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operafantomet · 4 months

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FAVE CHRISTINE COSTUME 2023: Aminta

Amy Manford, Restaged Aussie Tour: Apart from the UK versions always offering great tailoring and fit, especially in the zone-front waist: I really appreciate the golden apron and the huge red flower in her hair.

Kayleigh Marven, Restaged Aussie Tour: Same, really.

Emilie Kouatchou, Broadway: All the fringe, all the embroidery, all the beauty. So rich-looking. I can't believe they sold this one after Broadway closed.

Song Eun Hye, South Korea: Technically a UK dress, but OH! so pimped. Very red and pink decorations in the front bodice, continuing into the apron, a lot more black fringe and gold trims, and that surprising peach/golden lace in bodice front and on the sleeves. And aaaaah! A red rose in her hair. This dress is so much, but also very consistent in look. I am fascinated.

(original design by Maria Bjørnson)

#phantom of the opera #christine wardrobe #fave christine wardrobe 2023 #christine daae #costume nerding #aminta #maria bjørnson

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eriksangel666 · 4 years

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Source: Ali Ewoldt's instagram to raise awareness for Broadway costume designers

#phantom of the opera #poto #ali ewoldt #christine daae #wedding dress #originally designed by maria bjørnson #phantom broadway

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hardaslightningsoftascandlelight · 5 years

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~ Celebrating Maria Bjørnson’s genius. From costume to Chandelier. Happy Birthday Maria (1949-2002) ...

#maria bjørnson #Original #Phantom #Design

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glassprism · 2 years

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Why do you think the broadway and west end productions have so many differences especially in regards to the costumes and the wigs?

Operafantomet has given some pretty good answers to questions about this for more specific costumes, but it can be applied in general to all the costumes and all the productions (as it's not just Broadway and West End that differ, but Broadway and World Tour, West End and Germany, Broadway and West End and Japan, etc.).

But to sum up, it comes down to the fact that the original costume design is ambiguous in some of its details, meaning that how it's interpreted is up to the costume makers (especially as Maria Bjørnson herself has been gone for many years and so is no longer around to supervise or clarify any such ambiguities); that different costume companies are in charge of the productions, resulting in more experimentation in one place and less in another; and that these interpretations become "set" over the years at the same time that the little differences accumulate, resulting in costumes that can have the same origin but end up looking quite different.

#GP gets asks #anonymous #my science teacher brain thinks of it like those evolutionary trees or speciation due to geographical separation #where you start with a common ancestor or a population that's all the same #but then they begin to diverge so that while the first few descendants look pretty similar #after several generations they end up quite different

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andrewlloydwebber · 4 years

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For super Phantom nerds only (so especially @operafantomet)

Ruth Mitchell (1919-2000) was Hal Prince’s assistant for decades. The majority of the replica chandeliers are named “Ruthie” after her. When she died, Mitchell’s long time partner, costume designer Florence Klotz (another frequent Prince collaborator) donated her papers to the New York Public Library.

I really want to get to NYC and take a look at the collection! There’s a ton of amazing stuff, not only from Phantom but from Prince’s other shows like Evita, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Cabaret, Company, A Little Night Music, ...Forum, etc. Unfortunately the majority of it hasn’t been digitized so you have to request to see it in person which is... not possible right now.

Anyway, here’s the two things from Phantom available online. The first two pictures are a “character and actor scene breakdown” for the original Chicago sit down production. It’s really interesting to see what tracks each ensemble member follows, there’s some “Phantom Royalty” in the ensemble! It also has the names of the original Broadway company members written in on the side for reference (I assume), but I suspect there were some slight tweaks to the tracks (like who wore what Masquerade costume) when the show opened in Chicago, as some of what I know about the original Broadway ensemble tracks doesn’t quite match up.

The last three pictures are a “Production calendar noting key deadlines prior to The Phantom of the Opera's Broadway opening”. It’s really interesting to see the process! Like for example you can see when the sitzprobe was held on December 31st, 1987, Maria Bjørnson arrived in New York on November 20th, 1987. Mitchell was also preparing for the Japanese premiere in April 1988 as indicated on several days of the calendar.

