

2023 Thessaloniki: Tim Howar, Harriet Jones, Nadim Naaman

2024 London: Jon Robyns, Eve Shanu-Wilson, Joe Griffiths-Brown

Love Never Dies

2010 London: Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Dean Chisnall

2011 London: Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Dean Chisnall

2013 Vienna concert: Drew Sarich, Milica Jovanovic, Julian Looman

2018 U.S. Tour: Bronson Norris Murphy, Meghan Picerno, Sean Thompson*

2023 London concert: Norm Lewis, Celinde Schoenmaker, Matthew Seadon-Young

2024 World Tour: Luke McCall, Manon Taris, Niall Sheehy

Other stage adaptations

1991 The Phantom of the Opera starring David Staller

1992 Tom Alonso’s The Phantom of the Opera**

1993 Yeston/Kopit’s Phantom (Wichita, Richard White)

2011 Spiritual Twist’s The Phantom of the Opera

2013 Ken Hill's The Phantom of the Opera (Tokyo)**

2019 Spiritual Twist’s The Phantom of the Opera

2018 Yeston/Kopit’s Phantom (Takarazuka Revue)

2018 Yeston/Kopit’s Phantom (Seoul)

2020 Sasson’s Das Phantom der Oper (Germany, with Uwe Kröger)**

2021 Yeston/Kopit’s Phantom (proshot, Seoul)

Movie adaptations

1925 The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney

1937 Song at Midnight**

1943 Phantom of the Opera starring Claude Rains**

1962 Hammer Horror: The Phantom of the Opera starring Herbert Lom**

1974 Phantom of the Paradise

1987 The Phantom of the Opera (animated)

1989 Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge

1989 The Phantom of the Opera starring Robert Englund**

2004 The Phantom of the Opera starring Gerard Butler

TV adaptations

1983 The Phantom of the Opera (TV movie, Max Schell)**

1987 Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater, "The Phantom of the Theater"

1990 The Phantom of the Opera (TV miniseries, Charles Dance)

1994 Lamb Chop in the Haunted Studio (TV special)**

1995 Wishbone, S1 E37, "Pantin’ at the Opera"*

1995 Goosebumps, S1 E7, "Phantom of the Auditorium"

1999 The Triplets, S5 E9, "The Phantom of the Opera"

2000 Are You Afraid of the Dark?, "The Tale of the Last Dance"

Miscellaneous

1994 Australian Phantom cast Easter charity concert ("Phantales")

1995 The Phantom of the Opera on Ice*

2017 Broadway: Prince of Broadway (in honor of Hal Prince)

2017 The Phantom of the Empire (Turning Tydes Theatre Company)

Stolleboot (fan edit starring Jeremy Stolle as the Phantom, Raoul, Piangi, and Passarino)*

*Longtime crowd favorite (streamed at least three times)

**We’ve watched it, but it was technically streamed by another host I used to alternate with.

[glassprism]

Anonymous requested --> Christines glaring at the Phantom

Julia Möller, Madrid, 2002/2003

Sandra Danyella, Essen, 2005

Lauri Brons, Hamburg revival, 2014

Harriet Jones, London, 2015

Elizabeth Welch, Oberhausen, 2016

Meghan Picerno, World Tour, 2019

Daruã Góes, São Paulo revival, 2019

Bonus - Daniela Braun, Hamburg revival, 2015:

[glassprism]

Everyone’s all “sexiest phantom” this and “sexiest phantom moments” that but where are my sexiest Christine moments???

Well, to use some of my own gifs...

And the pièce de résistance:

(Names, from top to bottom: Sandra Danyella, Trista Moldovan, Monika Sommerova, Sierra Boggess, Barbara Fonyo, Leila Benn Harris, Grace Morgan, and Elizabeth Loyacano.)

[glassprism]

Who do you think is the Phantom actor who played opposite more Christines?

