#lnd hamburg

[phantomchristinesuk]

Phanniversary posts: 2021 (7)

Rachel Anne Moore

Seventh live Christine

Saw in March 2016

Pictures: Rachel Anne Moore social medias (HS: Faymous Studios)

[marleneoftheopera]

Opinion for the LND Hamburg Christine’s?

Rachel Anne Moore (principal): Glorious, rich voice. Gorgeous in costume. From the clips I saw she acted the heck out of the role too.

Jazmin Gorsline (alternate): To me, a pretty standard LND Christine voice. Nothing super special for me, but enjoyable nonethless. Looked nice in costume.

Heidi Karlsson (u/s): Pretty much the same as Jazmin. I thought at times her voice was a little bit more like Rachel's, but not as strong. Still enjoyable.

Jessie Roggemann (u/s): I believe she went on as Christine, but the audio we have of her is when Heidi went on but lost her voice, so the audience saw Heidi but heard Jessie sing from backstage. She had a very nice voice and richer I think. More like Rachel's.

Milica Jovanovic (emergency cover/u/s): Loved her in the Vienna concert. So happy that she got to do the show with the entire staging. Sounded and looked lovely.

If I were to put them in order from love to good, I would say: Rachel Anne Moore, Milica Jovanovic, Jessie Roggermann, Heidi Karlsson, Jazmin Gorsline.

[phangirllnd]

Rachel Anne Moore in Liebe Stirbt Nie in Hamburg, Germany. (x)

[ange-de-la-musique]

Actresses performing in both Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies.

Sierra Boggess - POTO Christine in Vegas, Broadway, and the RAH concert. LND Christine in London

Meghan Picerno - POTO Christine in the World Tour and Broadway. LND Christine in the US Tour

Celia Graham - POTO Christine in London. LND Christine in London

Anna O’Byrne - POTO Christine in London and the Australia/World Tour. LND Christine in Australia

Mira Ormala - POTO Christine in Oslo. LND Christine in London

Claire Lyon - POTO Christine in the World Tour. LND Christine in Australia

Louise Fribo - POTO Carlotta in Copenhagen. LND Christine in Copenhagen

Rachel Anne Moore - POTO Carlotta in Hamburg and Broadway. LND Christine in Hamburg

Mary Michael Patterson - POTO Christine in Broadway. LND Meg in the US Tour

Sharon Millerchip - POTO Meg in Melbourne. LND Meg in Australia

[andrewlloydwebber]

with the turn around from frozen the movie being made and the musical coming out being relatively quick, i wonder if some of the international productions will feature the people who dubbed the film in the role on stage… for example, i’m sure Stage Entertainment is already in negotiations to bring it to Germany and they’ll definitely want willemijn verkaik (elsa in the dutch and german dubs) as elsa, even though she’s 42, because that’s just how stage entertainment rolls

[glassprism]

Is there something about the role of Christine in LND that makes POTO Carlotta actresses more likely to play her? I've noticed a lot of overlap between actresses playing those two roles, perhaps more so than POTO Christine/Carlotta overlap. Is LND in a higher register and so more prone to needing more operatic actresses? Sorry if this is phrased weirdly, I dont quite know how else to ask, but it's something that has stuck out to me

Eh, is there more overlap? If we examine the actresses that have been in both Phantom and LND and played Christine in at least one of them, this is what we get:

Sierra Boggess - played Christine in Phantom in Las Vegas, played Christine in LND, and went on to play Christine again in the 25th anniversary concert and two Broadway runs of Phantom.

Celia Graham - Christine in the London production of Phantom and understudy and later principal Christine in London’s LND.

Mira Ormala - understudied Christine in the London production of LND and then Christine again in the Oslo production of Phantom.

Anna O’Byrne - played Christine in the World Tour of Phantom, then Christine in the Australian production of LND, and then Christine yet again in the London production of Phantom.

Claire Lyon - understudied Christine in the Australian LND and then played Christine in two World Tours.

Louise Fribo - played Christine in the Danish production of LND but played Carlotta in the Danish revival of Phantom.

