The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)

Simply A Masterpiece

Excellent but underrated film

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I nearly bypassed picking up the Phantom of the Opera (POTO) 25th Anniversary DVD because I was unfamiliar with Ramin Karimloo (Phantom) and Sierra Boggess (Christine). So I took a chance and brought the DVD home. What a surprising delight! POTO 25 was filmed before a live audience at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The cameras bring the viewer up close and personal to the happenings on stage.Ramin and Sierra had starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's POTO sequel, Love Never Dies (LND), just before the POTO 25 event. Their chemistry bonding had already been established during LND, so they sizzled on stage during POTO 25. Their voices compliment each other so magnificently, and their faces (especially Sierra's) portray the vast array of emotions during their songs. They are incredible! They make you believe that you are witnessing something very, very, once-in-a-lifetime special, because you are!So, I have been transformed from an unfamiliar viewer in the beginning, to a full-fledged obsessive drum beater for Ramin and Sierra in their remarkable POTO 25 performances. Sierra is a true to life Angel of Music; her voice, radiant beauty, emotional energy, and sensational acting talent will mesmerize you. She is such a wonderful inspiration to all those aspiring to be stage actors and singers. Ramin is a powerful Phantom who brilliantly brings to life a lonely, disfigured composer who falls in love with Christine.POTO 25 is beautiful acting, singing, costuming, stage setting all rolled up into a full orchestra, mind-blowing experience you should not miss! Crank up the volume and thoroughly enjoy this masterpiece.Ramin and Sierra are pure magic together. They have made people (including me) cry during this wonderful production. Sierra's voice and emotional impact can, and probably will, cause shivers to run up and down your spine at times. Yes, she really is this amazing.I watch my favorite parts of POTO 25 several times a week. It never fails to lift my spirits and to appreciate the spectacular talent on display whenever I wish. Bravo, Ramin and Sierra!!!!!

If you can't go see it live, this DVD is an excellent substitute. Though nothing compares to the live experience, this is a life saver for people like me who live in places where traveling productions of this caliber are few and far between. Little else can be said in it's favor simply because this is the genuine Lloyd Webber Phantom in all it's phantomy goodness, that alone ought to sell the product.The special ending is almost tear-jerking for longtime fans of the show. It was unreal to see the epic guest appearances, albeit mildly somber by the obvious lack of Mr. Barton, may the generous and kind gentleman rest in peace.As for the quality of the performances specifically, the vast majority were as wonderful and memorable as fans have come to expect from this show. Lovely, witty, perfectly pitched. I have only two complaints and bear in mind that these are merely my personal opinion and I hope that you go out and grab this DVD and judge for yourself.I thought the character of Raoul seemed more pushy and abrasive, more like the Love Never Dies version, less like the romantic "hero" of Phantom. And as for the title role, although Ramin is a phenomenal singer who has played this role so successfully for so long, I found this particular performance of his to be more shouting and less singing, unwittingly conjuring up horrible visions of Gerard Butler's teeny bopper Phantom, much to my distaste. With significantly more emotion to his acting, of course.All in all, those little complaints do very little to bring down the quality of this DVD. If you don't already own this, why in the world are you still reading reviews in IMDb? Go buy it!

This wasn't the best rendition of the venerable opera that I've seen but for a stage to video presentation, it's pretty good. While obviously nothing beats being there in person, watching on a big screen TV has it's advantages as well. For instance, different angles, views, zoom ins, zoom outs, no one talking behind or around you, the list goes on.The sets are beautifully done and costumes are top notch. While no Davis Gaines, Ramin Karimloo does a fine job as the Phantom. Sierra Boggess seems a bit wooden as Christine but I may be a bit jaded by previous castings. Hadley Fraser in my opinion did not come across as a good Raoul. He appeared pompous and overbearing, not someone who would charm Christine.The above being said, the overall performances by the cast were enjoyable but a bit underwhelming for a production staged in the Royal Albert Hall.