I was thinking Scott Davies or Jeremy Stolle since they were sb and us for a lot of time

Possibly, but I think compared to some other names, they haven’t played opposite as many Christines. Here’s Stolle’s likely list:

Jennifer Hope Wills

Marni Raab

Susan Owen

Sara Jean Ford

Trista Moldovan

Samantha Hill

Sierra Boggess

Mary Michael Patterson

Sarah Bakker

Julia Udine

Rachel Zatcoff

Ali Ewoldt

Rachel Eskenazi-Gold

Kaley Ann Voorhees

Eryn LeCroy

Meghan Picerno

That gives him 16 Christines, which is a good number, but not as high as others, probably because many of the Christines he played with had long runs (Marni Raab) or kept returning (Sara Jean Ford, Kaley Ann Voorhees), plus the understudy Christine throughout his time has generally been the same person, Elizabeth Welch. Keep in mind too that it’s not guaranteed he’s played with all of these women either, most especially Sarah Bakker. And I also didn’t take into account that period of time when he left the Broadway production to be in something else.

And it pales in comparison to a likely list of Scott Davies’s Christines:

Zoe Curlett

Katrina Murphy

Joanne Pullen

Charlotte Page

Meredith Braun

Colleen Patrice Taylor

Claire Louise Hammacott

Deborah Dutcher

Gina Beck

Tabitha Webb

Sofia Escobar

Katie Hall

Claire Doyle

Katy Treharne

Anna O’Byrne

Ashleigh Fleming

Harriet Jones

Olivia Brereton

Emmi Christensson

Celinde Schoenmaker

Lisa-Anne Wood

Maria Coyne

Bridget Costello

Amy Manford

Kelly Mathieson

Corinne Cowling

That gives Davies a whopping 26 Christines, maybe with 1-2 more understudies that I couldn’t find. And keep in mind that I have audios of him with almost all these women, unlike with Stolle.

But I look at Stolle and Davies and raise you an Ian Jon Bourg:

Sandra Joseph

Susan Owen

Marie Danvers

Megan Starr-Levitt

Lori Zeglarski

Alison Kelly

Valentina Kozhanova

Olivia Safe

Colby Thomas

Janine Kitzen

Kristin Holck

Marion Wilmer

Maike Switzer

Sandra Danyella

Beatrix Reiterer

Martina Rumpf

Anne Gorner

Sarah Elizabeth Combs

Kristen Hertzenberg

Kristi Holden

Emilie Lynn

Claire Lyon

Sara Sarres

Clara Verdier

Megan Ort

Meghan Picerno

Caitlin Finnie

Kaley Ann Voorhees

That’s 28 Christines, not counting several understudies that he might also have performed with on the US tour, Vegas, and the World Tours.

Operafantomet also made this post where she suggested both Peter Karrie (anywhere from 16-19 Christines) and John Owen-Jones (19 Christines at the time, but that post was written 8 years ago and so did not include his 2015-2016 London run, which would add Celinde Schoenmaker, Emmi Christensson, Lisa-Anne Wood, and Harriet Jones as an emergency cover to the list - 23 Christines!).

So there you have it.

[glassprism]

How often is it that the same actors end up playing both Raoul and Phantom opposite the same Christine? I know of Ana Marina & Alexander Lewis in the Australian/World Tour, same with Fred Silveira and Lina Mendes in the new Brazilian revival, but was curious if there were any other cases of this happening?

Oh definitely more cases than that, especially in productions where the principal Raoul understudies for the Phantom or where the same actor understudies for Raoul and the Phantom.. or if the actor was just particularly long-running. (Just to add to your names by the way, Alexander Lewis has also played both roles opposite Julie Goodwin, who was Ana Marina’s alternate in the World Tour, while Fred Silveira did both with Giulia Nadruz too). Just using either my memory or my audio list:

Steve Barton - Understudied the Phantom and later became principal, and has definitely performed opposite some of the same Christines; there’s audio of him with Rebecca Luker as both Raoul and the Phantom

Yuichiro Yamaguchi - One of the original principal Raouls when the Japanese production opened, and later a principal Phantom, and probably played opposite several of the same Christines (in fact I could probably say this of several Japanese actors)

Hartwig Rudolz - Original principal Raoul in Hamburg and later the Phantom, and almost certainly performed opposite the same Christines, Anna Maria Kaufmann and Renee Knapp, as these photos attest

Andrew Hambley-Smith - Was principal Raoul in Vienna and also an understudy Phantom, and I have audios of him performing both roles opposite Janet Chvatal as Christine

