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The Phantom of the Opera: (Andrew Lloyd Webber) You
cannot underestimate the religious following created in the late 1980's
by
The Phantom of the Opera unless you were there to soak it in
for yourself. Andrew Lloyd Webber had already proven himself as the
leading contemporary master of musical composition, and as an immediate
blockbuster hit in 1987,
The Phantom of the Opera was launched to
a perpetual stage presence in London and Broadway, along with hundreds
of venues across the world, well into the 2000's. The album of the
original cast recording was one of the last widespread and successful LP
releases, and the LP and CD together represented the first musical to
enter the charts at a resounding #1 position. With over 24 million album
sales of that recording since, it's safe to say that Webber's
The
Phantom of the Opera is a cult, a religion, and quite possibly one
of the greatest compositions in the history of the musical and opera
genres. Sweeping multitudes of Tony awards, the original show was a
perfect storm, a mesmerizing cross section of classical, opera, and rock
genres performed by one of the most talented and well-balanced casts of
all time. While much press was given to the marriage and divorce of lead
actress Sarah Brightman to Webber, the lasting dynasty of
The Phantom
of the Opera is alone owed to the majesty of lead actor Michael
Crawford. The show propelled both actors onto subsequent success in solo
albums and other ventures, but it would be Crawford whose enchanting
performance as the Phantom continued to draw in new fans to the
recording long after other Webber productions had become culturally
outdated. Both
Cats and
The Phantom of the Opera stand
leagues above the other outstanding compositions of Webber's career
(including
Evita and
Sunset Boulevard), but
Cats
suffers with younger generations because of its very outdated musical
styles. With that in mind, any listener needs to accept the ultimate
triumph of
The Phantom of the Opera in its genre, whether you
belong to its cult following or are left baffled by its appeal.
By the 2000's, a film adaptation of
The Phantom of the
Opera had been coming down the pipes for over a decade, with Webber
first insisting on a film version just a few years after the play's
opening on stage. When production first began in the early 1990's, both
Crawford and Brightman, among other original performers, were set to
reprise their roles in the project. A whole slew of hindering factors,
however, delayed the film's pre-production process, including Webber's
divorce from Brightman, and, more substantially, the fact that the
rights for the film became hopelessly tied up with Warner Brothers and
Webber had to literally buy back those rights to his own production in
the 2000's to finally force the film. During that time, Webber had
shifted his attention to
Evita in 1996, producing a very worthy
film version of the show by utilizing the strong charisma and very
strong vocal talents of Madonna and Antonio Banderas to carry the
composition's energy from stage to screen. By the time casting began a
second time for
The Phantom of the Opera, the ten years that had
passed since the film was first conceived presented a problem. Brightman
was too old to portray the young rising star, Steve Barton (the original
Raoul) had died tragically in 2001, and questions were raised about the
ideal age for the actor in the title role. A very vocal campaign to
retain Crawford was undertaken by devoted supporters of
The Phantom
of the Opera, with ads in magazines leading to thousands of
signatures and petitions to Webber. The general argument of the Crawford
fanatics was (and still is) that the Phantom is a father figure whose
older age is not only appropriate, but necessary for the love triangle
of the film to be successful. Webber, however, had set his sights on a
younger Phantom who could double as a hunk and draw teenagers into the
theatres, and after dismissing Crawford, he began a search of younger
pop-culture actors who could fit into the role. He had already
established 18-year-old actress/singer Emmy Rossum and Tony-nominee
Patrick Wilson as Christine and Raoul, respectively, and after a hunt
rich with internet rumors, Webber settled upon Scottish actor Gerard
Butler as the Phantom.