Rachel Anne Moore - played Carlotta in the Hamburg revival of Phantom, then Christine in the Hamburg and national tour productions of LND, and is now on Broadway understudying as Carlotta.

Meghan Picerno - played Christine in the national tour of LND and then played as Christine in the World Tour and Broadway productions.

Mary Michael Patterson - played Christine in the Broadway production of Phantom and then Meg in the national tour of LND.

So of the nine Christines that have been in Phantom and LND, only two have been Carlotta, the rest have been Christine, with exception of MMP who is just hanging out there as an outlier. Meanwhile, in the world of Phantom, we have these actresses who have done both Christine and Carlotta: Jan Horvath, Glenda Balkan, Danielle Everett, Claire Louise Hammacott, Evelyn Werner, Eva Malmgren, Malin Landing, Kris Koop, Kimilee Bryant, Trista Moldovan, Monika Sommerova, Robin Botha, and if you count “what could have been”, Claire Moore and Manon Taris.

Now, a lot of this is because Phantom has been playing much longer than LND, but you can see the amount of actresses going from Christine to Carlotta in the original still outnumbers the amount of actresses going from Christine to Carlotta from LND to Phantom, which makes me think that something about the high profile of Louise Fribo and Rachel Anne Moore in the phandom is influencing perception of LND Christines being more likely to become Carlotta?

But with that said, I do agree that LND seems to be attracting more actresses with an operatic background as time goes on, and if they are coming from or head back to Phantom, there’s a greater tendency they’re a Carlotta, as that requires operatic training while Christine does not.

[ballerinadellamusica]

Love Never Dies US Tour Announcement: Phantom: Gardar thor Cortes/Garðar Thór Cortes* Christine. Meghan Picerno Raoul: Sean Thompson Madame Giry: Karen Mason Meg Giry: Mary Michael Patterson" Gustave: Casey Lyons/Jake Miller Fleck: Katrina Kemp Squelch: Richard Koons Gangle: Stephen Petrovich Ensemble listed in alphabetical order: Chelsey Arce Erin Chupinsky Diana DiMarzio Tyler Donahue* Yesy Garcia Alyssa Giannetti Michael Gillis" Tamar Greene Natalia Lepore Hagan Lauren Lukacek Alyssa McAnany Rachel Anne Moore* understudy Christine Bronson Norris Murphy" understudy phantom Dave Schoonover Adam Soniak Kelly Swint Lucas John Thompson Correy West Arthur Wise Borris York *reprising from Hamburg “Previously part of phantom of the opera

I will update the understudies when possible. Pictures from Google, websites and Instagram.

[wheel-of-fish]

Do you happen to know which actors/actresses, if any, have played Erik/Christine in both Phantom and LND? Has there ever been a pair that did Phantom together as well as LND together? Would be super cool if there was- tho I know this is kind of a hard question so I totally get it if you don't know, you're just the only person I could think to ask

The person best qualified to answer this would be @glassprism, who is a compendium of all things actor- and production-related, but I can tell you what I know!

The only pair I’m aware of who have played the Phantom and Christine in both productions together are Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess, for the LND opening in London and then the 25th anniversary performance of Phantom. The latter is, of course, very popular; I’ve only seen the former once, but from what I recall, they had a similar chemistry there.

Here are the other actors I know of who have played roles in both productions, but not opposite the same co-stars:

Ben Lewis (LND in Australia, Phantom in London)

Anna O’Byrne (LND in Australia, Phantom in Australia and London)

Tomas Ambt Kofod (Denmark)

Mathias Edenborn (Hamburg)

Celia Graham (London)

Masachika Ichimura (Japan)

Meghan Picerno will also join their ranks, having played Christine in the US tour of LND and now rehearsing for the role in the Phantom world tour.

Hope that helps!

