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the PHANTOM 40th cast is phan-tastic | thoughts on the Phantom of the Opera West End casting news
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Mickey Jo
the Phantom of the Opera has news and it is all about the cast joining the West End production for its 40th anniversary later this year. It's been a long time since I've a theatre news video specifically recapping casting, but this is one of the most exciting and surprising casting announcements I've come across in months. So let me tell you about the Broadway and West End talent, including alumni of the show heading to His Majesty's Theatre in the West End to join the Phantom of the Opera or return to it later this year. But just before I do, a quick introduction to me for any musical theatre fans and also fans with a with a ph who may be meeting me for the first time. Oh my God. Hey. Welcome to my theatre themed YouTube channel or hello if you are listening on podcast platforms. My name is Mickey Jo and I am obsessed with all things theatre. I'm a theatre critic and content creator here on social media and today I bring you the very exciting news of the Phantom of the opera's 40th anniversary cast. And huge milestone anniversaries like this in musical theatre remain quite a rare thing because it is seldom that a show manages to attain this kind of longevity. Other than the likes of Phantom in the West End and of course Les Miserables, you have to feel for Phantom every time they're celebrating a huge birthday. Les Mis has celebrated the very same birthday the year before and it's like, oh, you're doing a celebratory 25th anniversary staged concert. We just did a celebratory 25th anniversary staged Concert. And yet there is every possibility that this casting announcement may have just eclipsed them, which is something I kind of love to see. I was a little surprised last weekend at West End Live that Phantom in the year of their 40th anniversary weren't making a bigger splash. I liked the quartet of Christine Daez harmonizing on wishing you were somehow here again. But Wicked had a little more to say about their anniversary plans and Phantoms weren't yet forthcoming. Now we know why was an announcement was on its way. And brilliant as I think it is that Phantom continues to run in the West End, I do think they needed to deliver a decent amount of enthusiasm around this anniversary and really celebrate it and remind people that the brilliant original is still on stage even though it closed on Broadway, especially since Masquerade opened off Broadway and has been such a cool and fun way to experience the show. This upcoming anniversary, then later this year is the perfect opportunity to put Phantom back in the forefront of the minds of theater goers. And that is, to my mind, exactly what they've done. I shall delay no further in letting you know who is in the cast, other than to let you know that I hope to be heading back to the show later this year. Hopefully I may get to report from the carpet of the anniversary performance, or at the very least attend Sirs Cameron McIntosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber. If you're listening to this from the Catacombs of my home. Please invite me, good messieurs. And if you're a Phantom fan who wants to make sure that you don't miss whatever content I can share from that very exciting gala, then you may want to subscribe right here on YouTube with the notifications turned on. So YouTube lets you know every time I share a new video or follow me on PODC platforms. In the meantime, let's talk about the new Phantom cast and why it's so exciting. Okie dokie. Here is the press Release. Phantom turns 40 exclamation point. And only when you're talking about an institution or a musical and not an individual is it appropriate to say that in such uncertain terms. I'm going to tell you all of the casting that has been announced and then we're going to talk about why each of these individuals is so exciting. Jordan Donnica as the Phantom, which I did not see coming Beatrice Penny Ture as Christine Da, which I absolutely did. Rhys Whitfield as Raoul Vicomte de Chagny and Sierra Boggess as Carlotta Giudicelli. What? Oh my gosh. Ian Pirrie as Monsieur Firman, Joseph Milson as Monsieur Andre, Joanna Riding as Madame Giry Matt Bateman as Ubaldo Piangi Millie Lyon as Meg Giri Colleen Rose Curran as Christine Daae at certain performances with the cast completed by let's try and do this in one breath. Harry Apps, George Arvidson, Michael Baxter, Embla Bishop, David Burrowlin, Polly Clarke, Leonard Cook, Hywell Dowzel, Connor Ewing, Lila Folce Bass, Florence Fowler, James Emily George, Melanie Gawey, Molly Hall, Will Hawkesworth, Matt Hayden, Nino Heffer, Mandy Kwan, Verity Marlowe, Tim Morgan, Nguna Morozova, Sky November, Taylor Pardell, Johnny Randall, Rachel Spurrell, Jasmine Wallace, Victoria Ward and Alicia Wong. Did I breathe in there? I think I may have. Also, apologies if I butchered the pronunciation of any of those talented people's names. We