The choice of Butler for the title role was met with
immediate skepticism by dedicated fans and the general public alike, for
the actor, known more for his dashing looks than anything else, had no
formal training as a vocalist. Both Rossum and Wilson had professionally
sung, and despite their coaching through the filming process, it was
Butler who would necessitate significant guidance over an entire year to
prepare him for the role. As filming commenced, Butler and other
principle actors practiced and recorded their vocals in the days before
the filming of their scenes, but in the waning days of the project, the
process became so hectic that Butler would practice and record only
hours before stepping on the set. Even after the principle shooting was
finished, many re-recordings and cuts and edits were required to meet
Webber's standards, inserting revised performances of stanzas and even
shorter snippets to meet approval from the composer. Webber's standards
are particularly interesting to note here, because the composer's most
public statement involving the film version of
The Phantom of the
Opera at the time had been that he held extremely high standards for
the vocals (as necessary to maintain the superiority of the original
stage cast). This is, in short, why so many people were stunned and
baffled by the casting choices for the film. The directorial hiring for
the project was also suspicious to fans of the show. By inserting flashy
director Joel Schumacher into the mix, you ran the risk of creating a
production obsessed with visuals rather than one that concentrates
rightly on the music. Indeed, the film has a touch of Gothom City from
Schumacher's
Batman sequels, and the actors chosen to fill those
sets are far more pleasant to view than the ones who previously
performed those roles. Webber did, though, involve his original
co-producer, Nigel Wright, and supervisor/conductor, Simon Lee, in an
effort to bring continuity to the screen. Together, they recruited more
than 100 top musicians from around Europe, some of whom having
previously recorded some variation of
The Phantom of the Opera,
and recorded their performances in the same Abbey Road Studios as the
original ensemble.
The original group of players for the 1986 recording was
considerably smaller. Roughly 60 players were involved in that
recording, with even less gracing many of the individual productions of
the show during their runs across the world. But an important
distinction must be made with the original 60 performers and their
outstanding product. Their performances were overdubbed to accentuate
their size and scope, and the result was a surprisingly crisp orchestral
backing that often sounded, quite logically, like all of these extra
performers were playing in perfect unison (and of course they were,
given that they were often the same performances layered several times).
It had always been Webber's wish to give his underscore for
The
Phantom of the Opera a fuller treatment, and rightfully so, for the
score had many outbursts during which the ensemble performs one of the
songs' melodies at the height of their own talents. There has been an
interest over the years in having only the orchestral elements of the
original recording released without the vocals, and the beefing up of
those performances in the film version also begs for their own solo
release. The wandering focus and inherent format of the film
necessitated some new score material by Webber in 2004. Despite the
general similarities in nearly every piece, Webber expanded phrases here
and there, cut a bit from the middle or end of songs, and inserted new
underscore for non-singing sequences. An entirely new theme accompanies
the second half of the film; it is one of solace that is introduced when
Christine journeys to the cemetery and culminates in a full, lengthy
brass statement during the final underground confrontation. New score is
provided for a flashback to the Phantom's youth and, as Webber had done
with
Evita, a short end credits song was provided as certain
(though unsuccessful) Oscar bait. Interestingly, these new themes rarely
cross over between the realms of score and song. In the end, though,
casual listeners of
The Phantom of the Opera, the kind who pull
it off the shelf once every three years (or haven't pulled it at all
since the early 1990's), are not likely to notice any earth-shattering
differences between the stage and screen renditions. This is, after all,
how Webber wanted it.
What Webber certainly didn't want to hear, however, was
the absolute pounding that critics immediately leveled on the film in
its pre-release screenings. Response across the board was both
consistent and savage, with most of the critics aiming their disdain and
shock over the film in the direction of Butler as the Phantom. Some
claimed the movie to be the most incredible failure of staggering
proportions to hit the big screen in a generation. The general public
then confirmed the most general worry of
Phantom fanatics:
visuals were priority number one and the music was priority number two.
The British have been the most vividly spectacular in their negative
criticism of the film (after all, the production was their brain child
originally and they have the right to claim its successes and denounce
its failures) and one writer from
The Herald summed up the
critical response by stating, "I approached this with an open mind. I
really did. And it made me want to claw out my own eyeballs and use them
to plug my ears." But could the music itself it really be that horrible?
Was there any hope for the songs and their performances if they were
divorced from the visuals? After all, how could one of the greatest
compositions of its era be so thoroughly ruined?
Indeed, the music for this film adaptation of
The
Phantom of the Opera is, as the Phantom would say, a disaster beyond
your imagination.