There’s other Phantom stuff in the collection, but it hasn’t been digitized. What’s most intriguing to me are the “Stage Managemanent Monthly Binders 1989″.

#phantom of the opera

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cestlefantome · 4 years

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Andrew Lloyd Webber tweeted a response to the rumors about the scale down of Phantom. I personally don’t think it was reassuring at all, he didn’t deny the rumor, he only said “I'm doing everything in my power to ensure that when the Phantom returns it is the brilliant original”. To me, it sounds more like an admission that he is in the middle of a battle war with Cameron Mackintosh.

I might be biased but in my opinion Phantom is a masterpiece and it must be preserved as it is. It’s not always that you have music, design, choreography and direction working in perfect synchrony as in Phantom and being running for almost 34 years is a statement to that. The brilliant original as we called it is the version we had running in London and in New York before covid-19 shut down the theatres. It is almost the same as the original version that premiered in 1986, with only small changes. And three people were instrumental to bring Phantom as we all know and love: Hal Prince, the iconic director of Phantom on Broadway, Maria Bjørnson, the designer responsible for the sets and all the amazing costumes and Gillian Lynne, the choreographer. Unfortunately, the three of them have passed away in 2019, 2002 and 2018 respectively.

I want to pay a tribute to the Brilliant Original creative team so here are my Hal, Maria, Gillian and Andrew pops.

ALW is all we have now to keep Phantom from being downscaled and revamped by Mackintosh’s greed. If you can, please consider signing one of the petitions on change.org to save the Brilliant Original.

#phantom of the opera #phantomoftheopera #the phantom of the opera #le fantome de l'opera #opera ghost #gaston leroux #save the brilliant original

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tomblr1895 · 4 years

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Lately there has been a rumor going around that The original West End production of The Phantom of the Opera is to be replaced with an “all-new production.” Phantom has been a very important part of my life for over 10 years. Before Phantom, I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life and Phantom helped me find inspiration for my aspirations. I have had the chance to make so many new friends and had the chance to share so many different stories with them about our love of Phantom Whenever I have had the chance to see it live on Broadway, I always leave with a huge smile on my face And now to potentially get rid of all that and potentially destroy the legacy of director Hal Prince, designer Maria Bjørnson, & choreographer Gillian Lynne, I find this decision to be idiotic, disrespectful, inconsiderate, shameful, and honestly just wrong. I really hope this rumor is just what it is A. Rumor. #savethebrilliantoriginal #phantomoftheopera #london #westend #broadway #newyork #andrewlloydwebber #cameronmackintosh https://www.instagram.com/p/CBq2p2ThjTK/?igshid=1q8wk0z1xnk0u

#savethebrilliantoriginal #phantomoftheopera #london #westend #broadway #newyork #andrewlloydwebber #cameronmackintosh

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operafantomet · 4 months

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ELISSA COSTUME + SHAWL

Yang Chengxiyi, Beijing

Meghan Picerno, Broadway

Giulia Nadruz, Sao Paulo revival

Paige Blankson, West End revival

Ana Marina, World Tour

Sierra Boggess, RAH

Sam Hill, Broadway

Lucy St Louis, West End revival

Holly-Anne Hull, West End revival

Sarah Brightman, Broadway

Claudia Cota, Buenos Aires

Victoria Krantz Tocca, Copenhagen

Sae Yamamoto, Yokohama

Emilie Kouatchou, Broadway

Chiaki Kainuma, Tokyo or Osaka

Deborah Dutcher, UK Tour or West End

Emilie Lynn, World Tour

Mary Michael Patterson, Broadway

Valerie Link, Hamburg revival

Kim So Hyun, Seoul

(original design by Maria Bjørnson)

#phantom of the opera #elissa #christine daae #think of me #elissa shawl #not tagging them all

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operafantomet · 7 months

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One of my favourite photo genre from POTO: Meg and Christine in Hannibal. I'm so happy every time a new one emerges! Here's some favourites.

