The Phantom of the Opera (Highlights from the 1989 Original Canadian Cast) [Cast Recording]

Andrew Lloyd Webber (Composer), Theatre Orchestra (Orchestra), Peter Cormican (Performer), Rebecca Caine (Performer), Colm Wilkinson (Performer), Gregory Cross (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Peter Cormican, Rebecca Caine, Colm Wilkinson, Gregory Cross
• Orchestra: Theatre Orchestra
• Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Audio CD (November 26, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Decca Broadway
• ASIN: B0000072VS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,673 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #53 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Musicals > Contemporary Musicals

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A few years after The Phantom of the Opera debuted in London, Harold Prince unveiled Andrew Lloyd Webber's gothic musical in Canada, in 1989. It was so good that this recording of highlights from the Canadian cast is--dare we say it?--more enjoyable than the equivalent London cast highlights album. No, it doesn't have the authenticity of London principals Sarah Brightman (for whom then-husband Lloyd Webber wrote the role of Christine) and Michael Crawford, but it doesn't have their idiosyncrasies, either, and it does have the richer voices of Colm Wilkinson and Rebecca Caine (who played Jean Valjean and older Cosette, respectively, in the 1985 London cast of Les Misérables). At 69 minutes, the Canadian album is also 10 minutes longer than the London, allowing inclusion of the prologue and dress rehearsal for Hannibal. Of course, Lloyd Webber's melodies--"Angel of Music," "The Music of the Night," "All I Ask of You," "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"--are scrumptious on any continent. --David Horiuchi

Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Original Cast Recordings
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 26-NOV-2002

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for any POTO fan, March 4, 2005

By 

Furiae (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phantom of the Opera (Highlights from the 1989 Original Canadian Cast) (Audio CD)

I'm a Sarah Brightman fan(atic), but I owe it all to the original cast recording. My love for Sarah began with the Phantom of the Opera, which I first listened to as a child. Now an adult more than a decade later, I'm still not tired of those songs.

I'll assume that if you're interested in this recording, you're already familiar with the songs and are interested in knowing how this holds up to the OLC (original London cast) recording and/or the new movie soundtrack.

Rebecca Caine is a terrific Christine. It took a little getting used to her, but her vocal prowess is commendable. She also comes from a more classical background and her voice sounds much more operatic than either Sarah or Emmy Rossum, so perhaps that is why a lot of reviewers have accused her of sounding 'old.' Sarah Brightman's strength is her tone color. Her voice has a pure, crystalline tone, which was the greatest thing she brought to the role of Christine, because just the sound of her voice could convince you she was Christine. Emmy Rossum, being a teenager, had no problem sounding like one convincingly (not to mention that she did a fine job of acting). What Rebecca Caine brings is fantastic vocal agility and control. Caine's Christine is one who could easily, easily, easily have unseated Carlotta. Whereas Sarah slides into her notes, Rebecca hits them. It's also a delight to hear the emotional 'oomph' she puts behind her performance.

I actually liked Colm Wilkinson. Colm Wilkinson is no Michael Crawford. Heck, he's no Gerard Butler. I would have to agree with other reviewers that at times, he falls behind both Michael and Gerard. Michael's a terrific lyric tenor, Gerard's got a great rock tenor thing going on, and Colm's got a nice enough voice, but. he. tends. to. sing. like. this. and. it. gets. annoying. after. a. while. Unfortunately, he over-pronounces his words, too. So why did I start off this paragraph saying that I liked Colm then proceed to bash him? Well, it's all true, but I still appreciated that he brought something new to the table. Note that I said he falls behind Michael and Gerard "at times." This isn't the case during all the other times. Both Michael Crawford's and Colm Wilkinson's phantoms have a lilting quality to their singing which is both charming and haunting. I'm listening to Colm Wilkinson's 'Music of the Night' right now and it holds its own to other versions. Why? His style of singing fits the song. It may not work for some of the other songs, but it works for Music of the Night. Basically, Colm has the goods, but his performances are hit-and-misses because of his very distinct singing style. When he's good, the man is terrific... perhaps *gasp* better than Michael Crawford! When he's a little off, however, he's still enjoyable, which is much more than I can say for the next one...