If Webber truly thought that the performances contained in
this film version lived up to the standards established by the original
recording, then he completely lost his mind. Rossum's voice is very
pretty and innocently elegant, but it is badly underpowered and often
unable to enunciate itself clearly beyond the volume of the orchestra.
In subdued moments, such as much of "Wishing You Were Here Again," she
does reasonably well, and her voice is well matched to Wilson's tones as
Raoul. Wilson does suffer from the same problem of lack of power, which
may be either a characteristic of his own voice or once again a mixing
problem involving the orchestra and sound effects. The supporting cast
is very disappointing, with the monsieurs of the theatre (Firmin and
Andre) often muddled and lacking in necessary inflection. Minnie Driver
does not perform her own operatic vocals as Carlotta (she's talented in
a more modern pop sense, as heard in the new closing credits song, but
does not have the talent necessary for this role), but the character's
singing vocalist, Margaret Preece, lacks the ability to perform with the
convincing pompousness needed for the role. In every corner, the roles
are performed without emphasis on words, without pizzazz in moments of
triumph, and without the enthusiasm that saturated the performances of
the original cast. In some places, their renditions are all passable,
but on the whole, they leave a somewhat sour impression. Butler's
performance exists on a whole other level of hideousness, though, and it
is this unbelievable error that defines the film recording of
The
Phantom of the Opera as both horrendous and painful. Butler's lack
of formal vocal training is clearly an obvious obstacle, the man
relegated to shouting his role rather than singing it. He cannot hold
notes worth a damn, and the entire demeanor of his voice is wrong for
the role. The Phantom is supposed to be both mysterious and romantic.
There should be something overpowering and seductive about his voice, as
captured perfectly by Crawford. Butler does well with the anguish and
anger element, but that's the easy stuff. Volumes could be written about
the particulars of how this actor was terrible for the role, but at some
point, you have to just denounce the poor guy as a terrible casting
blunder and move on.
Some people might argue that it is unfair to humiliate
Butler by comparing him to Crawford. True, the Phantom has been played
by hundreds of men around the world (some of whom African American...
yes, indeed! Why not?) and few of them, if any, could compare to
Crawford's triumph in the role. The problem with Butler is that he's not
even in the same league with any such actors. His voice is so young,
pop-influenced, and untrained that his performances sound like those you
would hear in a local high school or college production of the play.
Yes, it's that bad. The fact of the matter is that Crawford set the bar
so high that Webber would either have had to hire him once again for the
role or search much harder for an equal talent. The producers of the
film, though, would make two arguments in favor of Butler. First, they'd
state that Crawford is too old now for the role. This is nonsense.
Crawford, in case you had not heard him in the 2000's, could still sing
quite beautifully, and his knowledge of the songs and score is
unsurpassed. Second, they'd tell you that the film would be more
successful in targeting younger audiences by utilizing a younger, more
physically appealing Phantom. This notion is also complete nonsense.
What Webber and Schumacher did was sacrifice the quality of the music so
that they could get a handsome young Phantom who, as an actor, was
somewhat established. Besides, the Phantom is supposed to be an older
character. Christine confuses him with the ghost of her father, and he
is a presence in her life from childhood. He uses his age and genius to
generate his power over her, and it is that distinction that makes the
love triangle between them and Raoul so dramatic. How can we believe
that a Phantom who can't reach or sustain certain musical notes is
powerful enough to brainwash a beautiful young singer with vocal charm?
The truly stinky moments of the film recording are those near the end of
the production when Christine, Raoul, and the Phantom are all singing
over each other in counterpoint during their argument about the choice
that the Phantom has given Christine. You cannot tell the difference
between Butler's voice and Wilson's. Likewise, Butler's voice is not
commanding enough to make him frightening during the ominous
note-reading sequences.
