But let's see if there ARE Yelp reviews--OH GOOD, we have two people who don't like it and say why at great length (because all the other reviews are essentially raves!!)
Better to have a little contrast in points of view I find
The Phantom of the Opera
- Good for Kids:
- No
6.6 Miles
from The Phantom of the Opera
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150 reviews for The Phantom of the Opera
150 reviews in English
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Review from Rochelle R.
Martinez, CAIf I could give Phantom of the Opera 10 stars I would.. shoot 100 stars!
As a kid growing up I would sing and dance to the phantom of the opera.
This was my FIRST Broadway NY (anywhere) Play and I'm in LOVE!
I'm here for 17 days and may just go back again I loved the music, the sets, the singing.
I paid for Orchestra Center seats and it was amazing.
The Majestic Theater is beautiful.
I get that some people know broadways more than I do, but for first timers this is an amazing show!
I went on June 28, 2013 and seriously want to go back this weekend! LOVED IT! -
Review from Ashley N.
Antioch, CASo I have debated reviewing Phantom of the Opera for a couple months now since I saw it back in May, but have finally decided to go ahead and do it.
I have to give a little background as to why seeing Phantom was so important to me:
I was around 10 years old when I was introduced to the Phantom of the Opera. My neighbor played the recording of one of the performances off Broadway and I instantly fell in love. A little while later, my mom bought me the CD after she had gone to see it performed in San Francisco (one of the last performances and of course, I could not go). I memorized each and every song.
About 7 years later, they came to the Sacramento convention center. I went with my parents and then boyfriend. It was exciting being my first time, but it was definitely lacking 'big show' theatrics. The singing was good, but I felt the staging and special effects could use improvement. But what could you expect from a show that was only performing for a limited time and NOT on Broadway? It then became one of my bucket list items to see Phantom in NY. Both my parents and boyfriend (who had already seen it in NY and San Francisco) said it was much better at the other venues.
Finally, at 29 years old, I had the opportunity to go NY. As soon as I got confirmation we were going, the very next thing I did was order tickets to Phantom. I purchased two tickets for row 11, seats 109 & 110. These were great seats and I have no complaints about them. The total was just under 300 dollars.
We get to the theater and file in through the jumble of people and take our seats. And that is where my excitement started to deflate and I had to give Phantom two stars.
1) Christine (played by Samantha Hill) sounded terrible. She was way to high and had a voice that wavered quite a bit.
2)Raoul (played by Paul Schaefer) looked like he had a stick shoved up his behind. He had no emotion at all. He just stood there, back straight as a board, and sang.
4)The chandelier didn't swing violently over the audience! Come on, that is supposed to be one of the coolest parts!!! It just came out over the first rows slowly and then was pulled straight up.
4)The pyrotechnics sucked. They were no better than when the show was performed at a tiny little convention center. It looked like they found the tiniest flasher they could. The ones that shot out of the Phantom's staff were so blah too. Oh no, don't let the flying cigarette buts burn you Raoul!
5)During masquerade, 1/3 of the people on the stairs were mannequins! My fiancee said back when he saw this, it was all real people.
My fiancee and I walked out of there both shaking our heads. I mentally felt like I wanted to cry from the colossal let down that this show was to me. It was nothing like he remembers. I think that for a show that after 25 years, continues to sell out, they really could have put alot more effort in. Or else they really need to lower the prices of the tickets.
The only reason I gave Phantom two stars was because the Phantom (Peter Joback) was amazing. He sounded almost like the original phantom. The orchestra was fantastic and the costumes were awesome.
If you are a first time watcher, you would probably like this. If you are like me and have been a huge fan for many years, you probably will be disappointed too. -
Review from Ashley R.
San Francisco, CAThis review contains elements relevant to first time viewers of this production and to fans who are well-versed in the nuances of the production.
A huge shout-out to the totally awesome understudies who saved this night's production (Monday night, June 24, 2013), especially Elizabeth Welch who stepped in as Christine after a dismal highschool-esque performance by the standard billed lead, Samantha Hill. Ms. Welch was unbelievably good and it is a total crime (and speaks to the politics of broadway casting) that she is not playing the role as the primary lead every night. Her voice was stunning, warm, beautiful and her acting was superb. Just as I was considering leaving at intermission due to the annoyance of how bad the performance was, the announcement came and I knew I had to stick around to hear the second understudy - anyone who knows the plot of this musical should appreciate the irony of the understudy needing to take over the role of Christine to an audience pleased that they no longer have to listen to the production butchered by the prima donna on the bill.