are going to talk about the principal casting, but if you already know why this is so exciting and you're curious about when you may have the chance to see them on stage, the answer is wildly complicated. So I'm just going to put up a graphic here with their dates for anyone listening on podcast. They all tend to start from slightly different points. The majority of those newly announced principles begin from Monday 3rd of August. Other than Beatrice, who will join as Christine dye from Thursday 20 August and Jordan Donnica as the Phantom, who will join from Tuesday 8th September through Spring 2027, Beatrice is scheduled through July 27th 24th July, Rhys Whitfield through 21st November this year. Sierra Boggess through 21st November this year. Also as are Ian Perry, Joseph Milson and Joann Riding. Matt Bateman, Meanwhile, scheduled through 24th of July 2027, as is Millie Lyon as Meg Giry, while Colleen Rose Curran will be Christine Dyer at certain performances through spring 2027. Anyway, let's head back to the beginning of this press release and share with you a little introductory paragraph here as the phenomenally successful Phantom of the Opera is about to celebrate a landmark 40th anniversary at its original London home, His Majesty's Theatre. That's quite special in and of itself that it's been in the same building. I know there is going to be an inevitable conversation about the fact that the show closed refurbishment and the show was updated and altered and changed and things happened to the production. I know that we're going to talk about that, but it's in the same theater where it began performances. That's not the situation for Les Mis, which debuted at the Barbican and then headed to the palace and then went to the Queens, which became the Sondheim. Phantom has been in the same place for 40 years, which is sort of extraordinary. I'm not even sure if the Mousetrap has necessarily done 40 years in the same building, though it may have, because I think the movements of the Mousetrap came fairly early on. Starlight Express, also in Bockum, has been in the same place for a very long time. Anyway, Cameron McIntosh is thrilled to introduce a sensational international cast that they are, who have been put together to play for a special limited birthday season. The 40th anniversary cast will be led by Broadway star Jordan Donnaker as the Phantom and Beatrice Penny Ture's acclaimed Christine Daae. He is playing the role for the first time. She is returning to the production, as is Reese Whitfield returning to the production as Raoul Vicomte de Chagny. I love that they have to put Raoul's title in there the entire time like it's in his. It goes on to say one of Phantom of the Opera's most loved Christines and one of Broadway's great leading ladies, Sierra Boggess, who starred in the 25th anniversary production at the Royal Albert hall in London and also played Christine in Love Never Dies, is now returning as the prima donna Carlotta. More on that in a moment opposite Matt Bateman as Piangie. And there's more about the rest of the cast, but I want to expand on that news momentarily. It does confront the revisal of it all here in a paragraph that says the brilliant original staging of Hal Prince choreographed by Gillian Lynn was revised for the post Covid reopening of the production in by Seth Skyler Hayne and Chrissy Cartwright. And the original stage and costume design by the legendary Maria Bjornsson was thrillingly restored and updated with even more spectacular effects by Matt Kinley and Jill Parker, dazzlingly lit by Andrew Bridge with associate lighting design by Warren Letton, sound by Mick Potter and musical supervision by Simon Lee. And we have a statement here from Sir Cameron Mackintosh. Buckle in. This is a paragraph. I'm thrilled that this special birthday season of Phantom at His Majesty's Theatre will be led by such a sensational cast alongside a brilliant ensemble. This is certainly going to be one of the finest casts ever of Andrew Lloyd Webber's beloved musical. And I do agree, only two musicals in history have run continuously to packed houses for over 40 years and counting. And I'm very proud to be the producer of them both. He's also incredibly wealthy to be the producer of them both, but that's implied the other being Les Miserables. I like that that had to be mentioned. It's like when you have two young children and you have to make one of them feel better on the other's birthday. Anyway, the extraordinary resurgence of interest from young audiences all over the world to see this timeless gothic romance has been mirrored in the continued pop popularity of Andrew's iconic score, which is now being excitedly discovered by new generations. I have no doubt that the Music of the Night will be thrilling audiences for many more decades to come. And I'm delighted that the show that Andrew and I embarked on just for the fun of it has become a phenomenon beyond our imaginations. Our gratitude to the public knows no bounds and here are the details you may want to know. The