[mortimers-cross]

LND Post 2 of 3

For this post, my aim is to give a play-by-play of the "highlights" of the production, as nearly as I can remember. I've been ridiculously overthinking how to write about such a widely-despised (with plenty of good reason) show, so I'm endeavouring to forget all of that and just describe the experience like one would about any other show. I went in expecting more or less a carbon copy of the revamped Australian production that was filmed and released on DVD a few years ago. Little did I know it had been revamped yet again for the Hamburg production! So, a mixture of those two is what we're getting in the US Tour, and I must say it works. There are still significant areas of weakness, ones that have been present from the beginning and, quite frankly, there's little left that can be done about it. This will be long, and there will be spoilers for the two people on earth who don't already know the entire plot.

With that in mind...

Act I

Prologue

"'Til I Hear You Sing"

I don't know that I'll ever grow used to this song being the first in the show. However, it's certainly better than Mme Giry wandering around Deserted Phantasma and Fleck's cheesy transition into the main narrative: "Remember how it was? Remember??? (HINT HINT The rest of the show will be a Flashback, I hope you understand clearly now, I CLEARLY said the keywords Was and Remember!)." Still, having spent eight years being used to Ramin's rendition, it's difficult hearing anyone Not-Ramin perform this song right off the bat, before spending the whole show growing accustomed to their voice. Still, Gardar Thor Cortes was wonderful.

Scene 1: Coney Island 1907

"The Coney Island Waltz"

The Trio (Fleck, Squelch, Gangle) were phenomenal throughout - voices, faces, goofy antics, everything. Their tight harmonies on the eerie-sounding trio-bits...YES. Apart from the few lines sung by the Trio, this scene remains mainly instrumental. And it's where The Set is first revealed in all its monstrous, shiny, spectacular spectacle. I can't remember exactly at what point in the music this happens, but the stage suddenly bursts into life - carnival lights come on, the ensemble wander about dressed as various performers and hawkers, and my favourite bit, The Carousel (one of the animals is a White Boar, probably actually a warthog, but I am calling it a Whyte Boar because King Richard. End of story.). The Carousel is the first (if I remember correctly) set piece to showcase the Turntable, which will be present throughout the show (and at times make me very nervous for the performers' safety).

It was this scene that indicated to me that, although my friend and I were in theory only watching this show for the music and weren't expecting much otherwise, this was going to be a much more exciting production than we'd anticipated.

Scene 2: Onstage at Phantasma

"Only For You"

This, of course, is one of the cheesy 'Erik's Cheap Vaudeville Trash' scenes/songs from which one doesn't expect much to begin with. But it is the first time you hear Meg's voice. Mary Michael Patterson is amazing (get used to it, they were all amazing) - come to think of it, she may have been my favourite voice in the entire cast. Maybe. And it's hard not to at least be entertained by the stunts and antics in this scene.

Scene 3: Madame Giry's Office

"Mother, Did You See?"

This is one scene whose Aussie Revamp Changes disappointed, and still disappoint me. It probably does flow better this way, with Giry griping about Erik behind his back rather than actually to his face (though she'd probably not be afraid in the least to complain to his face). Hmm, come to think of it, it's more like Erik wouldn't bother hanging around with the Girys all that much except when necessary. Still, I liked this scene as Giry Confronts The Phantom, because it meant more Erik-solos. They took away Erik-solos and gave them to the Girys. Boring.

"Christine Disembarks"

No idea why the Playbill has this listed under "Giry's Office," when, uh...she clearly didn't walk right off a ship into Giry's office. Oh, well.

This scene is always entertaining with all the reporters running around throwing out so many wellknown names...and then there's "CHRISTINE!!" Dramatic Lights...reminds me of Norma Desmond's "YOU there..." entrance, except there is of course NO comparison, please don't kill me.

It's also sad because you see Raoul and Christine for the first time and notice all is not well with them.

Scene 4: Pier 69

"Arrival of the Trio"

"The Journey to Coney Island"

Not much to add. See "Christine Disembarks." Oh, and love Erik's shameless "Come to me, Angel of Music" plug just before transitioning to the hotel.

Scene 5: The Hotel

"What a Dreadful Town!"

