Banderas, for the record, is about 10 years older than Butler but has more range to him as an actor (possibly because he’s had more experience). Butler was 35 in this role, and the makeup crew made him look younger, not older.Īntonio Banderas was in the running for the Phantom, but Webber and Schumacher went in a different direction. That would place him at leasy in his 50s or 60s. In the film, Madame Giry explains that she met the Phantom as a child. Gerard Butler is also way too young for this role. If you want Gerard Butler’s sexy body all over your film, you cast him as Raoul, who is supposed to be attractive. If the audience isn’t repulsed by the character, then they don’t understand Christine’s plight. As I’ve said time and again in these essays, I think making the Phantom sexy ruins some of the story. The movie did everything possible to emphasize his sex appeal, including turning the Phantom’s legendary disfigurement into the equivalent of a bad sunburn. The problem is that he was horribly miscast. This movie didn’t suck because of him he did what he was told to do. Nothing he’s done as an actor has really blown me away, but I’ve never walked out of a film thinking he stunk it up, either. Let’s get this out of the way right now: I don’t have a problem with Gerard Butler. Even so, I deem it to be markedly inferior, dropping the ball as a love story and making just enough changes to render the plot of the musical nonsensical. Notably, this film is an adaptation of the Broadway musical, not the original novel. The result is a lot of pretty sets but a story that has very little substance. Schumacher’s career was still recovering from the debacle that was Batman and Robin, and Webber had lost whatever magic he once had. This film is a result of director Joel Schumacher teaming up with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Note: The original Broadway cast doubling is indicated, but these parts may be split among the ensemble.The 2004 Phantom of the Opera film has a fairly large fanbase, and I think that mostly reflects the fact that Gerard Butler is a sexy man. Male Dancer-Slave Master-Little to none-strong dancing roleįemale Corps de Ballet-Little to none-strong dancing role The Phantom-High Baritone with a full-voice range of at least two octavesĬhristine Daae-Soprano with a G (below middle C) and a top E Two Epicene Men (a hairdresser and Jeweler)Įnsemble: The Ballet Chorus of the Opera, Stagehands, Policemen, Attendants Wardrobe Mistress/ Confidante (in Il Muto) Joseph Buquet, chief stagehand of the Opera Monsieur Lefèvre, the previous owner of the Opera Meg Giry, Madame Giry’s daughter, member of the ballet chorus, Christine’s best friend Monsieur Reyer, the chief répétiteur/director of the Paris Opera Ubaldo Piangi, leading tenor of the Opera, Carlotta's husband Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, patron of the Opera, childhood sweetheart of ChristineĬarlotta Giudicelli, the Prima Donna of the Opera The Phantom, a composer and magician known as the Opera Ghost A 2004 film adaptation, helmed by Joel Schumacher and starring Gerard Butler in the title role, Emmy Rossum as Christine Daaé and Patrick Wilson as Raoul, grossed $154 million worldwide. The original cast recording was the first in British musical history to enter the charts at number one and worldwide album sales now exceed 40 million. The show has played to over 140 million people in 35 countries in 166 cities around the world, winning over 70 major theatre awards, grossing an estimated $6 billion. Phantom won the 1986 Olivier and 1988 Tony Awards for Best Musical, with Michael Crawford taking home Best Actor in a Musical at both ceremonies. It is the longest-running show in Broadway history. The Broadway transfer officially opened at the Majestic Theatre on January 26, 1988, where it remains to this day. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most successful pieces of entertainment of all time, produced in any media.ĭirected by Harold Prince, with sets and costumes by Maria Björnson and starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, Phantom opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on October 9, 1986, where it continues to captivate audiences after 30 years and more than 12,000 performances.
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