Idk Why I Did This To Myself. But When It Comes To Phantom "specs" There's Really No One Who Embodies

More Phantoms in 1-2 Sentences

[These are like my 'unpopular opinion' Phantoms?]

Josh Piterman: He cheated the unwritten final lair rules by actually embracing Christine back, but I am SO glad he did! He has the voice and natural intangibles for Phantom.

Greg Mills: Love him as a person (on social media at least) and want to love him as the Phantom, but inexplicably...don't and I don't know why *crying emoji*.

Stephen Buntrock: Inexplicably do love him and don't know why. The voice, the vibe, and the choices just work for me and I wish there was more of him to see.

Franc D'Ambrosio: Serving face, serving drama, always so extra, but I have to be in the mood for it.

Peter Jöbeck: I truly do not understand the hate he gets; his voice is so perfectly disturbing and Joker-esque!!! And he actually seems to regret his actions at the end, not just losing Christine.

James Romick: He's very forceful/on the nose (vocally + acting), and I think the Phantom is more than just "commanding." That being said, his "I love you's" are beautiful.

Géronimo Rauch: He's scary and sexy in equal measure. Elements of his performance remind me so much of JOJ.

Jon Robyns: Don't know much about his Phantom, but want to get to know more lol.

Tim Howar: He seemed very violent with Amy Manford's Christine in the final lair, and that turned me off. The Phantom is already "yikes" so let's not add unscripted physical aggression to the equation.

Brad Little: I live for the way he's so bossy and booming in "Phantom mode" but such a damn softy during the AIAOY reprises and final lair.

Filing an Emotional Distress Claim Against Jonathan Roxmouth for:

The way he sings/acts "is THIS what you wanted to see?" during the unmasking. Why is it so unique and convincing??

That reptilian neck movement in the graveyard. He is a poisonous snake. He will BITE you, Raoul!

That looooooong pause in the final lair before he whispers "you try my patience."

(3a) Sometimes a well-placed pause is more powerful than a yell--especially in a musical like POTO where everything is meticulously paced and most of the audience probably thinks they know what to expect. I thought I knew!! Turns out I did not, JRox.

His hands. I'm bringing a claim against JRox's hands alone. They just kept...doing things that made me want to cry and/or die like (see points 6, 7, 8, and 9):

Touching Christine's face in PONR.

Wrapping his fingers around the apple like that.

The flickofthewrist during the title song.

Reaching for Christine during the ring return as if this is an Earl Carpenter throwback, I am GUTTED.

The whole first lair. The whole thing.

Resting his cheek against Christine's head during the embrace between kisses like he's being soothed/mothered.

The general thoughtfulness of his interpretation. Props to him for maturing into this role the way he has, it's all so assured now! He really "gets" it, but I'm just emotionally damaged by it.

I issue a public apology for my completely private judgments of you JRox. But you will still be served papers.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (2005) dir. Joe Wright

Thinking about Jordan Donica's Raoul and the illegal way he said sOAkEd to the sKiN

New fandom level unlocked: I officially have an AO3 account.

POTO retelling loading. And maybe I'll even overcome my trauma and restart the Jane Eyre fanfic I lost more than a decade ago when my computer was stolen.

The content I didn't know I needed.

another excerpt from The Hang With Ramin Karimloo where Sierra talks about regretting her choice at the end

Recent Phantoms I've Watched in 1-2 Sentences

[Mostly in the order I've recently watched them, which is random.]

Ted Keegan: A legend. Very much "I know how I want to interpret this character and I will do it consistently well over 20+ years and still make you cry each time."

Jeremy Stolle: The acting is always there, but the voice comes and goes? King of mishaps.

Paul Schaefer: I've only seen one vid of him. His Phantom is literally diabolical up to the very last minute and it's...interesting.

Ben Crawford: Great voice before the post-COVID struggles, but questionable acting decisions. Oddly enough he grew more as an actor as his vocals declined.

Dean Chisnall: Such a shy and sensitive Phantom who sings every note with ease! He wins the award for best reptilian stomach crawl during STYDI.

Laird Mackintosh: He was a solid understudy in the 2010s, but I was awed by how he totally owned the role as a cover in 2023 up to closing. He really brings the heat in the first lair.

James Barbour: Ruined by the legal issues and the fact that I saw him as Rochester first.

Killian Donnelly: He's the perfect combination of sensitive acting and a great voice. Always sticks the landing in the final lair, but he does it a different way each time so every performance feels new.

Tim Martin Gleason: He has the most beautiful hands and I love how soft and tender he becomes after the kiss. He genuinely wants Christine and Raoul to escape safely, like what??

Norm Lewis: If Erik was your dad...but also your toddler?

Magnificent Obsession, 1935

advertisement in 'Hollywood'magazine, February 1936 issue

An Essay on ALW's Erik

One of the best insights I got into ALW's Phantom from some random Reddit user is to watch for whether the lead plays Erik from his own POV or from Christine's, especially in MOTN. (I also add a third option because several actors also play him from the perspective of the audience or a more omniscient narrator.)

These approaches result in entirely different, but no less accurate, interpretations of the character. For example, Earl Carpenter's performance from the first lair to the final lair is entrenched in the Phantom's perspective, from the total anxiety he projects in MOTN, to his more hesitant physical engagement with Christine, to his decision to kneel/silently beg Christine to stay with him during the ring return. And I love that there's variety within this perspective as well. Carpenter uses this POV to portray a very earnest and sympathetic (if unscocialized) Erik, but I'd argue that Anthony Warlow also falls within this category even though he leans into the darker aspects of the Phantom's psyche.

I have favorite Phantoms in both categories, but I admit that Christine's POV is actually what hooked me to this musical. I got deep into Phantom boots after losing my dad in my 20s and watching an engagement fall apart under the strain of grief. When Erik is viewed or portrayed (à la Hugh Panaro) through Christine's eyes, you can see the character undergo a pitchy transformation throughout the musical as Christine works through her own relationship to men while grieving and coming of age. Erik initially presents himself to her as a father figure, then as a full-on seducer in the first lair, and then as a total monster. The story is in part about Christine's journey toward reconciling these different ways of perceiving/relating to masculinity in the absence of what had been the only male figure in her life. And the musical approaches resolution when Christine realizes that Erik is neither her dad, her lover, or a total villain--he's just a man. And he's worthy of compassion, but she can also choose to leave him.

Anyway, I hate when people say that it's inaccurate for Erik to be "X" or "Y". Because especially through the lens of Christine's journey, Erik is all the things at one point or another (or even simultaneously). He is a daddy-coded immortal messenger and a genius and sex incarnate and unhinged and broken and, and, and...a literary figure shaped by the internal worlds of the author, the reader, and the viewer/listener. What's the point in trying to make objective claims about him? Resist binary thinking and make literary and media analysis great again.

Not sure if I'm allowed to do this (so someone tell me if I need to trash this post) but I just can't witness this Anthony Warlow near-hand touch and not do something about it.