The (short) transition from "Journey to Coney Island" to this remains one of the show's most epic moments. Any and all opportunities to showcase that amazing orchestra, feature specific instruments, etc - take them all! We'll eat it up!

Cue Raoul's first big Showcase My Voice moment. Sean Thompson is perfection. Unfortunately the song indicates Raoul has become a hardened, angry man with a bent for too much drinking. But, but but - here comes one of those wonderful changes - he actually relents and sits with Gustave to look at the toy music box, and even attempts making conversation about said music box. It's only for a few seconds and gets interrupted by someone at the door, but it was a much appreciated few seconds. What They Did to Raoul (or, I suppose, what Forsyth did to Raoul) remains one of the show's most upsetting aspects.

"Look With Your Heart"

Have never cared for this song, and still don't. But the scene itself is sweet.

"Beneath a Moonless Sky"

There's no helping this song. It needs to go. It tried to be another "Point of No Return," and failed miserably and embarrassingly.

"Once Upon Another Time"

Not the deepest or most profound lyrics ever written, but those tight harmonies! "We love, we live..." sends shivers down my spine every time. And Gardar and Meghan's voices complement each other so well!

"Mother, Please, I'm Scared"

This bit is meant to be nerve-wracking on so many levels... Erik's first time meeting Gustave, Erik threatening to make him "disappear" if Christine won't sing for him... But in reality this scene makes me collapse into hysterical giggles.

Erik setting Gustave up on the railing and Christine freaking out that he's going to fall - classic Mum and Dad right there.

But this is the best bit: "Who ARE YOU?!" "IIIiiiiiiiii am your ANNNNNNGEL of MUUUUSIC, and I am DYINNGGGGGG, Christine!!!!!1111oneoneone.” There's really no way to deliver these lines and NOT sound cheesy, so poor Meghan and Gardar did their best. But his delivery of this silly line showed one of his great qualities - he's very expressive with his arms. He's running towards her with arms extended zombie-style while crying "Iii am your angel of music..." It's hard to describe, but it was brilliantly amusing.

Scene 6: Backstage

"Bathing Beauty Rehearsal"

"Dear Old Friend"

Not much to say here... This song is always entertaining. Raoul's "I need a DRINK" line gets me every time.

Scene 7: The Lair

"Beautiful"

So, so so many surprises happened in this final scene of Act 1. I had no idea there had been any significant changes here. Gustave is singing "Beautiful," when all at once he begins playing the ending of "The Phantom of the Opera." And then proceeds to sing some of it. I began hyperventilating here and didn't really stop until intermission.

"The Beauty Underneath"

Admittedly, the transition from New-Beautiful to Beauty Underneath isn't the smoothest transition in the world, but it hardly matters.

New-Beauty Underneath is...wow. Although I have a certain fondness for the original London version, it always seemed rather out-of-place. This version fit so well, and the whole scene overall is one incredible, if overwhelming, spectacle. My only real complaint is that it's so "chaotic" it's hard to follow at times. I think, though, that's sort of the point.

Here is a scene where the Turntable seriously stressed me out. Gardar, crouched down with his hands on Casey's shoulders, does this backward-crouching-walk on the Turntable going the opposite direction. It feels like this walk lasts forever (in reality it's probably not long at all) and he seems to be walking so fast and the whole time you just think he's going to end up falling on his rear, bringing Casey down with him, and getting trampled. Yes, yes, I'm sure they had everything under control. But it was nerve-wracking to watch.

"The Phantom Confronts Christine"

I've loved this scene since the original cast album, and still do. I like how they've added Erik asking for forgiveness and giving Christine permission to leave, but her choosing to promise him that she'll sing first (foolish as that promise may have been). And the bit about Gustave being his "saving grace" - one of the only good things about the entire plot.

"Ten Long Years"

I always thought this was a bizarre way to end the act, but it seemed to work here. It helps that Karen Mason is a Powerhouse of a voice.

To Be Continued

[hardaslightningsoftascandlelight]

~ ... The US Tour of “Love Never Dies .. “ has its cast: Meghan Picerno &  Garðar Thór Cortes (with Rachel Anne Moore in Hamburg’s Phantom of LND) ...