I've seen the Phantom of the Opera 9 times, including previously on Broadway, London, San Francisco, and the US national tour. Since my childhood obsession, I became aware of the entire world of real opera and classical music, so for me re-watching it on Broadway was a bit of a homecoming.
This production gets 2 stars for these reasons:
1) We paid $142 each at the box office for "front orchestra." We were given row S, which is both the back of the orchestra and has a blocked view. BE WARNED - MOST ORCHESTRA SEATS IN THIS THEATRE HAVE A BLOCKED VIEW. How they aren't required to tell you that is beyond me, but the mezzanine is low and juts out almost to the stage, so unless you're in about the first 8 rows, you will have a blocked view, because the low mezzanine hinders the top 1/3 of the stage, where important actions happen, including many important details with the chandelier.
2) We arrived at 7:45 to a massive disorganized line on the street. I've seen this show at this same theatre and in London and I have never seen such an organizational disaster. They didn't even get people in the door on time, yet once inside (after waiting 15 minutes in the line outside) the ushers, who were few and far between, were hassling people that they were late. There was very minimal signage and the ushers were totally useless - we waited for another 10 minutes in a huge clump of people for the orchestra to be told that we had to enter a different door. We rushed around, came in the assigned door, got hassled for being late by another usher, and then were shown our seats that were 10 feet from the original door.
3) The ushers kept coming around with flashlights during the production, hassling people who they thought had phones. Guess who's distracting the audience - YOU ARE. But, of course, it's not about that "don't disturb fellow patrons" goal, it's really about "don't record pirated material" - For anyone who recorded this production the joke's on them - it was pretty terrible.
4) The cast. The first half and standard billed Christine, Samantha Hill, who you are likely to see if you buy random tickets was absolutely embarassingly terrible. I don't know how she got cast in this role, but it was certainly not a level playing field. Her voice was bad due to factors that were not temporary- its tone and nature sounded like she was squeezing her voice box in a 16-year-old's impression of what they think broadway singers should sound like - it's really no wonder she didn't make it to the second half. She and the Raoul, Kyle Barisich, had absolutely no energy - it was like they were being forced to go through the motions of the most tedious exercise of their lives. Raoul barely pronounced the words he had so little energy. The Phantom, Peter Joback, was better on the energy front and had some good moments. His voice was reminiscent of a rougher Michael Crawford, it worked for the drama but lacked the subtlety of Crawford and suffered some voice cracking, especially in the finale, probably because he'd been shouting. The other winning understudy of the night was Heather Hill as Carlotta, who had a fantastic voice and caused the opposite problem of the other cast members - she made the plot confusing. The plot is supposed to include the fact that Carlotta, the "prima donna" isn't actually good, and that the young ballet chorus girl, Christine, needs her chance to shine. In the first half of this production it was totally unbelievable because Carlotta l was SO MUCH BETTER than Christine - I wanted to hear her finish "Think of Me." I'm glad that Heather gets to be in such a production, but I hope that she quickly parlays this role into one in which her fantastic voice and acting doesn't continue to be a caricature - she deserves to be the star outright. -
Review from Devina G.
Best musical of the century!
Such a beautifully written and choreographed musical. It blew my mind and I was left mesmerized and in love. It's been four days and I am still in love with Phantom lol.
I've always enjoyed the score and the songs of Phantom but seeing it live so close to my eyes were jaw dropping. The casts were flawless and the singing were so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes. Real. Tears.
The orchestra were excellent and I was so captivated! We sat on the second row (BB) so we were able to see the orchestra clearly.
One of the greatest, darkest love story of all time. This show is true perfection. -
Review from April H.
Burlington, MAMy third time seeing Phantom, and the best so far. Absolutely incredible. Saw it on a Saturday matinee, and just loved it. Peter Joback was phenomenal - what a voice! Loved Samantha Hill and Kyle Barisich as well, and ALL of the rest were terrific. Not one bad thing to say, enjoyed it thoroughly!! -
Review from Valerie V.