anniversary performance on Friday 9th October 2026 that's the date is currently off sale. Please sign up via Andrew Lloyd Webber's the Box 5 Club. That's Phantom of the Oper London40.com to be among the first to receive updates and news, though admittedly this is not a one night only cast. Certainly that's going to be a very exciting performance and I hope to be there. It's going to be, you know, a remarkable thing to celebrate in a decade's time. We're going to have 50th anniversaries for Les Mise and fandom. That's huge. That's half a century, for crying out loud. But I do like the fact that if you don't manage to get tickets to that, you can see this extraordinary lineup for months on end. That's great. After which it goes on to tell us the story of the Phantom of the Opera, which I dare say you already know. And if you don't, you can buy tickets and go and discover it for yourself. Next though, let me tell you a little bit more about each of these performers and why I am newly desperate to return to the Phantom of the Opera to see them. Let's begin then with the new Phantom of the Opera himself playing the role for the first time. This is Broadway star Jordan Donnica. Jordan is a breakout talent who has been emerging on Broadway over the past decade or so. In fact, from 2016 to 2017 he made his Broadway debut in the Phantom of the Opera as Ral, making him one of, I feel like a fairly small handful of individuals to have graduated from playing Ral to playing the Phantom. And he played ral again in 2022, which could have been the moment that inspired this current casting decision, though I have a separate theory about that. But to understand it we need to move a little further. Through his theatrical cv, he also starred in the Lincoln center revival of My Fair lady as Freddy Einsford Hill. Well, as in Camelot, the new production of Camelot at the same venue in which he played Sir Lancelot. I didn't get to see it, but I heard great things about his performance and in fact he earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He was also on the first national tour of Hamilton. He was very recently in Damn Yankees. Regionally, the same production that I believe is set to head to Broadway, though it hasn't officially been confirmed. Some curiosity about whether he is still going to be attached to that because he is said to be leaving Phantom in spring 2027 and British spring 2027 could honest February. So every possibility he manages to make both work. But the one I think is very interesting is that he briefly played Max Von Mayerling in the Jamie Lloyd directed Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard, the Tony Award winning revival starring Nicole Scherzinger. And you may be thinking, I didn't know that Jordan Donnica was in that production and he was only in it at the tail end of its run because there had been an extension and a handful of the cast members who had transferred with the show from the original West End mounting left the production a little early, including Grace Hodgett Young, including also the brilliant David Thaxton who was playing Max. So Jordan Donnaker was brought in to play Max. And if I know Sir Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, he likes to
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Mickey Jo
sign off on the talent going into the major roles in his shows, at the very least vocally. And so I dare say this put Jordan Donnaker back on his radar after his stints in the Broadway production of the Phantom of the Opera. And I wonder if it was this exact moment about a year ago that prompted Andrew to think, do you know what? He'd be a fantastic 40th anniversary phantom. He is a remarkable vocalist and I'm very much looking forward to a brand new Phantom of the Opera, but one who has some kind of history with the show. I think that's an important thing to be able to do in this kind of an anniversary casting moment, but it's a difficult tightrope to walk. You want to pay tribute to the legacy, but it also wants to feel alive and fresh. Carrying on Beatrice Penny Ture returns to the role of Christine Dyer. Now Beatrice made her professional and West End debut in the ensemble of the Phantom of the Opera before taking on the role of Christine. She has also been Nabalungi in the Book of Mormon. She was in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends working with producer Sir Cameron McIntosh, the cast of that particular show being heavily comprised of individuals whose talent he was newly platforming or had been for years it felt very much like Sir Cameron McIntosh's old friends as much as Stephen Sondheim's, or rather Stephen Sondheim's old friends and Sir Cameron Mackintosh's new discoveries. Now Beatrice, I believe, had been playing Christine in Phantom but had departed the show briefly. And Zavilson, I think, is currently principal Christine after playing Christine in Masquerade Off Broadway. Go and check her out before she leaves the show so that Beatrice could go and be cassette in the 40th anniversary international arena