[masterstrading]

You said you didn't like the 2004 movie, do you have any dreamcasting for a remake?

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it; the cinematography was absolutely stunning, the aesthetic was gorgeous, I admired the very intricate detailing, costumes were grandiose & lush, Patrick Wilson made an absolutely stunning Raoul. Overall, I just found Emmy & Gerard a little lackluster. Although, Gerry had some amazing acting but let’s be honest that deformity was pathetic & his singing needed some work. Emmy, however, was a bit dull in regards to both singing & acting. However, I blame that mostly on A.) she was 16 when cast + recorded the singing, 17 when she filmed, & 18 upon its release. B.) she’s an amazing actress in quite literally everything she’s starred in prior & after it, same as Kristen Stewart in “Twilight,” so I think it had to do with Joel Schumacher’s directing.

Personally, as much as I’d love a musical movie, I don’t exactly want a remake of the ALW musical per se. I’d like a Leroux accurate adaptation.

First off no Phantom & Christine having sex. Nope. Nuh-uh. Bye. No way. Not happening. I enjoy E/C (sometimes even ship it) too but he is a grown ass man & took a grieving, emotionally vulnerable girl & manipulated her into a relationship she didn’t want. He was cruel. We aren’t blaming her for trying to escape her abuser either. She’s allowed to fall in love & find healing. She doesn’t owe anyone a relationship. Her life, her autonomy, her choice, she’s in charge of her own narrative. Back off. Stop victim-blaming the survivor. Like can you end the glorification & romanticism of abuse? Erik’s past trauma isn’t an excuse, yes he’s tragic, but he’s not just misunderstood; he’s been isolated for so long he doesn’t comprehend proper articulation & expression of emotion, he was dangerous, he murdered several people. No possibilty of LND, none. Like whatsoever. At all.

Cast;

The Phantom, Erik: Gary Oldman; Do I really need to say anything about this legend?

*Also wouldn’t mind having Aidan Gillen as The Phantom. They are both very intriguing, deep actors that carry so much talent within them & are very versatile. Actually, I almost put him there, but felt two GoT stars was a bit of a reach let’s be honest.

Christine Daaé: Emilia Clarke - Boy, I really love her work. She’s just so nuisanced & subtle in her deliveries. I want a sweet, naïve, gentle, loving Christine that isn’t afraid to show her backbone. I feel she’d really encompass her strength in such an elegant, cunning, charming way. I’m tired of vapid, doe-eyed, spineless Christine’s. They’re wonderful in their own right. But I just have a spot in my heart for these soft delicate Christine’s that radiate warmth, joy, compassion, & grace with such tenderness whilst remaining to have an equally fiery, dynamic, powerful, passionate performance. In my wildest dreams, she could reuse one of her 4 blonde Daenerys wigs & have it styled similarly to either the West End (ala Celinde Schoenmaker’s, Harriet Jones’s, Amy Manford’s pre humidity or Sierra Boggess’s Classical Brit award wig), Moscow/World Tour, Hamburg, or the traditional Degas way.

Vicomte Raoul de Chagny: Aaron Tveit - Ugh, he just makes me heart swoon. Really, he’d be splendid in the musical too. Can’t you imagine it? I mean I can! Ah he’d just be so serious, strong, heroic but kind & serious with a warm sympathy in regards to Christine. None of that abrasive, violent, aggressive bs in the restaged tour. I just want his fine little behind to be the innocent & somewhat awkward knight-in-shining-armour Raoul whom actually isn’t perfect but is still nobly chivalrous & well intentioned. I don’t want pompous arrogance or being irritated with her. No, just no. It’s reasonable for him to doubt her mental health, but being rude & toxic is not okay. Boyish with a cavalier manner, sincere, devoted, protective but not controlling, grounded, & frightened just as much as her. Boy would Aaron nail this. *Drools*

Count Phillipe de Chagny; Paul Wesley - Man, he is such a looker. Paul is so suave & handsome, plus quite the poignant actor, he seems like he’d be a nice Phillipe.