Queens, NYsimply amazing.
The theater itself was small so it really didn't matter where you sat you had a great view and experience of the show!
loved it :] -
Review from Dee B.
Modesto, CAA++++
I had some business to do in Philadelphia and when I realized I can take the bus to NY, I immediately bought tickets to the show. I stood in front of the Majestic Theatre and told my friend "woah! We're finally here!"
Watching it live was amazing. The props and the effects are stunning! It's definitely a must-do whether you live or visiting New York. -
Review from Lawrence D.
New York, NYThis is hands down my most FAVORITE play! I have sat all over and cant find a bad seat. The old Russian lady has been there for years- be sure to say hello to her! This last time I was front and center in row 3. You cant do any better than that!
This play is amazing! The special effects are mind boggling. The movie on TV IS the play LIVE! Absolutely amazing!! A MUST SEE!!
Sing for Me, My Angel of Music!!!! -
Review from Kyoko U.
New York, NYWow. Absolutely stunning. We had great seats and the sights and sounds were spectacular. We booked our seats in Row H Orchestra as I had read that the best seats were between rows 5-10 (which I think is around D-H?) and I was not disappointed. The musical was so moving that I had tears in my eyes towards the end. I absolutely adored the Phantom's voice... I can see how some of the seats in the back may not have the same experience. If possible, I would suggest splurging a little extra for those good seats. -
Review from Michael W.
Brooklyn, NYI've been in NYC for about three years or so now, and I haven't seen this? Something I meant to remedy immediately last night.
As a boy, this was always something I always dreamed of seeing; not only on video mind you, but the real-life Broadway. I was in the area and decided to drop in curious as to ticket prices. I got rear orchestra for 35$, full view seat. Not the best seat, but whatever I can live with it - I WAS SEEING PHANTOM OF THE OPERA! I used to watch the video several times on repeat. I still never get bored of it, in fact one of the first things I did when I got home was watch it online again.
There's something so classically mysterious, appealing and seductive about the plot and the music is consistently beautiful. There is a great mixture of highs and baritones, and the props bring each one out to it's full potential.
The reason it get's 4 stars instead of 5 (I REALLY, REALLY wanted to give 5! Too bad 4.8 isn't an option) is because a couple actors slipped a couple times. One ran out on stage about 10 seconds into a dance scene - which I do not believe was staged, and another time the police came out on stage about 20-30 seconds too early before their part and had to be hushed to sidestage by another performer, only to come back on at the right moment a few seconds later. It kind of took away from the appeal of the show, but I still would not trade this experience for the world.
There is a reason it is one of the most popular and longest running musicals on Broadway. Must see. -
Review from Michelle W.
Manhattan, NYMy favorite "classic" musical. Like ever. I have almost every single original cast recording available in English (ABSOLUTELY LOVE COLM WILKINSON). I can probably watch it daily (and I did thanks to Netflix for a while) and still never be tired of it. Phantom was also my first - a birthday present for my 12th birthday. Since then, I've seen it four more times - and I'd see it monthly if I had disposable income. It's just that good. The different Christine's I've seen never fail to amaze me during "The Phantom of the Opera" (THAT HIGH NOTE.) and I always swoon for the Phantom during "The Point of No Return."
I was lucky enough to go see Sierra Boggess as Christine Daae during the 25th anniversary celebration on Broadway - she's my favorite Christine of all time. (It probably doesn't help that I'm a total fan girl.) Although I love Hugh Panaro, I would've loved to see Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom - they're my favorite Phantom couple. (Totally loved them in Love Never Dies.)
Anyway, as a twelve year old, having a chandelier seem to almost fall on you is absolutely terrifying - and even though I absolutely loved this musical, I didn't want to go back for ages. So don't take any of your daughters or nieces until they're at least 14. Or super brave. And if you're not sure you're going to like it - check out the 25th anniversary edition at the Royal Albert Hall on Netflix before you go get tickets. But I promise you, it's 10x (if not 109483098834x) better live on stage.
Also, to that girl who "just didn't get it," and thought it was terribly dated, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA TAKES PLACE IN THE 1880S. OF COURSE IT'S DATED. If you wanted to watch a more "modern" musical, you shouldn't have come to Phantom. Like. seriously. -
Review from Michael L.
Colton, CA
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