We all know that the "Phantom of the Opera" is by far one of the best known and best loved musicals of the past years. It is quite amazing to learn that this year is already the 25th year of this acclaimed piece of musical theater based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. The beautiful music was by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with most of the lyrics by Charles Hart, and produced by Cameron Macintosh. It debuted in the West End in London in 1986. Phantom is recognized as the highest-grossing entertainment event of all time and the most financially successful theatrical show in history.Last week, it was suddenly announced that the special 25th Anniversary performance held at the Royal Albert Hall last October 2-3, 2011 was actually going to be shown in local theaters! I knew that my wife and I had to see it again. This morning, I was surprised to learn that this will be a 3 hour and 41 minute movie. This caused problems in our schedule but we still decided to push through and watch. An opportunity to watch a theater event such as this on the big screen was indeed rare.As we entered, we found out the reason for the very long running time. Before the show proper, there was first a short documentary about Phantom by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Here we got to hear how the idea of doing Phantom came about, and meet the original London production crew. This lasted about 15 minutes. After which there were ads announcing the sale of DVDs of this event come March next year. I guess we still have to wait that long to get an original copy of this special. Then there was about another 5 minute pause (as if waiting for the audience to fill up) before the show itself actually began. I see that this film was going to approximate a real theater presentation. Unfortunately, this also included a real 20 minute Intermission after Act 1. The theater (we watched in SM Megamall) actually paused the movie for the whole 20 minutes! So be warned. The Phantom was played by Ramin Karimloo, while his ingénue Christine Daae was played by Sierra Boggess. I knew these were the same actors who played these same characters in the short-lived sequel of Phantom called "Love Never Dies." Ms. Boggess was beautiful as Christine channeling both innocence and sensuousness. Her soprano was flawless even in the most challenging and punishing notes in "Think of Me," "Phantom of the Opera," and "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again." As the Phantom, Mr. Karimloo has got that X-factor that makes the role dangerous yet riveting and sympathetic. His voice can navigate the highs and lows that makes Mr. Lloyd Webber a musical sadist. It can be strong, yet tender and also menacing. His "Music of the Night" and "Point of No Return" were fantastic!The supporting performances were also very strong. Hadley Fraser cuts a dashing figure as Raoul. His featured duet with Christine, "All I Ask of You," was very well sung. Kiera Duffy makes a hilarious Madame Carlotta even as she also hit those unbelievable high notes, in songs like "Primadonna." Liz Robertson makes a very imposing Madame Giry with her severe black gown always in sharp contrast with the very bright colors of the costumes around her. Everything was so expertly staged: the dancing, the costumes, the set pieces, the make-up, the video backgrounds, were all so rich, elaborate and detailed. The camera work and direction was also very effective in conveying the drama, danger and romance of the story.After the last scene where Meg Giry holds up the Phantom's mask after he vanishes, there was a very long curtain call. The whole stage was filled with actors and dancers. It was a very emotional moment. However, after the three main characters made their bows, it was not yet over. Sir Andrew himself took center stage and thanked the audience and his crew, present and past. Then he introduced the man who played the first Phantom, Michael Crawford! Finally he brought out his "Angel of Music", Ms. Sarah Brightman (who was looking very hefty indeed nowadays). The surprise did not end there, Ms. Brightman obliged to sing! Of course, she sang "Phantom of the Opera." I would not say it was her best because her breathing was audible, but she could still hit those killer notes at the end. Another surprise was when it was the Phantom's turn to sing, four actors who played the Phantom before came out on stage to sing with Ms. Brightman. Of the four, I recognized two: Colm Wilkinson (Jean Valjean from Les Miz) and the fantastic Anthony Warlow! The other guy was John Owen Jones (the current Phantom in London). The youngest guy of the four Phantoms, Peter Joback (upcoming Phantom in the 2012 run in London), had a rather thin and nasal pop voice, in sharp contrast with the booming tenors of the other three. Too bad, Michael Crawford did not sing a note. After this, the four ex-Phantoms all took turns to sing "Music of the Night." This was another beautiful rendition of the song. At the end, the present Phantom, Ramin Kaminloo also joined the group. Another curtain call followed, and the event comes to an end.This is definitely a must-watch for fans of Phantom, as well as fans of Musical Theater in general. When time comes for the DVD to come out, that should also be a must-own in his DVD collection.