Keith Buterbaugh - Was principal Raoul in the national tour and understudy Phantom, and I have audios of him performing both roles opposite the same Christine, Rebecca Luker

Hans Peter Janssens - Understudied both Phantom and Raoul in the Dutch production and so very likely performed both roles opposite some of the same Christines (Joke de Kruijf, Els Bongers, Maaike Widdershoven, and Marika Lansen)

Gary Mauer - Real-life wife Elizabeth Southard was understudy Christine when he was principal Raoul on Broadway, and they performed together in those two roles before later, and more famously, performing as the Phantom and Christine together

Simon Bowman - Was principal Raoul and only a couple years later became principal Phantom, and so got to perform both roles opposite the same Christine, Megan Kelly (of which I have audios)

Tim Martin Gleason - Was principal Raoul as well as understudy Phantom for a very long time; I’ve actually got video of him performing both roles opposite Rebecca Pitcher, as well as audios of him in both with Lisa Vroman, Elizabeth Southard, Sarah Lawrence, and Susan Owen

Ramin Karimloo - When he was principal Raoul, the understudy Christine was Robyn North; after he rejoined the production as the Phantom, Robyn North also rejoined as principal Christine

Christian Muller - Was understudy Phantom and Raoul in Essen, and bumped to principal at the very end of the run, I believe, so very likely performed both roles opposite several if not all of the Essen Christines (Anne Gorner, Sandra Danyella, Beatrix Reiterer, Martina Rumpf).

Hong Kwang Ho - Principal Raoul in the Seoul revival and later the Phantom, and since the Christines (Kim So Hyun and Choi Hyun Joo) remained the same, he performed both roles opposite them

Jeremy Stolle, Greg Mills, Paul A. Schaefer - I lumped them all in together because all three are currently Raoul and Phantom understudies on Broadway and have been for a long time, and have probably done both roles opposite what is most likely a long list of Christines: Samantha Hill, Marni Raab, Mary Michael Patterson, Elizabeth Welch, Sara Jean Ford, Kaley Ann Voorhees, Ali Ewoldt, on and on...

Nicky Wuchinger - He was principal Raoul in the Hamburg revival and performed as Raoul opposite understudy Christine Daniela Braun. In Oberhausen he played the Phantom (and was an emergency cover Raoul) and got to do it opposite Braun again, as alternate Christine.

Max Niemeyer - Principal Raoul and understudy Phantom in Oberhausen and performed the latter regularly enough that I have audios of him doing both roles with all three Christines (Elizabeth Welch, Daniela Braun, Annemarijn Maandag)

Chris McGuigan - He was the understudy (or alternate?) Phantom and Raoul, and Nadim Naaman being out for a week meant he got to play the latter role a fair amount, and later went on as the Phantom, so very likely did both roles opposite Celinde Schoenmaker and Amy Manford

This is honestly a really small listing of some of the more well-known names, there were lots more I skipped over or just can’t recall at the moment. So yeah, it’s not an uncommon occurrence for an actor to have played the Phantom and Raoul opposite some of the same Christines!

[glassprism]

Ah, thank you for directing me to that. Forgive me for not even thinking to check there. Though I am looking for performances that can be found on YouTube (admittedly partially for convenience) and video quality isn't exactly a concern.

No problem, and since you’ve specified that you were looking specifically for YouTube, I can give a fuller answer, since that’s different than videos uploaded to MEGA accounts and such. I’m sometimes hesitant to link to YouTube videos though, since those accounts can get taken down fairly quickly, so what you might get in a couple of months is a post full of dead links, but here’s a couple that seem to have stayed online for a while:

1985, Sydmonton: Colm Wilkinson, Sarah Brightman, Clive Carter

1987, London: Michael Crawford, Rebecca Caine, Steve Barton

1988, Broadway: Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Steve Barton

1988, Broadway: Michael Crawford, Dale Kristien, Steve Barton

1988, Tokyo: Masachika Ichimura, Ryoko Nomura, Yuichiro Yamaguchi

1988, Vienna: Alexander Goebel, Luzia Nistler, Alfred Pfeifer (proshot clips)

