The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall Blu-ray Movie Review

Like it or not, he's in your mind.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 24, 2012

There may be a calamitous end to a long and happy marriage after I announce this, but I can’t stand Phantom of the Opera. My wife, on the other hand, loves it, and has seen it numerous times through the years. (Hopefully the scores above will allay your fears that I'm unable to separate my personal preferences from my critical faculties.) Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the most outrageously successful theater composers of his generation (perhaps the most successful), but does that actually make him any good? Personally I find Jesus Christ Superstar a work of absolute genius from start to finish, but I’ve often joked through the intervening years that Lloyd Webber must have suffered some sort of debilitating stroke after that piece, for his compositional craft became decidedly more hackneyed and predictable. A well known arranger with many Broadway credits who’s a personal friend of mine once joked that he found making medleys out of Phantom’s score child’s play because, as he put it, “They’re all the same song anyway.” Now there are legions of ardent Lloyd Webber and Phantom fans who no doubt are already irate with this review, so let me offer a ameliorative comment: not all of Phantom is Puccini-lite, and in fact some of Lloyd Webber’s pastiche writing is actually quite spectacular. But I have to be honest: if I ever hear “All I Ask of You” or “Music of the Night” again before (or in fact after) I die, it will be too soon. Phantom of the Opera has been one of the “populist” musicals which invaded the United States, shows which originated in Europe, took the Continent by storm, and then flew across the pond and did much the same thing here. Is there an overriding reason that Phantom of the Opera has been such a sensation for so long? Well, it’s big and it’s flashy and it has that incredible set piece of the falling chandelier. And say what you will about Lloyd Webber’s music (and many of you are probably thinking I’ve already said too much), it’s hummable, easily accessible and captures a certain romantic fervor that speaks quite clearly to feminine hearts.

Back in what might be termed the Golden Age of the Broadway Musical, shows were usually considered successful if they managed to run for longer than a season, which back in those days, with their much lower production costs, more often than not was long enough for most shows to turn a profit. The history of Broadway is littered with moderately successful shows that ran between 300 – 700 or so performances. There were notable exceptions through the years that managed to crack 1,000 or even more performances, shows like Oklahoma! (2,022 performances), My Fair Lady (2,717 performances), Fiddler on the Roof (3,242 performances) and Hello, Dolly! (2,844 performances), but it wasn’t until the “mega” musicals like Cats (7,485 performances) and Les Miserables (6,680 performances) that totals of that size were even considered possible. Well, get ready for some astounding news: shortly after this review goes live, Phantom of the Opera, which is still running on Broadway, will pass its 10,000th performance! The Broadway mounting came a couple of years after the original West End production, hence this release’s “25th Anniversary” soubriquet. (It should be noted that West End musicals, whether original British productions or imported American musicals, rarely run as long as Broadway shows).

The film version of Phantom of the Opera was a rather stark failure, at least when compared to the overriding success of the stage version, and truth be told, despite the film’s production design flair, my hunch is most Phantom fans (and even curmudgeons like yours truly) would argue that the way to see Phantom of the Opera is on stage. Both the original London and the New York versions (the latter helmed by the iconic Harold Prince) offered truly lavish settings and costumes, including some breathtaking moments like the chandelier set piece and the boat trip through the Phantom’s underground lair. Rather remarkably this concertized version performed inside the cavernous Royal Albert Hall manages to recreate a lot of the wonder of the original staged versions, despite the lack of a traditional proscenium stage and such additions as huge projections augmenting the performance. In fact about the only thing missing here is the big chandelier drop, perhaps because of the stage configuration. Instead we get a kind of disco ball installation that starts spewing fireworks. Purists will be aghast, but it’s really about the only questionable moment in an otherwise spectacular production.

The concert features some sterling singing from a huge cast including several veterans of various productions of Phantom of the Opera through the years. Ramin Karimloo is the Phantom, Sierra Boggess is Christine, Hadley Fraser plays Raoul, Wendy Ferguson is Carlotta and Liz Robertson essays Madame Giry (does anyone beside me laugh whenever she comes on looking exactly like Mrs. Danvers from Hitchcock’s Rebecca?). The show is extremely well produced, including excellent coverage by multiple cameras for what was actually beamed into theaters worldwide, including several where Phantom was on the boards. After the performance ends, there’s another almost 25 minutes of content, including Andrew Lloyd Webber coming out and making several comments, then bringing on a coterie of former Phantom icons, including Michael Crawford, Anthony Warlow, Colm Wilkinson, and Webber’s own ex-wife, original Christine Sarah Brightman. Of course, most everyone sings. This is a huge celebratory concert which keeps the magic of Phantom of the Opera alive for fans worldwide. Maybe if I remind my wife we have it she won’t drag me to the next touring production.

The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall 25th Anniversary is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a spectacularly effective transfer that is sharp and appealing, with absolutely eye popping color and incredible detail apparent on the production's unbelievably opulent costumes, many of which almost pop off the screen in close-ups. The entire production features beautifully saturated colors, solid blacks and stable contrast. About the only issue with this presentation is some persistent moiré which crops up with fair regularity on the huge screen behind the stage which features gigantic projections. Other than that anomaly, this is a trouble free and highly enjoyable presentation that should delight all of the Phantom's many fans.

The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Update: Several of our members have posted asking about the center channel on this release. It is not missing, though it is used differently than center channels regularly are. Once I noticed the postings, I went back and actually put my ear next to the center channel to discern what's going on. It is in fact inactive in the opening Prologue, no doubt contributing to the inadequate levels I note with regard to the Auctioneer below. But it does kick into action during the Overture and stays regularly active after that. At times it seems over-reverbed, as if it's being used mostly for ambient hall effect rather than actual direct audio feed. I've slightly lowered the audio score after revisiting this aspect.

Universal regularly does some frankly screwy things with their audio options on their music or concert titles, regularly having their Blu-ray discs default to Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks, and then having what most home theater aficionados are probably going to want, a lossless 5.1 option (usually DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), as the third choice. Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall 25th Anniversary ups that oddness on two levels: first, the disc defaults to a standard Dolby Digital 2.0 mix, and then, even more peculiarly, the disc does not allow easy toggling to the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that is included. Instead you need to either go back to the Main Menu or the Pop-Up Menu and access Setup and make the appropriate audio choice there. That slight difficulty aside, for the most part the 5.1 track is incredibly well rendered, at least after the main singing gets underway. For some reason the Prologue is mixed rather low (or was inadequately miked), and the Auctioneer is a bit hard to hear. Once the main thrust of the show gets underway, the DTS- HD Master Audio 5.1 track easily supports everything from the coloratura warbling to the synth-laden moments of the score. Balance is excellent between the orchestra and the singers and The Royal Albert Hall's natural ambience is caught magnificently on this track.

The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Love Never Dies Trailer (HD; 1:03)
• Getting Past the Point of No Return: Behind the Scenes at Phantom 25th (HD; 17:40) is a fun loo at the preparations for this concert version. Fans will probably especially like the close look at the Phantom's make-up.

The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Millions of people have made The Phantom of the Opera the most successful theatrical event of all time. And yet there are still some who have never seen a production of the show. For either of those groups, this Royal Albert Hall presentation should be a welcome addition to their collections, offering a really sumptuous production which features gorgeous costumes and sets and a first rate cast that is in splendid voice. Though this Blu-ray release is a little light in the supplements department, with sterling video and audio quality, The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall 25th Anniversary comes Highly recommended.