Having ranted long enough about the problems with the
vocals, let's shift to some of the specific (and sometimes positive)
alterations heard in the adaptation. A rambling blow-by-blow description
follows next, so if you're impatient with this review already, then skip
to the end. The opening auction sequence has no notable changes. The
overture that follows is extended for the film, with more of the pop
rhythm of the title song performance transferred here. After the organ
does its job, though, the brass section has a badly muted sound, its
lack of clarity perhaps due to an overzealous mixing of the bass
elements. An extended introduction of Christine and Carlotta are a
welcome addition after the Hannibal piece. In "Think of Me," we begin to
hear dialogue spoken rather than sung, though the song remains a
highlight of the production. One very curious change in "Angel of Music"
and "The Mirror" (the reprise of the former) is the absence of the
thumping bass strings that would be established as the foreshadowing of
a Phantom appearance. Without those pulsating basses, the orchestra has
a very shallow presence in these two tracks. You hear the Phantom in
full song for the first time here, and his voice is far too soft for the
poorly mixed orchestral climax before the title song. Why would
Christine follow such a weak voice into the mirror? Likewise, the
popular title song is extremely disappointing in this recording. It won
the Tony award for the show by itself and is likely the most
recognizable piece from the play (its descending five note theme to
announce the Phantom is still heard around sports arenas today). If you
remember back to the late 1980's, there was an MTV video version of "The
Phantom of the Opera," with Brightman and a substitute for Crawford
performing. This film version reminds a lot of that pop treatment, even
down to the ridiculous clapping sounds. The orchestra is less powerful
in its propulsive background rhythm, and whereas a lighter acoustic
guitar has replaced the electric bass, an electric guitar has been
allowed to wail away in the background. Only a cool and ghostly
background female vocal adds new character to the song. The most
irritating aspect of this version of "The Phantom of the Opera" is its
shortened length; a quarter of the song is simply missing (the section
that starts with the Phantom singing the lyrics "In all your
fantasies..."). As with a few other parts of the album, previously fully
sung parts of the Phantom's performances are done in a whisper,
including the introduction to "Music of the Night."
A music video was also made of "Music of the Night" back
in the 1980's, this time featuring Crawford in full costume and on set.
The song, reprised with a flourish in the waning moments of the story,
is also wildly popular with audiences, and Butler's inability to sing is
blatantly confirmed as a certainty in his performance here. He has no
class, no style, and no allure in this song, and it seems that some
cutting, mixing, and artificial extending have been done to help hide
Butler's inabilities (one such awkward cut is at "where you long to...
be"). A strong orchestral finish to the song does showcase the increased
depth of the new performing group, but only exaggerates the difference
in quality between the players and the lead voice. The "Magical Lasso"
cue has no notable changes. The de-masking performance that follows
further exposes Butler's emphasis on an extremely strained, angry
performance rather one that would merit a response of pity. The "Notes"
and "Prima Donna" sequences are the first chance to hear how this new
set of actors can perform in complex layers. Unfortunately, the theatre
monsieurs aren't as crisp, with the overlapping of voices too muddled to
clearly delineate. In this environment, the Phantom still overcomes the
owners' voices in the reading of notes, but not in a convincingly
menacing fashion. Carlotta's performances cut corners and reduce the
amount of flair in her singing personality (high operatic notes for
counterpoint are removed). The track is kept intact until a new ending,
which completely strips away the Phantom's pivotal warning and the
second concluding sequence to the song. In the opera leading up to the
first disaster, when Carlotta is made to croak like a toad, several
unfortunate deviations are made. As Carlotta does begin her croaking
(which doesn't sound much like genuine croaking here), the Phantom's
maniacal laughter has been removed. In fact, nearly all the Phantom's
devious sense of humor (or outward craziness, if you choose) is
strangely absent from this version, an extremely disappointment that
marginalizes the character's formerly intriguing personality. A
lengthier and stronger build-up to the live performance disaster (not
involving the chandelier this time) has a fantastic orchestral
adaptation for the first chaos sequence, though. Once again, the
adaptation's orchestra outshines the singers, despite the enhanced sound
effects of the chaos on stage and in the fictional crowd.