1989, Broadway: Cris Groenendaal, Rebecca Luker, Steve Barton

1989, Los Angeles: Michael Crawford, Dale Kristien, Steve Barton

1990, Los Angeles: Michael Crawford, Mary D’Arcy, Reece Holland

1990/1991/1992/1994/1995, Toronto/Canadian Tour: Todd Noel / Jeff Hyslop / Colm Wilkinson / Cris Groenendaael / Peter Karrie, Susan Cuthbert / Teresa DeZarn / Patti Cohenour, Byron Nease / David Rogers

1991, Vienna: Ernst-Dieter Suttheimer, Colleen Besett, Timothy Breese

1991, Stockholm: Mikael Samuelsson, Inger Olsson Moberg, Bengt Nordfors

1992/1993, US Tour: Kevin Gray, Dodie Pettit/Teri Bibb, Keith Buterbaugh/Nat Chandler (highlight videos)

1993, Vienna: Alexander Goebel, Luzia Nistler, Thorsten Tinney

1993, Los Angeles: Davis Gaines, Dale Kristien, Michael Piontek

1993, Scheveningen: Henk Poort, Joke de Kruijf, Peter de Smet

1994, Sapporo: Eiji Akutagawa, Hisako Hanaoka, Kanji Ishimaru

1995, London: Ethan Freeman, Jill Washington, Simon Bowman

1995, Broadway: Davis Gaines, Tracy Shayne, Ciaran Sheehan

1998, Broadway: Thomas James O’Leary, Sandra Joseph, Gary Mauer

1998, Toronto: Peter Karrie, Elizabeth DeGrazia, David Rodgers

1999, Toronto: Paul Stanley, Melissa Dye, Laird Mackintosh

1999; Broadway: Howard McGillin, Adrienne McEwan, Gary Mauer

2000, Mexico City: Saulo Vasconcelos, Irasema Terrazas, Jose Joel

2000, London: Scott Davies, Meredith Braun, Matthew Cammelle

2000, Hamburg: Ian Jon Bourg, Alison Kelly, Kyle Gonyea

2001, Hamburg: Ian Jon Bourg, Olivia Safe, Kyle Gonyea

2002, Madrid: Juan Carlos Barona, Julia Moller, Zenon Recalde

2003, Stuttgart: Roy Weissensteiner, Marion Wilmer, Carsten Lepper

2003, Budapest: Sandor Sasvari, Andrea Maho, Gabor Bot

2003, Broadway: Howard McGillin, Adrienne McEwan, Jim Weitzer

2003, Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Julie Hanson, Jim Weitzer

2003, US Tour: Brad Little, Lisa Vroman, Tim Martin Gleason

2004, US Tour: Brad Little, Rebecca Pitcher, Tim Martin Gleason

2004, Stuttgart: Thomas Schulze, Maike Switzer, Carsten Lepper

2005, London: John Owen-Jones, Rachel Barrell, Oliver Thornton

2005, Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Julie Hanson, John Cudia

2005, Broadway: James Romick, Marie Danvers, John Cudia

2005, Broadway: Tim Martin Gleason, Susan Owen, Stephen Buntrock

2005, Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Sandra Joseph, Tim Martin Gleason

2005, Essen: Thomas Borchert, Anne Gorner, Nikolaj A. Brucker

2005, Essen: Thomas Borchert, Sandra Danyella, Nikolaj A. Brucker

2006, London: Earl Carpenter, Rachel Barrell, David Shannon

2006, London: Matthew Cammelle, Rachel Barrell, David Shannon

2006; Essen: Ethan Freeman, Anne Gorner, Nikolaj A. Brucker

2006, Sao Paulo: Saulo Vasconcelos, Kiara Sasso, Nando Prado (audience recording)

2006, Sao Paulo: Saulo Vasconcelos, Kiara Sasso, Nando Prado (monitor video)