Janet Devenish and Sarah Brightman, original West End

Elisa Heinsohn and Sarah Brightman, original Broadway

Natasha Knight and Joke de Kruijf, Scheveningen

Heather McFadden and Jennifer Hope Wills, Broadway

Sharon Millerchip and Marina Prior, Melbourne

Christina Tan and Maree Johnson, Sydney

Sabrina Harper and Colby Thomas, Hamburg

Alexandra Smith and Luzia Nistler, Vienna

Theano Makariou and Lauri Brons, Hamburg revival

Martina Langas and Elisabeth Berg, Stockholm

Emilie Kouatchou and Sara Esty, Broadway

Fernanda Munis and Lina Mendes, Sao Paulo

Kara Klein and Mary Michael Patterson, Broadway

Hillary Reiter and Caitlin Finnie, World Tour revival

Unidentified and Colby Thomas, Hamburg

Lindsay Wise and Leila Benn Harris, West End

Ellie Young and Lucy St Louis, West End revival

Annabel Knight and Anne Görner, Essen

Maiya Hikasa and Lily Kerhoas, West End revival

Fan Suyi and Lin Shao, Shanghai

(original design by Maria Bjørnson)

#phantom of the opera #meg giry #christine daae #not tagging them all #maria bjørnson

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operafantomet · 1 month

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AMINTA + ROSE

Sae Yamamoto (?), Yokohama

Claudia Cota, Buenos Aires

Lana English, Cape Town or Pretoria

Sarah Brightman, West End

Maree Johnson, Sydney

Paige Blankson, West End revival

Danielle Everett, Australian Tour

Holly-Anne Hull, UK Tour Revival

Amy Manford, Restaged Aussie Tour

Detail photo, Broadway

Detail photo, West End

Detail photo, World Tour

Anouk van Laake, West End revival

Holly-Anne Hull, West End revival

Lucy St Louis, West End revival

Amy Manford, Restaged Aussie Tour

Song Eun Hye, Daegu

(original design by Maria Bjørnson)

#aminta #don juan triumphant #phantom of the opera #christine daae #rose in her hair #not tagging them all

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operafantomet · 4 months

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FAVE CHRISTINE COSTUME 2023: The wedding dress

Kwon Ga Min, South Korea: I adore the lace used in the new South korean dresses, and the touch of silver in the bodices.

Kanisha Marie Feliciano, Broadway: Look at the clean lines, sculpted basque and the silvery lace. Shaaaaarp.

Son Ji Soo, South Korea: Another lovely South Korean dress, this photo showing the silvery bodice decorations better. I muuch prefer the silver to the "jellyfish" like gold often seen in newer UK dresses.

Yang Chengziuyi, China: As the South Korean dresses in large a UK style, but this one with different lace, and more golden decorations in the front bodice. The bodice also appears to be more hourglass shaped, and with larger lace fans over the bust to further emphasis the hourglass shape.

(original design by Maria Bjørnson)

#phantom of the opera #christine wardrobe #fave christine wardrobe 2023 #costume nerding #christine daae #wedding dress #wedding gown #maria bjørnson

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operafantomet · 2 months

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...I am there - inside...!

Robyn North and Ramin Karimloo, West End

Gina Beck and David Shannon, West End

Sofia Escobar and John Owen-Jones, West End

Robyn North and Ramin Karimloo, West End

Emmi Christensson and Peter Jöback, Stockholm

Unidentified, Shanghai

Magdalene Minnaar and Jonathan Roxmouth, Johannesburg

Lana English and André Schwartz (?), Cape Town

Valerie Link and Mathias Edenborn, Hamburg revival

Colby Thomas and Thomas Schulze, Hamburg

Jeon Dong Seok and unidentified, Busan

Kyoko Suzuki and Yuichiro Yamaguchi, Tokyo (?)

