# Who plans to see Phantom of the Opera? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677 "2004-11-19T16:53:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/1 "2004-11-19T16:53:28Z")
I generally think of Andrew Lloyd Webber as the Aaron Spelling of theater (or perhaps the musical Macbeth would be a better equivalent as his shows are “filled with sound and fury signifying nothing”) and haven’t really liked anything of his other than his Tim Rice collaborations. I saw _Phantom_ in the theater and thought it was basically pretty to look at and not much else. OTOH, I feel almost a moral obligation to support any movie musical in order to encourage the production of more, and the [trailer](http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thephantomoftheopera/trailer/) looks okay. Who plans to see this one? And are there any major Gerard Butler fans out there? (They’ve obviously added some scenes since I don’t remember swordfights or snowfalls in the original, but I wonder if there are any new songs.) ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/2 "2004-11-19T17:10:00Z")
So I take it that Michael Crawford is simply too geriatric to perform the movie role? ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/3 "2004-11-19T17:11:48Z")
I’m not a big fan of _Phantom_, but as you said, I’m going to to go to encourage the studios to make more musicals that I _do_ want to see. It woorked for zombie movies–I forced myself to sit through _Resident Evil_ and saw the remake of _Dawn of the Dead_, and lo and behold, George Romero’s newest zombie epic, _Land of the Dead_, was greenlighted and is shooting in Toronto right now. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/4 "2004-11-19T17:12:37Z")
I’ll go. Like **Sampiro** , despite my loathing of ALW, I feel compelled to support the genre. It’s just a matter of choosing the lucky gentleman who will get to escort me… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/5 "2004-11-19T17:19:49Z")
I confess to a love of schlock…I’ve been a Phantom phanatic since high school. I want to go just to see whether Schumacher actually did it right or if he made Batman & Robin with chandeliers. If the Phantom has molded nipples on his formal jacket, I’ll know. Oh, and **slyfrog**? After _Dance of the Vampires_, nobody wants Crawford to even open his mouth, let alone actually take a role in a major motion picture… ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/6 "2004-11-19T17:21:42Z")
I’ll go, just to see if it’s close to the book (which is quite different from the musical). ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/7 "2004-11-19T17:28:31Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > I’ll go, just to see if it’s close to the book (which is quite different from the musical). It’s based on the musical, so probably not. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/8 "2004-11-19T17:30:11Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It’s based on the musical, so probably not. Yeah, and the trailer makes that rather obvious. It’s a shame–there’s a lot of stuff in the book that couldn’t be done on the stage but would be fantastic if done right on the silver screen. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/9 "2004-11-19T19:56:03Z")
The Phantom is too handsome. No way is that slip of a half-mask hiding anything more disfiguring than a papercut. The musical numbers and costumes (especially “Masquerade”) look spectacular, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/10 "2004-11-19T20:02:14Z")
Yea, I’ll see it. I saw it at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, so I may as well go see the film version. Still, I’m a bit trepidatious. So much of what made it great in a theatrical setting just won’t transfer to the small screen. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/11 "2004-11-19T20:06:20Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Oh, and **slyfrog**? After _Dance of the Vampires_, nobody wants Crawford to even open his mouth, let alone actually take a role in a major motion picture… Crawford is currently on the West End in “Woman in White.” After DotV, it’s very generous of ALW to give him a second chance. The show’s getting mixed reviews, but is planned to open on Broadway in 2005-2006. I might go see the Phantom of the Opera movie once or twice. The OLC of POTO is the largest selling cast recording ever. ---
**Author:** ![Just1Lurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Just1Lurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just1Lurk)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/12 "2004-11-19T20:40:29Z")
Andrew Lloyd Webber, as directed by Joel Schumacher…the mind boggles. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/13 "2004-11-19T20:47:20Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > After DotV, it’s very generous of ALW to give him a second chance. There’s an understatement. Apparently, Webber’s a mensch of epic proportions… ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/14 "2004-11-19T21:03:32Z")
That’s “Lloyd Webber” darlin’. Or “ALW” to theatre fanatics. The best quote on Crawford (per vebatim): After playing Count Kroleck (in DotV) he’s now playing Count Fosca in Woman in White. Crawford’s proven he can really play a C\*UNT (did my finger slip?). ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/15 "2004-11-19T21:12:46Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > That’s “Lloyd Webber” darlin’. Or “ALW” to theatre fanatics. I knew that, too… :smack: I love the quote. Who’s it from? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/16 "2004-11-19T21:35:48Z")
Steve Haygreen of the [www.tiretracks.co.uk](http://www.tiretracks.co.uk) site. He’s in love with Jim Steinman (or Stein-god, as Steve calls him), and never recovered from what Crawford did to DotV. ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/17 "2004-11-19T22:03:52Z")
I’ll go see it. And I haven’t heard much about it - dare I ask what character Minnie Driver is playing? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/18 "2004-11-19T22:08:28Z")
> [@Just1Lurk](#): > > Andrew Lloyd Webber, as directed by Joel Schumacher…the mind boggles. Thanks. Now I don’t have to be the first to remind you all that the film is the work of one of the five worst Hollywood directors getting regular gigs. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/19 "2004-11-19T22:08:37Z")
> [@the Lady](#): > > I’ll go see it. > > And I haven’t heard much about it - dare I ask what character Minnie Driver is playing? IMDB says Carlotta, which, given her chops at playing B-I-T-C-H on Will & Grace, might be fun… ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677/20 "2004-11-19T22:26:04Z")
That’s what I assumed from browsing the pictures I saw posted on the website, but I wasn’t sure. Huh - somehow - that’s not at all how I pictured Carlotta in my head (I never did catch it live…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-plans-to-see-phantom-of-the-opera/275677.md?page=2)