tour of Les Miserables. Cassette and Christine being two roles that often go hand in hand. Though it's worth pointing out, for the past four decades in productions around the world, a minority of the actresses who have played either Cosette or Christine Daae have been people of color. And there have been a handful of landmark casting moments. The first black actor to play the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, the first black actress to play the role of Christine Daae in a principal capacity. But this current moment is also going to be something of a landmark one, I believe, because from what I can recall, and feel free to correct me in the comments if I'm misspeaking on this, this may very well be the first occasion when the principal of Christine Daae and the Phantom will both be played by black actors simultaneously, which is very exciting. And also it's going to create a lot of opinions in comments section. So if you see any of that as you are traveling around social media, if, heaven forbid, you see any of that in my own comment section down below, please feel free to challenge the nonsense wherever you can. Because 40 years on from the opening of the show when it starred the composer's wife, and with it having in all of those years never once purported to be a documentary, the only thing that really matters when you are casting these roles is talent. Two certainly have it in abundance. Moving on to another who is returning to the show and that is Rhys Whitfield as Raoul Vicomte de Chagny to give him his full title, which apparently is very important. Rhys has most recently been seen at the Bridge Theatre in London playing Rapunzel's Prince in Into the Woods. The production is transferring to the West End and I had heard through, I was about to say the Grapevine, but the Beanstalk might be more appropriate that only a handful of performers would be transferring from the British theatre production, and while because of his November departure date he could be joining it a little later in the run, I don't necessarily necessarily see the point. He also opened the West End production of the Devil Wears Prada as Andy's boyfriend, who I'm sure has a name, he had a song, at least couple songs really. And you know, I'd love to tell you, but prior to that he was in Phantom. I saw him in Phantom in the West End. He is in fact my favorite. Raoul Vicomte de Chagny I have seen in any production of the Phantom of the Opera. I thought he was sensational and I'm thrilled that he is going back into it, making this a real powerhouse leading trio. And in a weird way, he isn't the only Rowell to be returning to the show. In fact, multiple Rowells returning to the show when you consider that Jordan Donnaker was one himself. But I'm talking about a Rowell not from Phantom of the Opera, but from Love Never Dies. Because when that much talked about masked sequel opened for the first time at the Adelphi Theatre more than a decade ago in the West End, the role of Raoul, aged up alcoholic and with a gambling addiction, spoiler alert. Was played by Joseph Milson, an actor who has done more work in plays than in musical theater, but has played Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins and had a fine singing voice in Love Never Dies, singing the act to lament why Does She Love Me? As well as the unforgettable homoerotic duet Devil Take the Hindmost. Anyway, Joseph, who is a brilliant stage actor, is going to be making his debut in the Phantom of the Opera playing Monsieur Andre. I think I guessed one of the two. Yeah, he's Andre. Ian Pirrie is Fear man. He's been in the show before. He returns to the London production of the Phantom of the Opera having played Bouquet, Joseph Bouquet of Joseph Bouquet. Hold your tongue. Fame, that one. You know him, you know his work. That was in 2008 and 2009. Further credits include many screen roles, a bunch of straight plays, as well as Les Miserables and Quasimodo in Notre Dame de Paris. I love a good Monsieur Andre and Monsieur Firmin so very much looking forward to these two. And a feat, I think, to be able to attract name talent in all of these roles. You know, you manage to do it consistently with Les Mis because even the smaller characters in that show, the likes of like the Thenardiers and Yamarius and Yeanjois, like, they tend to still feel quite iconic, but to manage to get exciting talents in all of these roles in Phantom, including Matt Bateman, who is going to be playing Ubaldo Piangi. Matt is this rising star vocalist who has been in the ensemble of the Phantom of the Opera before and who covered principal roles within that ensemble. I am so excited for him. I remember hearing him sing till I hear you sing at what used to be the back half of the Phoenix Arts Club more than a decade ago. He is such a talented singer. If you haven't heard clips of him on social media, go and check them out. And that's before get to what may be the most exciting name in this announcement, which is that Sierra Boggess is returning to the show to play Carlos.