Sarah Brightman (?) and Michael Crawford, West End

Kaley Ann Voorhees and Ben Crawford, Broadway

Hanne Damm (?) and Peter Jorde, Copenhagen

Hong Kwang Ho and unidentified, Seoul or Daegu

Ben Crawford, Broadway (by Greg Mills)

(original design by Maria Bjørnson)

#mirror scene #the phantom's cloak #phantom of the opera #hot dang #maria bjørnson #not tagging them all #i am there inside #angel of music

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operafantomet · 1 month

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PHANTOM OF THE OPERA + OVERTURE

(Broadway, Broadway, US Tour, Hamburg, Broadway, Broadway, Sao Paulo revival, Stockholm revival, Copenhagen revival, Copenhagen revival, Stockholm revival, Beijing)

Original design by Maria Bjørnson

#phantom of the opera #chandelier #auction set #overture #maria bjørnson #phantom of the opera design #set design #cue: thundering organ

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operafantomet · 4 months

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FAVE CHRISTINE COSTUME 2023: Rooftop

Paige Blankson, West End revival: Pink bonanza, from the fabric to the flounce to the wig. BAM! Nicely accented with blue details.

Song Eun Hye, South Korea: Technically the same as in the UK, but for some reason it appears so different. The blue looks more blue, the gold more golden, the fit higher and wider in the waist, and more bell shaped. Very rococoesque.

Amy Manford, Restaged Aussie Tour: MINT! Oh lordy the mint. Glorious mint. And beautifully accented by pink rosettas looking like roses. Love.

Kanisha Marie Feliciano. Broadway: I am not really loving the main fabric, yet the overall look is so bold and cool. Nice bell shaped fit and lovely rosettas.

(original design by Maria Bjørnson)

#phantom of the opera #christine wardrobe #fave christine wardrobe 2023 #christine daae #costume nerding #rooftop #maria bjørnson

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operafantomet · 14 days

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MASQUERADE COSTUMES IN THE CURRENT RESTAGED PRODUCTION IN VIENNA VS ORIGINAL LOOKS

I tried to not cherry-pick my favourites of the original costumes. Rather, I looked for the most similar fabrics or constructions, while still trying to show a full-view and a similar pose to the Viennese photos. I hope the photoset makes sense.

Whereas the Restaged Tour's Masquerade costumes has been massively improved since UK 2012, especially for the Australian and Austrian productions, I think the biggest mistake still is to try and create ballroom costumes out of what is highly allegorical or character costumes. I don't think the transition is believable and would rather have seen newly designed Victorianesque gowns - like in the Mediterranean production. It would be more coherent to the uniforms and tailcoats most men wear in the scene.

Meg Giry's equestrian-inspired costume (row 5) is maybe the best example of how it would need a much bigger redesign to function. A grand bustle skirt, perhaps? The current added layers is bulky and unflattering to both the wearer and the costume.

I also think the Phantom's Red Death (row 3) has gone from an actual threat to a charming Alexander McQueen catwalk look. I'm not sure that's what I want from Red Death. They lost the death part. Same for Carlotta (row 4) - the original costume feature spiders and cobweb and bats, while the new one is all lace and feathers. I do however appreciate that they returned to the original silhouette and colours.

I do however think Christine's and Raoul's costumes (row 1 and 2) have been restored to more or less what Maria Bjørnson designed. Those are also the ones I like the most, along with the "flunkies" (not depicted).

#restaged tour costume rant #phantom of the opera #poto restaged tour #poto austria #maria bjørnson #masquerade #costume nerding

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operafantomet · 4 months

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FAVE CHRISTINE COSTUME 2023: The Wishing dress

Holly-Anne Hull, West End revival: Just one of those wholesome, nice, clean, girlie, cute, smart UK versions. Love the tassel fringe and the curved neckline.

Kanisha Marie Feliciano, Broadway: The US versions of the costume always felt a dash more mature, with less pompons, fringes, appliquees and "fuzz". I love them too.

Kayleigh Marven, Restaged Aussie Tour: To see this absolutely awesome elder UK bodice make an appearance! Notice how low the waistline is in this bodice, and how ornamental the applieuées are. Also very long apron in the skirt. I am so in love with this one.

Amy Manford, Restaged Aussie Tour: Technically a classic UK dress, but pimped! It's gotten a pleated hem, possibly to make it longer, plus a double drape over waterfall drapes to really fluff it up. it looks so wonderfully Victorian. More of this, please!

(original design by Maria Bjørnson)

#phantom of the opera #christine wardrobe #fave christine wardrobe 2023 #christine daae #costume nerding #wishing dress #maria bjørnson

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