2006, US Tour: Gary Mauer, Elizabeth Southard, Jim Weitzer

2006, US Tour: John Cudia, Jennifer Hope Wills, Adam Monley

2006, Essen: Uwe Kroger, Beatrix Reiterer, Lucius Wolter

2006, Broadway: Howard McGillin, Rebecca Pitcher, Michael Shawn Lewis

2007, Broadway: Gary Mauer, Jennifer Hope Wills, Jason Mills

2008, World Tour: Simon Pryce, Ana Marina, Alexander Lewis

2008, Broadway: Howard McGillin, Elizabeth Loyacano, Jeremy Stolle

2008, Las Vegas: Anthony Crivello, Kristi Holden, Andrew Ragone

2008, Poland: Tomasz Steciuk, Kaja Mianowana, Lukasz Talik

2008, London: Ramin Karimloo, Gina Beck, Simon Bailey

2009; Australia: Anthony Warlow, Ana Marina, Alexander Lewis

2010, London: David Shannon, Gina Beck, Simon Bailey

2012, London: Marcus Lovett, Anna O’Byrne, Simon Thomas (highlights)

2012, UK Tour: Earl Carpenter, Olivia Brereton, Earl Carpenter

2012, Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Samantha Hill, Kyle Barisich

2013, Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Sierra Boggess, Kyle Barisich

2013, Broadway: Peter Joback, Marni Raab, Kyle Barisich

2014, World Tour: Brad Little, Claire Lyon, Anthony Downing

2014, Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014, Broadway: Paul A. Schaefer, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014; US Tour: Cooper Grodin, Julia Udine, Ben Jacoby

2014, US Tour: Cooper Grodin, Grace Morgan, Ben Jacoby

2014, Broadway: Greg Mills, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014, Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Elizabeth Welch, Jeremy Hays

2014, Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014, Broadway: Norm Lewis, Sierra Boggess, Jeremy Hays

2014, Broadway: Norm Lewis, Kaley Ann Voorhees, Jeremy Hays

2014, Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Kaley Ann Voorhees, Jeremy Hays

2014, Hamburg: David Arnsperger, Valerie Link, Nicky Wuchinger

2014, Hamburg: David Arnsperger, Lauri Brons, Nicky Wuchinger

2015, Hamburg: Mathias Edenborn, Daniela Braun, Nicky Wuchinger

2015, US Tour: Chris Mann, Katie Travis, Storm Lineberger

2016, Moscow: Andrey Shkoldychenko, Elena Bahtiyarova, Evgeny Zaytsev

2016, Moscow: Ivan Ozhogin, Tamara Kotova, Rinat Albikov

2016, Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Julia Udine, Jeremy Hays

2017, Stockholm: Peter Joback, Emmi Christensson, Anton Zetterholm

2017, Gothenburg: Fred Johanson, Sofie Asplund, John Martin Bengtsson (Act 1 only)

2018, Broadway: Ben Crawford, Ali Ewoldt, Jay Armstrong Johnson

2019, Copenhagen: Tomas Ambt Kofod, Sibylle Glosted, Christian Lund

2019, Sao Paulo: Fred Silveira, Lina Mendes, Henrique Moretzsohn

2019, Sao Paulo: Fred Silveira, Giulia Nadruz, Henrique Moretzsohn

2019, Sao Paulo: Thiago Arancam, Darua Goes, Fred Silveira

2019, Sao Paulo: Thiago Arancam, Giulia Nadruz, Fred Silveira

[glassprism]

I saw that you received an ask about your dream final lair and was wondering, what about your dream PONR? How would that be?

Well, something like this:

No table dancing. Nope, nada, zip. Get off the table and onto the bench; it’s more hygienic.

There were a few London Christines, like Leila Benn Harris and Gina Beck, who would sing the “no thoughts within her head” part while leaning against the wall, instead of hopping out and just singing to the audience. I prefer that. See a gif of it here.

Italian accent for the Phantom. Obviously. Let’s try and make it a little more believable that nobody would recognize the Phantom. Lots of Phantoms do this, even back to the original, Michael Crawford.

Christine would, nevertheless, look briefly confused, the way Jennifer Hope Wills did, but then appear to dismiss it.

Some nice apple rubbing - think Celia Graham or Elizabeth Loyacano.

I really liked Marni Raab’s teasing the Phantom with her apple while backing away and lying on the bench and kicking her heels up. Elizabeth Welch did the same in Oberhausen.

Samantha Hill did really well at looking as if Don Juan’s (or the Phantom’s) touch alone was turning her on. And I would like to see her little stumble as she drinks from the cup and wipes off her mouth - a little hint of drunkenness, basically.