Byron Nease. He overacts, and it's downright distracting and annoying. All my criticisms for Colm are overlookable and forgivable, because all his problems are mild. I wish I could say that about Byron Nease's performance. I honestly do not know why he was chosen to play Raoul. First off, his voice is too harsh and a bit boorish. If you've seen Disney's Beauty and the Beast, imagine the character Gaston singing opera. If they had a good Raoul for this recording, I could very well see the Canadian cast being on par with the OLC cast. The two recordings would be toe-to-toe, however, without a decent Raoul, the OLC version still wins out. The biggest problem with Byron's performance is his Raoul is devoid of the earnesty, gentility, and refinement we expect from Raoul. All Byron's Raoul has is enthusiasm, and too much of it! I had to keep from laughing from his exclamations during Think of Me. His sound is also more operatic, but where it works for Rebecca, it's a hit against Byron because he needed to tone down his acting. Add overacting on top of an operatic tenor and you have an overdone character. However, when he does tone it down for All I Ask of You, he does well. Regardless, he can't compare with Steve Barton or Patrick Wilson even when he's 'on.' What you basically have is a miscast actor in the case of Byron Nease. He just wasn't Raoul material to begin with.

I'm glad I purchased this soundtrack. It was delightful to get another taste of POTO from a different perspective with different voices. Colm Wilkinson's "Music of the Night" is spellbinding and Rebecca Caine's operatic soprano and vocal control is breathtaking. I just wish Angel of Music was included on this CD, but this was still fun to listen to. While the OLC recording still ranks as my favorite (everything just came together more successfully), the Canadian cast recording is still an achievement. Though it has its hit-and-miss moments, when it shines, it shines brightly.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing to the ear, April 20, 2001

By 

Eimear Coffey (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Phantom of the Opera (Highlights from the 1989 Original Canadian Cast) (Audio CD)

I had owned the London cast recording of Phantom for some 7 years before I bought this one, and it is very hard to say which one is better. As with all different cast recordings of musicals, both have their strong and weak points.

The Canadian cast is headed up by Colm Wilkinson, who is a superb singer but often sounds like he has something in his mouth. However, he certainly brings a new depth to the role of the phantom, and one can easily imagine his strange enunciation being caused by disfiguring scars or the mask that hides them.

Caine is very easy on the ear as Christine, and many prefer her voice to Sarah Brightman's. However, at the end of the title song "Phantom of the Opera" when she sings along to the Phantom's exhortations, she sounds to me as if she is struggling for the breath to reach the notes. She pauses a split second too long for breath between each phrase. This gives the impression that she's struggling.

The Carlotta of this recording is exquisite. She sounds like a real opera singer, and not like a musical performer trying to sound like a diva.

The only real fault with this particular recording is the fact that they have left out the duet between Meg & Christine, "Angel of Music". That's the only reason I took away the final star.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but..., February 14, 2006

By 

illusion "Erin" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phantom of the Opera (Highlights from the 1989 Original Canadian Cast) (Audio CD)

I would've given this five stars, but a few songs are omitted. Other than that, though, it's absolutely excellent. Colm Wilkinson plays a terrific Phantom--worlds better than Michael Crawford could ever be. His voice positively soars, and "Music of the Night" is truly breathtaking.

For this Canadian version of Phantom, the role of Christine is played by the incredibly talented Rebecca Caine. Unlike Sarah Brightman, she is able to control her voice to the point that her vibrato isn't annoying. "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," a song that has traditionally bored me to death, was suddenly more interesting when I heard Rebecca sing it. My one problem was that during "The Phantom's Lair" (as "Down Once More" and "Track Down this Murderer" are dubbed on this CD), she seemed to forget herself, and her vocals often turned to strangled gasps.

Byron Nease is one of the best Raouls I've ever heard. His voice is positively angelic, and "All I Ask of You" was a delight. The role is played very well.

Perhaps my favorite vocalist here, however, is the fantastic Lyse Guerin, who played a splendid Carlotta. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous, and she totally nailed her self-absorbed, irritable character. I can't even begin to prase her performance in "Prima Donna"--it is simply something you must experience yourself. She also tends to speed up passages that Rosemary Ashe, the original Carlotta, sang rather slowly. This may sound like it would be annoying, but it actually adds some more flavor to the songs.

Our dear managers, Firmin and Andre, left me a bit speechless. During the first act, they had clear Canadian accents...which promptly disappeared by the second act. During "Notes!" and "Prima Donna," they tended to drag out words a bit too extravagantly, but by "Masquerade," their voices had become clipped and restrained. Nevertheless, they sounded terrific, while not the best I've heard.

This CD does, as I've mentioned, leave out a few very good songs. However, the vocals are extraordinary, and this recording is a must for all Phantom fans. (Or phans, if you prefer.)