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Mickey Jo
Now When I first heard this last week, it was alongside the suggestion that Ramin might be coming back to play the Phantom. And at the time I was sort of incensed with rage on her behalf because the indignity of Ramin getting to still be the Phantom. But Sierra having to age up into Carlotta was almost too much for me to bear. It's a little easier to stomach. Given that it's going to be a different Phantom and that her Love Never Dies era husband Joseph Milson is going to be playing Monsieur Andre. But Sierra's casting is the perfect moment to really celebrate an anniversary. She has had a long and var history with the Phantom of the Opera. She played Christine in the Las Vegas Spectacular production. She was subsequently picked to play Christine in Love Never Dies in that original West End production that she was arguably. I mean, both of them arguably were too young for the roles if they were able to convincingly then play Christine and Phantom again in the 25th anniversary concert staging at the Royal Albert hall, which I think for many young fans of the show is the way that they discovered it or the way that they best know it because it's now a pro shot that a lot of people around the world can watch.
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Jack Myers
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Mickey Jo
It's also not the only time that she's worked with Sir Cameron McIntosh. She has also been in multiple productions of Les Miserables, initially in the ensemble, I believe, of the US tour, later as Fantine in the West End. She's also worked with Sir Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber on other occasions. She was in the original Broadway cast of School of Rock. She was also famously Ariel in the Little Mermaid. On Broadway. She is a really fascinating talent with a broad range. I mean that both in terms of her acting but also as a vocal vocalist. She in so few of these roles because she's always been playing winsome and often tragic ingenues, has had the opportunity to display the full extent of her comedy chops. She is desperately funny and a little kooky even. And I'm really excited for what I think is inevitably going to be a really different Carlotta. We've also had very few. I don't know that she's the first, but we've had certainly very few Christines graduate to playing Carlotta. You see it all the time in Les Mis. Like the students become the Valjeans and the. And the Eponines become the Fantines. Sometimes the eponines and the Fantines become the Madame Thenardiers. Sometimes the Gavroches have come back to the show. Like, there's so much graduation that happens in the world of Les Miserables often because Cameron Mackintosh kind of keeps it in the family. But we've had very few. Christine's two Carlottas. There was set to be one and then it fell through around the time of COVID But so much of the Carlotta material becomes about exacting this diva wrath towards Christine. And getting to play that on set stage towards a character with whom you were associated for much of your career, that's got to be very exciting. I'm sure she's thrilled to have the opportunity to do that. And it's still a great role, it's still a big sing. She's going to get to do the beginning of Think of Me and then go off stage for a rest while Christine takes over the rest of it in a lower key. And I do think she is still going to read as a younger Carlotta, which makes me deeply fascinated, as well as a Carlotta that kind of feels more comparable to Christine than those that we normally see. And so when Christine gets pluck and it's like you can be the new Carlotta, you're kind of going to be able to see it a little bit more. I just think that's very interesting and I do think it's a name that's going to convince a lot of Phantom of the Opera fans to instantly book their tickets. I'm also curious whether that decision came from Cameron or Andrew and which of them it was that was like, what if we got Ciara to be Carlotta? I feel like it was an Andrew moment. I feel like he's really championed her for years. This next performer though is another name that may have come from Cameron and make no more mistake, this is a huge, huge deal. Olivier Award winner Joanna Riding is going to be playing the role of Madame Giry, which is perfect for her. But I didn't know that this was an option that was available that an actress of the caliber of Joanna Riding, with the amount of shows that she has led over her career would be heading in to a long running musical to replace in a role like Madame Giry. She's going to be fantastic. She's a wonderful talent. She was also in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, the extended run of the show. She transferred with some of the West End cast members to the Broadway production. So she's worked recently closely with Sir Cameron. And so this could have been an email. I mean this could have been a phone call with him being like, Joanna, how do you feel about coming to play Madame giry in the 40th anniversary of Phantom of the Opera? Just for a