I really liked Mary Michael Patterson’s little... backwards lean, I guess, immediately after she sits on the bench, like she’s inviting the Phantom closer. Have another gif.

More of Jennifer Hope Will’s reactions, and her little bench slide. See a gif of it here.

I also liked how Sarah Lawrence arched her back when leaning against the Phantom. See a gif here.

It’s been taken out, but in London they used to have the Phantom stroke Christine’s boobs, which shakes her out of the scene briefly - Gina Beck did it, for one. I kind of like that.

On Broadway, Sierra Boggess would also do this thing where she would stare at the Phantom in bewilderment, then suddenly face the audience and visibly shake herself, like she was going, “Oh right, I’m on stage! Stay in-character!” It was a nice detail and I’d like to see it more, as it gives a somewhat compelling reason why Christine would continue on despite her suspicions.

I liked Sandra Danyella’s hip stroking; gif here.

Hugh Panaro and other US Phantoms would do this thing while Christine was singing where they would desperately clutch their robe around their legs. Really increases the sexual tension.

No crotch grabbing, though. (Ahem, Eiji Akutagawa.) I mean, it’s creative and all, but uh... too much.

Skirt swish! Like Trista Moldovan did it. Then have her put her leg up and pull her skirt up, taunting the Phantom with her ankle (gif) - or alternatively, do as Elizabeth Welch did and try to poke him (gif).

The Phantom really should react to this. I liked how Tim Martin Gleason actually reached out for Christine’s leg, only for her to snatch it back.

I’m torn on the next bit - I really love it when Christine gives a little kick and slams her foot down on the bench, a la Teresia Bokor (gif) and several other international Christines. But I’ve also seen Christines come up and kind of shove their knee against the Phantom’s, ahem, backside. That’s cool.

I actually have no preference on the, er, chest rubbing part - some Christines slide their hands down to the Phantom’s crotch, others just rub around his chest and head. Whichever works.

I really like how Christines like Tabitha Webb or Robyn North sing “when will the sleeping bud burst into bloom” - singing it slightly louder and more forcefully.

Loved Earl Carpenter’s reaction during this time, as if he’s genuinely surprised and confused at Christine taking control of the song.

All right, I admit it - I like how Emmy Rossum sings “when will the flames at last consume us.”

But I doubt many Christines will get to sing that, because I much prefer it when a Christine feels the mask and actually stops, pauses, feels around and confirms it with her hand, and maybe screams and takes off. Like, I’ve seen some give no reaction and just walk off like it’s nothing, and... eeeehh.

Brad Little’s reaction to this is great as well - you can see him realize that Christine has figured out who he is, which ups the stakes - he might actually keep Christine there or something.

Really struggle when the Phantom grabs them back, like Juan Carlos Barona and Julia Moller did.

I really like when Christines physically hurl the Phantom’s hands off of them. And I also liked how Rachel Barrell would rub her wrists as if the Phantom had hurt them dragging her out.

After unhooding the Phantom, it’d be nice if Christine would try to run offstage, just to be stopped by the managers.

It’s also nice if I can see the Phantom actually, I dunno, sigh and resign himself to not running off - or steel himself to propose to Christine. Just, give me body language and acting that shows me the Phantom’s turmoil.

I like the way Kaley Ann Voorhees faces the Phantom when he begins singing, as if his voice still has a compellingly hypnotic quality - or she’s just sad for him. It’s a nice callback to ‘The Mirror’ and ‘Wandering Child’. Gif here.

Hugh Panaro actually knelt down when proposing.

Joke de Kruijf looking utterly torn as the Phantom proposes her is good. Not that big of fan of Marni Raab’s “pretend to kiss him and unmask him” thing.

It’s nice when Christines look shocked at taking off both the mask and the wig. Makes it more believable that they would just freeze up and make it easy for the Phantom to grab them.

Oh, and Raoul... having Raoul stop the policeman from shooting and then tearing off the Phantom is awesome (think Tomas Ambt Kofod).

Aaannndd that’s all I can think of for now!

[glassprism]

Which Christine's, if there were any, were older than the phantom that they were with. Or, where there any Raouls that were older than the phantom they were playing opposite to?

