Search - Maury Yeston :: Phantom: The American Musical Sensation (1992 Studio Cast)

Leslie P. (morrig3) from STATESBORO, GA
Reviewed on 2/17/2011...

An excellent recording of a wonderful musical: Richard White and Glory Crampton are stunning as the Phantom and Christine, and his dark melancholy sets off her sweet innocence perfectly.

My favorite version of Phantom of the Opera

Montego Bay | 06/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I deeply love this musical because it focuses on the emotion of the story and the characters, rather than spectacle like the ALW version does. I love Maury Yeston's music and lyrics.



Richard White and Glory Crampton are phenomenal in voice. Their duets in "Home" and "You Are Music" are particular favorites. "Dressing For the Night" and "Phantom Fugue" are paced faster than what is usually performed live on stage. While they both are fun, I prefer the slightly slower versions.



I highly recommend this CD as a good example of Yeston music and also because this is one of my favorite musicals."

Good music, questionable story

Benjamin Stone | New York, NY | 04/30/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Admirers of Gaston Leroux, beware. The story of Erik the Phantom as told by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit has more or less been invented by the authors and bears little resemblance to the original. Or, for that matter, to the Andrew Lloyd Webber version, which itself takes a few liberties with the novel's plot but basically sticks to its general idea. This one is in a much lighter mood. Also, by focusing on the Phantom's motivation, it completely ignores Christine's, in the process eliminating both the character of her father and the concept of the Angel of Music, which to me are two of the central aspects of the story. It also adds a couple of rather absurd touches, like the opera manager being Erik's father who shoots his son in the final scene to save him from being caught, or Carlotta holding a singing contest against Christine in a Paris bistro. And there's one piece of lyric that's downright silly. ("Where every English horn makes me feel glad I'm born" in "Home". Thankfully though, there's no "Where every clarinet makes me feel cold and dead."). The plot of the musical, by the way, is identical to the 1990 NBC mini series starring Burt Lancaster and Charles Dance, which has a script by Kopit.That said, it should be noted that this is a wonderful piece of music! Yeston has written lyrical, classical melodies and transformed them into very athmospheric songs. The opening, "Mélodie de Paris", is a pretty waltz with the slightest of French flavors, whereas "You Are My Own", "Where in the World", or "My Mother Bore Me" are ballads as beautiful and emotional as any on Broadway or in the West End (even if they lack the sophistication of Yeston's masterpiece, "NINE"). Add Jonathan Tunick's glorious orchestral sounds and a very good cast, and what you'll get is a great musical that stands on its own - neither above nor below ALW's, but right next to it. The two simply don't have anthing to do with each other."