The Daroga aka Nadir or Tu; Shaun Toub - he’s actually Persian & he’s established himself as a talented actor with quite the impressive list of work under his belt.

Madame Giry; Mariska Hargitay - I feel like this sounds weird. Well, Mariska is so extraordinary & I think she would just further develop an already ambiguously multifaceted character. Plus, she has similar heritage & traits as Violetta, they look as though they could be related to me so…. ‘Cause Olivia Benson. Enough said.

Meg Giry; Violetta Komyshan - A young, classically trained ballerina & is quite beautiful. She’s of Bulgarian + Romani descent (love me my Roma representation) & is absolutely gorgeous. She’s naturally very dark-haired & dyed it slightly lighter, but I think she’d be a very fitting Meg.

Madame Valérius; Sarah Brightman - I don’t care if she’s not elderly, I love this woman more than my life & if it wasn’t for her POTO as we know it wouldn’t be what it is today. I really just want some appreciation for this icon & a few little appearances

*I would of loved to have Misty Copeland as Meg but alas she’s too old & I couldn’t figure out a Madame Giry to play opposite her if she was of age.

-

Crew & Design;

Costumes/Sets; Maria Björnson- Literally keep all of Maria’s original design, maybe with a few touches of Alexandra Byrne’s flair, with slight alterations for film. Make it grand, vibrant, historically accurate. But not too bright, like the Phantom’s lair in the 2004 movie.

Cinematography; Sam Esmail - his lighting work behind the camera is simply riveting.

Score; Maybe Daniel Hart? Very underappreciated film composer.

I honestly don’t have a director in mind.

-

Thanks for the really interesting ask!

[operafantomet]

Rachel Anne Moore & Gardar Thor Cortes + promo shots

[andrewlloydwebber]

Milica Jovanović as LND!Christine in Hamburg. Photo by Patrick Imhof.

From her Instagram

[glassprism]

Where can I get a recording of Beauty Underneath from the LND Melbourne version that's on DVD? I'm trying to find it through say Amazon, but the reviews keep saying it's a different version.

The only way you can get it is by ripping the audio off the DVD.

The Australian production of Love Never Dies received a filmed version, which is the DVD that most everyone in the phandom is familiar with, but it never received any sort of cast recording.

When Love Never Dies toured the US some years later, they decided to release a cast recording for it. But instead of using the tour cast, they took an audio of the Australian cast and just released that; however, by that point ‘Beauty Underneath’ had been rewritten, so they grabbed Ben Lewis (who happened to be in the London production of Phantom at the time) and one of Gustave actors in the tour and re-recorded ‘Beauty Underneath’, as well as replacing ‘Gustave! Gustave!’ with the new ‘Beauty Underneath (Reprise)’ that had also been introduced to the tour (technically it was introduced with the Hamburg production, but I’m trying to be less confusing here).

So that’s why there’s a recording of the Australian cast, but with a new version of ‘Beauty Underneath’. Confusing, no? I imagine the reason for this was financial and convenience - instead of pulling the tour cast into a studio, just grab the already-available audio of the Australian cast and redo two songs. Voila, new recording with minimal work.

If you don’t want to or can’t rip audio off the DVD, then the closest you can get to that version of ‘Beauty Underneath’ would be the Love Never Dies concept recording (previously known as the London cast recording; they changed the name because the show has since undergone so many changes that it no longer matches with the cast recording). (Yes, I know this is probably terribly confusing. Welcome to Love Never Dies. Enjoy your stay.) However, the song is sung by Ramin Karimloo and Charlie Manton, so it’ll definitely sound a little different. I also believe Ben Lewis sings the notes somewhat lower than Ramin Karimloo does. But basically those are your options - rip the audio off the DVD or get the concept / London cast recording.

Or there’s bootlegs of the Australian production, but I’m assuming you want the highest quality available.

[creepyandspooky]

Liebe stirbt nie.

[lndnews]

(x)