In line with the observations of the Phantom's less
striking personality, his longing repetition of the "Christine" quote is
muffled in "Raoul I've Been There" cue. The hit song "All I Ask of You"
is perhaps the best adaptation of a song on the album, featuring good
chemistry between the vocalists despite their slight weaknesses in
projection. The reprise that closes out the first half of the show is
not structurally different, but Butler's vocals are so outrageously
awful in this cue (perhaps his worst of the entire film) that this
sequence will make any devoted
Phantom fan equally sick with
despair. Likewise, the abbreviated version of the "Entr'acte" is also a
souring factor, though the choice is somewhat understandable given the
lack of an intermission in the film. After only 30 seconds of that
"Entr'acte," a shorter version of "Masquerade" ensues, with much of the
engagement talk between Christine and Raoul curiously spoken instead of
sung, eliminating the spirit of the "All I Ask of You" reprise
altogether. The swirling, dancing score in "Masquerade" is still a
symphonic highlight of album, and Webber introduces his new "Learn to be
Lonely" theme in the underscore as the Phantom crashes the party. The
sound effects of swords and breathing that follow are a bit annoying,
however. The next cue is an all-new flashback tale of the Phantom's
youth, and its carnival music (despite filling some plot holes nicely)
is not very pleasant to hear. In "Journey to the Cemetery," you can
enjoy the prized new score cue composed by Webber for the film,
introducing the "solace theme" that will later explode into full
symphonic force near the end of the story. For fans of Webber's
orchestral composition, regardless of the vocals, this is a particularly
intriguing addition. The song that follows, "Wishing You Were Here
Again," is very elegant, although Christine's voice continues to be
underpowered (once again indicating, perhaps, a mixing problem).
Definitely underpowered are the Phantom's attempts to lure Christine in
"Wandering Child," with poor vocal chemistry between the two leads and
incompatible tones combining with the barely present thumping bass
strings to suck all the tense magic out of the piece. New score also
accompanies "The Swordfight," as well as significantly more sound
effects that make the enjoyment of that score sequence challenging out
of context.
In the brainstorm session of "We Have All Been Blind,"
there is a striking underperformance by Rossum, who features nearly none
of the desperation necessary in here solemn solo ("...in this, the
phantom's opera"). A great orchestral outburst of "Prima Donna" and nice
mixing of the monsieurs and Phantom in the note reading are commendable,
although the great spat between the two leading ladies (when Christine
refers to Carlotta as "you evil woman") is missing. The "Don Juan"
performance is largely the same as the play's version. By the time of
the fans' sentimental favorite song, "The Point of No Return," the two
leads are having a difficult time meshing well and hitting any
concurrent notes. It's likely a mixing problem again, but if they're not
performing at the same tempo, then that could be a fatal flaw, too. Not
only are the lyrics altered in this piece, but the lightly tapping drum
in "The Point of No Return" is absent as well. The second total chaos
sequence in the film version now involves the chandelier (instead of the
strangling of the male opera star), and the extended score for this
scene is done well despite, once again, the significant sound effects
that hinder the clarity of the music and dialogue. The conveyance of the
organization of the raiding party is poorly mixed and might leave a plot
hole in the film. Substandard performances and questionable mixing
destroy the climactic series of reprises in "Down Once More," including
the trio reprise of "The Point of No Return." The words "deep as hell"
are mangled by Butler, and the "track down this murderer" lyrics of the
opera house ensemble are too faint to be effective. Listeners are
treated, however, to a resounding and powerful performance of the new
'solace theme,' which is another highlight of the album. As mentioned
before, the moments requiring all three principal voices to perform at
once are a disaster, Butler not distinguishing himself to any degree
above Wilson's voice. The releasing of the prisoner sequence is well
done, with no structural changes, but the grand finale of the film is
once again a major detraction. For the Phantom's last "Music of the
Night" reprise, he whispers the formerly magnificent line "You alone can
make my song take flight" instead of singing it, and with no extension
in his final vocal, Butler crucifies an otherwise good orchestral
performance of the closing notes.