couple of months and you know, it's not a desperately challenging gig. She has slightly better material in Love Never Dies and I would love to see Joanna Riding tackle that at some point. But you know, black wig and a barn high collar dress, stick to bang on the stage little bit of singing, keep your hand at the level of your eye, all of that stuff. Joanna riding almost over qualified. She has been seen in, gosh, the original West End production of the Wishes of Eastwick. She was in My Fair lady and a major revival of Carousel. She's also worked in other Lloyd Webber musicals. She was in the original Western company of Stephen Ward. So she is known to the composer. I mean, she's known to the entire West End. Finally, I've spoken a lot about veterans and alumni going into the show. We also have some exciting early career talent to talk about. Millie Lyon is going to be in the role of Meg Giry. Millie made her West End debut in Phantom of The Opera in 2024. And Colleen Rose Curran will be Christine Daae at certain performances. She made her West End debut in Phantom of the Opera in 2023. And I know that roles for young sopranos are dwindling other than cassette up the street in Les Miserables, but you really have to acknowledge the number of young performers, specifically I actresses, who got their professional start their western debut in Phantom of the Opera. So many bios read this way and they have been for years doing a great job of scouting really exciting young soprano talent. One of the many things that the show has been achieving throughout its 40 years on the West End stage. Some fun stats with you from the press release here before we finish. This production of Angela Dwebber's Phantom of the Opera is widely considered one of the world's most beautiful and spectacular music musicals. Since 1986, the show has become a global phenomenon with productions playing to 160 million people in 217 cities, 52 territories and in 23 languages. The celebrated romantic and soaring score includes the Music of the night, all I ask of you, wishing you were somehow here again Masquerade and the iconic title song. We're not mentioning notes, we're not including my favourite. Okay, that's fine. Phantom of the Opera has won over 70 major awards all over the world. In 1988, the Broadway production was nominated for 12 Tony Awards and won seven, including Best Musical. Beating into the Woods. I'm still not over it. The original London production in its 1986 debut won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical and two Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical. The original cast recording was the first in British musical history to enter the charts at number one. That's a fascinating piece of information and it has become one of the shows that defines musical theatre, one of the productions with which the entire art form is associated. And it finds success around the world. It's one of the few musical that can stay open and sell tickets in Australia. More on that conversation coming later this week for anyone who happens to be curious. For now though, I hope to have convinced you that this is a hugely exciting casting moment for the show. One of the most exciting lineups that it will have had in years. I cannot wait to go back and experience these performances and as and when I do, you know I will be back here sharing all of my thoughts with you. So if you want to find out what I think of the upcoming cast of the Phantom of the Opera for its 40th anniversary, make sure to subscribe here on YouTube and turn on notifications so you don't miss my review when it comes. Or follow me me on podcast platforms. You can also sign up to my free weekly substack email newsletter to stay up to date with all of the shows that I'm seeing, the hundreds of productions I see each year, and everything that I am sharing about them online. In the meantime though, thank you for listening to this. I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a stagey day. For 10 more seconds, I'm Mickey Jo Theatre. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day.
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- [31:16]
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Acast Announcer
ACAST Powers the World's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
- [31:56]
Monica Reinagle
I'm Monica Reinagle, nutritionist, author and host of the Nutrition Diva podcast. We dig into the questions that you're actually asking. If it's okay to drink coffee on an empty stomach Whether it's possible to retrain your sweet tooth which ultra processed foods you might actually want to include in your diet. We take a closer look at diet trends, fact check sketchy claims, and track down the science so that you can feel more confident about what's on your plate. New episodes are released every Wednesday. Find Nutrition Diva on Apple, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening, and be sure to follow or subscribe so you don't miss a single episode.
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Acast Announcer
Acast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast. Com.