This is a bit difficult to answer, because while I know the ages of the oldest and youngest Phantoms and Christines, I don’t know that of all the ones in-between. So it’s likely I will miss a fair number of them (e.g. “this Christine was 36 and her Phantom was 35″ etc.), and with the ones I do know, there will probably be some guesswork anyway. I’m basically going to take the extremes (youngest Phantoms/Raouls, oldest Christines) and compare them to their costars. I also don’t really know about oldest Raouls, but I have a list of younger ones and compared them to their Christines as well.

From what I know of the Phantoms, Nicholas Nkuna, Jonathan Roxmouth, and Thomas Cunningham were some of the youngest Phantoms worldwide, at around 23 or 24. Christian Mueller was apparently 25, David Gaschen 26 when he started, and Ramin Karimloo was 28. For a while, Kevin Gray was considered pretty young at around... 30, I think? But compared to the others here, not so much.

Roxmouth played opposite Robin Botha, Magdalene Minnaar, Mona Botha, Claire Lyon, Emilie Lynn; Nkuna was only in South Africa, I believe, so he also would have played opposite Robin Botha, Magdalene Minnaar, and Mona Botha (if she ever went on). I feel like both Robin Botha and Magdalene Minnaar might have been older than Roxmouth and Nkuna, but as I can’t find their ages online, I cannot be 100% sure. Mona Botha was apparently old enough to be in the 2004 South Africa production, so it’s very likely she was older than Roxmouth and Nkuna as well. (I mean, if she was the absolute youngest I’ve seen a Christine - 16 years old - she still would have been 23 or 24 when she returned to South Africa in 2011/2012, so you know - exact same age as Nkuna and Roxmouth. And that’s the lowest age possible. So very likely she was older.)

As for Roxmouth when he was in the World Tour, Claire Lyon was apparently 27 at some point, so she may have been a year or two older than him as well. No idea about Emilie Lynn, but she may be the same case. (Roxmouth was also initially cast as Raoul in South Africa (Andre Schwartz was principal Phantom but had to leave), but I believe he said he had no performances as Raoul? But it’d be the exact same thing as his Christines with his Phantom.)

Thomas Cunningham might have played opposite Adrienne McEwan, Sylvia Rhyne, Susan Facer, and Diane Fratantoni when he first began as the Phantom (1994, age 24). I have absolutely no clue how old any of those actresses. On balance of probability, there were probably a couple older than him, though?

Christian Muller would have played opposite Anne Gorner, Sandra Danyella, Beatrix Reiterer, and Martina Rumpf. I’ve heard (but cannot confirm) that Gorner was only 19 in Stuttgart, which would make her only 20-22 or thereabouts in Essen, so she may not fit the category. I don’t really think I can make a guess at the others. Like Roxmouth, Muller was also an understudy Raoul, so same thing applies with his Christines.

David Gaschen in Switzerland might have played opposite Ute Baum, Beverley Worboys, Kimilee Bryant, and Lynette Knapp. (The confusing thing is that the production was in both English and German, but I think it’s likely Gaschen did both.) The only person I can begin to make a guess at is Kimilee Bryant, who was born in 1969 according to Wikipedia. This puts her at about the same age as Gaschen (26 when cast in 1995).

Ramin Karimloo was born in 1978, and while he was standby, played opposite Celia Graham, who was born in 1976 according to Wikipedia, so she was a Christine a couple of years older than him. He would also have been a fairly young Raoul - 25/26 during his run - so his Christines, Katie Knight Adams or Nicky Adams may have been older. But the understudy, Robyn North, was definitely not, as she was only 19 at the time.

As for Raouls: other than the ones listed above who also played the Phantom, we apparently have Storm Lineberger (22), Marcin Mrozinski (23), and Lukasz Talik (24). Laird Mackintosh may also have been 23/24 when he began as Raoul in 1993, and Michael Ball age 25. There’s also a Richard Carlsohn who was 24 when he understudied Raoul in the original Swedish production, but I don’t think I’m going to find a lot of info there.

SO THEN. Lineberger played opposite Katie Travis, Celia Hottenstein, Krista Buccellato, and Kaitlyn Davis. I think Grace Morgan also came in a few times as an emergency cover. According to this article, she was 27 in 2014, so she was definitely older than Lineberger. Not sure about the other actresses though.