To end the film, Webber has added another song, just as
he did with
Evita in 1996. In that film, however, Madonna
performed it herself, and the tone was appropriately mournful and
subdued. Thus, it became an awards season success. For
The Phantom of
the Opera, Webber concocted a seemingly unrelated, light pop song
performed by Minnie Driver, Carlotta's speaking voice. The song's
construct has nothing to do with the rest of the production, exudes the
wrong tone, is performed by an auxiliary character, and does not gel
with the album's contents. When this song was predictably awarded
nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, such actions could
be perceived as a tip of the hat to Webber's previous success with
The Phantom of the Opera and not this particular song. "Learn to
be Lonely," along with the entirely mysterious foul-up of an overall
package, raise a plethora of questions about Webber's common sense on
this adaptation. Why did he not write the end credits song based on the
'solace theme' and make the performance by Rossum or Butler? Or better
yet... Crawford? Sure, why not give that nugget to the fans in just that
one song? Why were the orchestral performances throughout the score so
badly mixed? Why did so many sound effects end up in the final cut of
the album? Why were tempos altered so drastically in certain key
sequences? Why were lyrics unnecessarily changed? Why were awesome
lyrics changed to spoken word? Why was Christine consistently mixed too
low compared with the ensemble? Why was the orchestra not as involved
with emphasis and style as the original, smaller group? Or, more
succinctly put, how could 60 players recorded in 1986 sound so much
better in parts than 100+ players in 2004? Why was there such a dry
overall sound mixing in the recording, especially for moments when the
Phantom's voice is supposed to echo? Why were key sequences or
instrumentation in songs removed, diminished, or replaced by lesser
quality? On the whole, where did the romance go? Where did the magic go?
The sensuality? The true operatic spirit? The crisp clarity of voices?
The dynamic explosiveness of the chaotic moments? The sense of humor?
The extra little flair in Carlotta's performance at high ranges? The
undeniable pity that you're supposed to feel for the Phantom at the end
despite all of his flaws?
This awkward remake solicits just too many painfully
obvious questions to ask. Webber's intentions were obviously well
natured, but this result is one of the most spectacular failures of
execution anyone could ever have predicted. It is nearly impossible to
imagine a leading performance of Webber's
The Phantom of the
Opera as an amateurish, stumbling failure, but the film's recording
is so wretched that this reviewer, one seemingly among many who have had
the same horrible realization, is left stunned and exceedingly irritable
by this composition's demise. The album situation, should you be brave
and actually risk tarnishing your opinion of the musical, is similar to
that of the play. A "highlights" album with the traditional black cover
features the major pieces. A two-CD "special edition" album with a pink
and gray cover (can it get any stranger?) has nearly the full
presentation and will be the only option for those of you seeking the
interesting new score material from Webber. If you have never heard the
original cast recording, you may find this new version of
The Phantom
of the Opera to be a somewhat average musical. But if you're a fan
of the original, and you, like most of the world in the 80's and 90's,
went to see the production in a major venue, then the film recordings
will either make you bleed at the ears or shock you into a state of
stunned semi-consciousness. The choice of Butler as the Phantom is
clearly the stake in the heart of this production, and if Crawford had
indeed returned for this production, his magical voice alone would have
made the whole endeavor worthwhile. But without any redeeming vocal
aspect to this recording even outside of Butler, there is no reason to
have any hope in either the film or its albums. Enthusiasts of the play
can take come solace in Webber's better choices for the stage sequel,
Love Never Dies (despite its own shortcomings), and they only
hope that the total popular failure of this film, despite whatever box
office grosses it enjoyed, doesn't curse Webber in his efforts to
continue the transition from stage to screen. He has supposedly been
working on adapting his 1993 hit
Sunset Boulevard to film for
many years as well, and let's pray that he chooses a mature, established
actress to play Norma Desmond, because it's been proven now that talent
on the level of Madonna is necessary to truly make his songs, like the
Phantom's, take flight. The music of the night is not only over now, but
it left a cold, foul stink in the room.
@Amazon.com: CD or
Download
- Music as Originally Written for the Play: *****
- Music as Heard on the 1986 Cast Recording: *****
- New and Adapted Music as Written for the 2004 Film: **
- Music as Heard on the 2004 Cast Recording: FRISBEE
- Overall: *