I definitely know that Marcin Mrozinski and Lukasz Talik were older than two of their Christines, Paulina Janczak and Kaja Mianowana, both 17. A quick Google search said that Edyta Krzemien, however, was born in 1985, making her about 23 when she began in the Polish production - so basically the same age or a little younger than her Raouls.

Laird Mackintosh has played opposite tons of actresses as Raoul (Gay Willis, Elizabeth DeGrazia, Glenda Balkan, Sylvia Rhyne, Margaret Ann Gates, and Melissa Dye). While the others are unknown, I did find that Melissa Dye was born in 1967, so she was probably 32 when she was in Phantom, while Mackintosh was possibly 29 or 30, so she was a couple of years older.

As for Michael Ball, Claire Moore was definitely older than, by about two years, Rebecca Caine was older by three years, while Maria Kesselman was about the same age (she was born in the same year as him). No idea about Jan Hartley-Morris.

FINALLY. For older Christines: we have Lisa Vroman at around 47 by 2003, and Jill Washington at 46 in 1998 or 1999. Brad Little was 49 in 2003, so he was older, but Hugh Panaro, who she also played opposite in 2003 as well, was only 39, so she was definitely older than him. It’s quite possible her Raoul (and understudy Phantom), Tim Martin Gleason, was younger as well.

As for Jill Washington, her Raoul in 1999, Gardar Thor Cortes, was apparently only 25, so that’s quite a gap. According to this, her Phantom, Mike Sterling, was 17 in 1987, so he was only 29 when he was playing opposite her - another large gap. Also, Ethan Freeman played opposite her in 1994 and 1995, and Google says he was born in 1959, so he was probably 36 to her 42 or thereabouts. There’s probably way more, but I’m tired of Googling.

So what do we know?

Nicholas Nkuna - Mona Botha was most likely older, Robin Botha and Magdalene Minnaar maybe older, than his Phantom

Jonathan Roxmouth - Same as Nkuna above, plus Claire Lyon was probably older than him when he was the Phantom

Ramin Karimloo - Celia Graham was two years older than his Phantom

Storm Lineberger - Katie Travis was several years older than his Raoul

Laird Mackintosh - Assuming others are right, then Melissa Dye may have been two or three years older than his Raoul

Michael Ball - Claire Moore was two years older, Rebecca Caine three years

Lisa Vroman - Hugh Panaro’s Phantom was definitely younger than her

Jill Washington - two of her Phantoms, Ethan Freeman and Mike Sterling, were younger than her, as was one of her Raouls, Gardar Thor Cortes

[operafantomet]

I just watched a clip of Sandra Danyella in PONR (from glassprism) and wondered about her aminta costume – it looks so special because of the black lace on the sides of her stomacher that's not in the usual aminta pattern and the apron that looks like in westend. i looked a little bit through your blog and saw that anne görner had a similar apron but beatrix reiterer had one like Michelle vdV later– my real question is: Do you know where Sandras dress is from or if there are similar versions?

Judging from this not too revealing photo:

…it’s a quite standard German dress. Typical traits are lots of green and pink in the stomacher, around the red lacing, and the black embroidery outlining the stomacher. This can be seen in Colby Thomas’ late 1990s dresses in Hamburg, in Janine Kitzen’s Stuttgart costume, in the costumes of all the Essen Christines, and also in the newly made dresses for Valerie link and Lauri Brons in the Hamburg revival (which Oberhausen in turn inherited). From left: Anne Görner (Essen), Janine Kitzen (Stuttgart), Beatrix Reiterer (Essen):

Dress 1 and 2 is identical, while number 3 is almost identical but with denser embroidery and a different apron. The latter apron has been seen one a lot of the Dutch dresses, it might be a mix-and-match bodice and skirt she has.

(Granted this is the same Sandra Danyella wears in the video as she was photographed in… I know the Essen Christines had some costume switcharoo along the way. If it’s not the one above, it’s possibly an elder Dutch dress she was wearing)

[operafantomet]

An alarming knock on the door...

[operafantomet]

Roy Weissensteiner, u/s Phantom in Stuttgart, Essen, and in the World Tour. 

[operafantomet]

Uwe Kröger, Essen.